Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley called for job creation in his State of the State address, urging lawmakers on Tuesday to pass a $3,000 tax credit for companies hiring the unemployed, expand a loan program for small businesses and pour $83 million into unemployment insurance costs.
He also insisted that Maryland has seen the bottom of the recession and is on the road to recovery.
“Our best days are still in front of us,” he told the General Assembly. “We are not at the edge of a cliff; we are at the threshold of brilliant science, innovative technology and remarkable discoveries that will transform for the better the way we feed, fuel and heal this world of ours.”
Others weren’t so optimisitic.
“My view is that the Maryland economy is very sour and it will continue to be for a while,” said Comptroller Peter Franchot, a fellow Democrat.
He said the state needs to spend more efficiently, instead of focusing on budget cuts versus tax increases.
“We need to make some kind of adjustments that no one — in the state or in Congress — is considering,” he said.
Del. Luiz Simmons, D-Gaithersburg, said he recently laid off an employee at his Silver Spring law firm.
“I fired that employee because I needed to save $40,000,” he said. “I’m not going to hire another employee because you give me $3,000.”
O’Malley urged lawmakers to approve a bill that would slow the foreclosure process, and expand a small-business loan program that would make it easier to apply for financial assistance, and he encouraged approval of $83 million in “emergency” funds to help small businesses pay their unemployment insurance premiums.
The governor spent a quarter of his 30-minute speech touting his work over the last four years — from record funding for K-12 schools to increasing security at the Port of Baltimore.
“He’s worried, and I’m glad he’s worried because the people of Maryland need a governor who is looking out for them and not his own political future,” said Senate Minority Leader Allan H. Kittleman, R-Howard County.
