The Maryland Budget & Tax Policy Institute provides non-partisan research and analysis of state budget and tax policy, with a particular focus on how policy decisions affect low-moderate income families and the programs that support them. The MMFN is collaborating with the Maryland Budget & Tax Policy Institute’s Save Our State campaign to garner support for a progressive approach to balancing the budget in order to prevent more harmful budget cuts on state programs.
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Related Blog Posts
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June 21, 2012
On July 1, the State of Maryland starts a new fiscal year, with a new balanced budget. The deliberations leading up to this budget were contentious, and the legislature had to come back to Annapolis for a special session to wrap up its work.
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May 29, 2012
Unfortunately my time blogging for the Moving Maryland Forward Network is coming to an end. I have been blogging for years but this was my first stint as a professional blogger, and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t learned a lot. Not just about the differences between professional and recreational blogging, but also a ton about state politics and non-profit operations.
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May 10, 2012
Finally!!! Governor O’Malley called a special session to begin on Monday, May 14th. The Maryland House of Representatives and Senate will convene to fix the Maryland budget so we don’t have to suffer through the doomsday budget (which I’ve outlined in this earlier blog post).
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April 27, 2012
Although many things were accomplished this legislative session, it ended on a sour note with a race to the finish and no compromise made on the budget. As a result, a “doomsday” budget will go into effect on July 1st. This budget does not raise revenues in the form of income taxes and therefore includes over $500 million in cuts.
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April 24, 2012
O’Malley has announced that he will call a special session once the House and Senate reach a consensus. He even said he would have liked to have called the session “yesterday.” I had been wondering why he had been silent on the issue, but I never thought that he wasn’t going call a special session because based on wha
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April 12, 2012
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about what would happen if we allowed a “doomsday” budget. Unfortunately, we are closer to facing tremendous budget cuts than ever before because the House and Senate have failed to come to an agreement. Unless O’Malley calls a special session for the House and Senate to reconcile their budget plans, Maryland will face its largest education cuts in years.
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April 9, 2012
Single mother Franora Gray and her 4-year-old daughter Hylah Frances, a first year Ellicott City Head Start student, are reaching for the stars despite down to earth concerns. That’s just what the comprehensive school-readiness program aims to foster. “From the time I pick her up at the bus stop until she goes to bed, she sings songs and talks a mile a minute about daily school trips. They ‘travel’ all over the world through reading – they even took a trip to the moon when they studied space exploration.” Adds Ms.
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April 2, 2012
Ask Natasha Pilgrim –help at the right time can be crucial. Howard County’s Community Action Council (CAC) gives people short-term funds in emergencies, and Ms. Pilgrim is one of their thankful recipients. A single mother of 3 sons, during the Great Recession Ms. Pilgrim was laid off from her IT job. For the thirteen months she was unemployed, the bills kept coming. On the verge of losing her home and with the power about to be turned off, CAC stepped in and gave her energy assistance, weatherization, and access to Head Start for her youngest boy.
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March 26, 2012
Lamont. Telina. Mimi and Max. These are some of the names running through my mind as Maryland House and Senate conferees get ready to talk about numbers, and make very consequential decisions about the shared burdens and benefits of living in a community.
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March 26, 2012
Lamont Baker’s job would be challenging under any circumstances, but the last year has been exceptionally grueling and frightening. Mr. Baker works at the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center, Maryland’s maximum security facility for psychiatric patients. The staff at Perkins provide care for patients who are accused of violent acts but their behavior has been tied to mental illness. Over the last thirteen months there have been three killings at the hospital.
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March 19, 2012
The budget packet has passed through the senate and now moves to the house for discussion. It will now move to a House committee where delegates will think about what should be done about our $1.1 billion deficit.
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March 19, 2012
Despite Additional Funds, Families Still Wait
Stephanie Flamino Pippen is the mother of two children with serious developmental disabilities. Her son and daughter each has a genetic disorder that prevents them from speaking and means they need extensive care. Though Max and Mimi each qualify for Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) help, the family has been desperately waiting for more than three years. "We've been in a crisis state," Stephanie says. "We've refinanced our house to hire help," she explains, but the family is at risk of losing its health insurance, and "Everything is a fight." Finally, after being removed from the DDA waiting list because of a hospitalization and other circumstances, Stephanie's children are now near the top.
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March 12, 2012
Huge Backlog for Small Businesses Seeking Help
Telina Jones works as a Revenue Specialist in the Compliance Division for the Maryland Office of the Comptroller. "We work hard to help small businesses get the answers they need to pay taxes on time,” she explains. “But over the past several years staff has been cut to the point that we do not have enough employees to adequately staff our call center. Maryland small businesses are in a waiting list for answers that is 600 taxpayers long,” she says.
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March 5, 2012
Despite Good Outcomes, Funds Have Been Slashed
When Shakeisha H. was a high school freshman, she was only interested in fighting. Now a senior, she plans to become a social worker, is a leader in a school group, and was nominated to receive a four-year, full-tuition college scholarship from The Posse Foundation. Shakeisha credits her success to her involvement in the Community Bridges afterschool program in Silver Spring. Community Bridges offers a safe environment where girls can explore their feelings, build confidence, and set goals for the future.
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February 27, 2012
Proposed cut would end the program in nine Maryland counties
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February 21, 2012
What is Save Our State?
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February 20, 2012
Kids get a meal, then they’re ready to learn
Hungry students don’t learn as well as students who eat a good breakfast. At Monocacy Elementary School, the Maryland Meals for Achievement program allows 367 students to get free, healthy breakfasts – up from just 108 before the program. Says Monocacy Assistant Principal Susan Gullo, “It’s been great being able to offer breakfast to our students every morning. Kids come in, get a meal, and then they’re ready to learn for the day.”
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February 13, 2012
Budget Cuts to Mental Health Care Cut Marylanders Out of Care
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February 8, 2012
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February 8, 2012
Moving Maryland Forward Network (MMFN) is excited to thank Maryland’s public workers.
I bet you didn’t consciously think about how nice it was to drive on a well-paved road this week; or how easy it was to calculate the percentage off a pair of jeans at your favorite clothing store; or appreciate that the library book you read last night that was free to borrow.
Well, thank a construction worker, a teacher and a librarian for making this all possible.
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February 6, 2012
Safeguard Investments in Our Children’s Future