Governor Larry Hogan signed 120 bills into law during a signing ceremony held on April 11th, the day after the legislative session ended. The bills signed included Hogan’s top legislative priorities: administration legislation to eliminate conflicts of interest for elected officials (HB 879), state funding for 73 transportation projects (SB 307), and the governor’s More Jobs for Marylanders Act (SB 317), which was the centerpiece of Hogan’s Maryland Jobs Initiative. The jobs bill passed in both the House and Senate in the final hours of the session on Monday night.
“Since day one the focus of our administration has been on restoring Maryland’s economy and putting more people to work. We have already seen incredible success – we have added nearly 105,000 new jobs and lowered unemployment to 4.2 percent,” said Governor Hogan. “This morning we are taking the next important step by signing the More Jobs for Marylanders Act, which will incentivize and encourage manufacturers to create thousands of jobs in the areas of the state that need them the most, like Baltimore City, Western Maryland, and the Lower Eastern Shore, while also offering benefits to both workers and job creators across the state.”
The legislation – which takes effect June 1, 2017 – provides tax incentives for new and existing manufacturers to create jobs, along with additional workforce development initiatives that the governor supports. New manufacturers creating at least five jobs in high-unemployment counties will receive a 5.75% wage tax credit, a state property tax credit, and a sales and use tax credit for ten years. Existing manufacturers that create at least five new jobs anywhere in the state will also receive the same wage tax credit.
“This is a huge step forward for Maryland’s manufacturing industry and will our great employers put even more Marylanders to work and bring even more high-quality products to consumers,” said Regional Manufacturing Institute President Michael Galiazzo. “I commend Governor Hogan and the Maryland General Assembly for recognizing the incredible value our manufacturing job creators bring to our great state, and for helping ensure the industry will continue to grow and thrive in the years to come.”
The legislation also provides $1 million in Workforce Development Scholarships for eligible students enrolled in job training programs at community colleges, and contains measures to encourage high schools to offer additional vocational training, as well as requiring state agencies to analyze their registered apprenticeship programs.
The governor is expected to participate in an additional bill signing ceremony on Tuesday, April 18th.
