Hogan pushes legislative agenda, touts accomplishments in annual address

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Gov. Larry Hogan Wednesday night said the coronavirus pandemic entering its third calendar year can “no longer dictate” how residents live their lives.

The state is emerging from the latest wave of COVID-19 and a January that was the deadliest month so far of the health crisis. But Hogan, in his State of the State address, declared the state to be in a strong condition and said it would lead the nation in health and economic recovery.

“But my message to you tonight is that we must all learn to live with this virus, not to live in fear of it,” said Hogan. “We can’t let it continue to dictate how we live our lives. Our offices and businesses need to be open. Our kids need to be in school, in person.”

The governor said the state would “continue to follow the data and the science” but that a state of emergency enacted in early January will expire on Thursday.  

Hogan’s roughly 20-minute speech was part promotion of his legislative agenda — touching on tax cuts and criminal justice and public safety issues — and part victory lap, showcasing what he sees as his accomplishments over two terms.

The message was in sharp contrast to a response from legislative Democrats, who described a foundering state government beset by a lack of staff, an unemployment benefits system staggered by the pandemic, inadequate public education and a recent hack of the state Department of Health website.

“I think it’s safe to say after seven and a half years in office you now own the problem as governor,” said Sen. Will Smith, D-Montgomery and chairman of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.

It was the second consecutive year, necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic, that Hogan delivered the address in the evening and not in front of a joint session of the Maryland General Assembly. The historic Senate chamber where the governor gave his eighth and final State of the State address is the same one in which General George Washington resigned his commission in the Continental Army before returning to civilian life and later the presidency.

The governor touched on familiar themes of the last seven years, including a need to turn away from heated partisan rhetoric.

“In his farewell address, George Washington warned that partisanship would create a ‘spirit of revenge’ that would undermine the ‘reins of government’ and lead to the ‘ruins of liberty,’ Hogan said.

Still, Hogan chided legislative Democrats for producing congressional and legislative redistricting plans he called gerrymandered. Those plans face court challenges.

Hogan also revisited the legislative agenda he has promoted for more than a month. 

Topping that list is a $4 billion proposal phased in over six years to eliminate income taxes for retirees 65 and older who claim Social Security. He also is seeking an additional $600 million tax credit for low-wage earners who claim the earned income tax credit; his proposal excludes undocumented immigrants included last year in a compromise deal with the legislature.

Analysts raised concerns that the largest phases of the retiree tax cut will hit at the same time a much-vaunted multibillion-dollar education reform plan will also need significant amounts of funding.

Hogan decried violence around the state, again singling out incidents in Baltimore city. He called on the legislature to pass bills imposing tougher sentences on repeat violent offenders and a measure he said would make the judicial system more transparent regarding sentencing. 

“The reality is, no matter how much money we invest or what state actions we take, Baltimore city will not ever get control of the violence if they can’t arrest more, prosecute more, and sentence more of the most violent criminals to get them off the streets,” said Hogan.

Smith, in the Democratic response, had a different take.

“Tonight you heard a reactive approach,” said Smith. “Here’s the deal: Two terms later that approach and lack of planning hasn’t moved Maryland forward.” 

Smith said Democrats, who are a super majority of both the House of Delegates and the Senate, believe Hogan allowed the state government to fail at providing core services.

“They’ve failed you and they’ve failed your neighbor,” said Smith, who also criticized Hogan for what he said was a record 6,000 vacant state positions.

“Your government has become considerably less efficient and less responsive,” said Smith, seemingly speaking directly to Hogan. “This translates into real economic and societal loss for real Marylanders. The underinvestment is what caused the epic debacle in the unemployment insurance division, when well over 40,000 Marylanders needed it most.”

Vacancies in parole and probation result in a lack of supervision for violent offenders on release who then commit crimes or become victims, he contended. 

“The historic shortage of parole and probation officers has caused our state to be less safe as those under judicial supervision often re-offend because this administration has failed to reinvest in mechanisms to hold offenders accountable and provide people in parole and probation with the resources they need to get back on track,” said Smith. “The results have been elementary and devastating.” 

Instead, Smith said, the legislature will focus efforts on ghost gun legislation, parole and probation, judicial transparency and behavioral health initiatives “that will help improve community safety.”

Additionally, Smith said, the legislature will spend money on one-time capital expenses on parks, schools and cybersecurity infrastructure — a need laid bare by the recent ransomware attack on the Department of Health. 

Smith said the legislature will look to make state government salaries more competitive.

“The state workforce and state salaries also deserve an increase and legislative support,” he said. 

Smith then told the story of his mother who had her first son — Smith’s older brother — at the age of 16. His mom left high school for a time but later returned and ultimately took a government job that paid a competitive wage and allowed Smith to become a first-generation college graduate and a lawyer.

“We need more stories like this,” Smith said.