Business View Magazine - Dec 2023

“We do not have to choose between a competitive economy and an equitable one,” Moore declared in his inaugural address in January. Moore’s ambitious first legislative agenda was embraced by the Maryland General Assembly that Spring; lawmakers passed all 10 administration proposals with bipartisan support. This included accelerating an increase in the state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour; expanding tax credits for working families in order to reduce childhood poverty; and launching a first-of-its-kinds service year to help young people bridge the gap between education and the workforce. The Moore administration also took an important step to empower minority-owned businesses with an executive order signed in February requiring more data from state agencies about the performance of the state’s Minority Business Enterprise, or MBE, program. Launched in 1978, the MBE program encourages minority- and women- owned firms to compete for state procurement opportunities. The state has annual participation goals to ensure certified MBEs are doing business with the state, but for the past two decades has fallen short of those goals nearly every year. The additional reports from participating state agencies on MBE participation and on their outreach and marketing efforts will inform future efforts to make the program more effective. “What we learn will enable us to strengthen our partnership with our minority-owned businesses, which in turn will help strengthen our state’s economy,” said Maryland Commerce Secretary Kevin Anderson. EXPANDING BROADBAND ACCESS When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, businesses and schools pivoted to teleworkand remote learning like never before; this showed, with renewed clarity, that all Marylanders needed access to high-speed internet service; those who were not adequately connected risked losing out on employment and educational opportunities. Legislation submitted by the Moore administration 213 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 12 MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE