Progressive Maryland

Taxpayer Dollars Should Only Be Used To Create Family-Sustaining Jobs

As we face the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the need to create family sustaining jobs for Marylanders is essential to putting our state and communities back on the road to economic recovery. Each year, Maryland’s state, county, and city governments extend millions of dollars (i.e. direct grants, special tax districts, tax abatements, etc.) to private companies in order to create jobs and develop the economy. Many of these companies happily accept these government handouts, but create jobs at poverty wages which leave their employees eligible for public assistance, costing the state even more money...  Read more

In 2006, PM led the charge to raise the minimum wage in our state.  In 2007, PM and allies enacted the nation's first statewide Living Wage law.  The Living Wage law is lifting tens of thousands of hardworking families out of poverty by requiring big, for-profit corporations with a state service contract to pay workers on those enough to live without Food Stamps.  PM will keep pushing to raise wages as part of our campaign for permanent expansion of the middle class...  Read more

Public funding of campaigns makes it possible to pass laws to benefit all the voters, not just the HMOs, pharmaceutical companies, and other special interests that fund the campaigns of elected officials. The current campaign finance system undermines voter confidence in government. Many lawmakers dislike the current system as well. To remain competitive, they are under pressure to spend too much time and effort fundraising -- even sometimes accepting money from interest groups whose agenda they might not support. Many lawmakers would rather be crafting legislation, speaking to voters, or with their friends and family... Read more

After five years of advocacy by PM and allies, the General Assembly in 2007 enacted an historic overhaul of the state's regressive tax system, making the income tax code more progressive, asking corporations to pay a fairer share, and protecting most vital public investments. More work remains to be done, especially making the state's sales tax more progressive, and PM will continue to work on this issue. Background and Alliance for Tax Fairness website 

Few concerns weigh so heavily on families as health care. Anyone paying family medical bills or reading the newspaper knows the tragic state of health care in America. In early 2010, fifty million Americans lacked any health insurance (700,000 in Maryland alone) and millions more were saddled with expensive but inadequate coverage and diminishing employer plans. Medical costs continue to soar and working families still live in constant fear of losing their jobs and coverage, or going bankrupt.  As state coordinator for the national coalition Health Care for America Now Progressive Maryland led the fight in Maryland to enact the historic national health care reform passed by Congress in March 2010 and signed by President Obama, and continues to work at both the state and national levels to expand and improve coverage... Read more

Progressive Maryland and allies fought hard since its pasage in 2002 to implement and defend the historic Thornton educational plan for K-12 public schools and to increase investments in public higher education.  As a result, Maryland's education system is now ranked number one "best in the nation."  We continue to fight to preserve these wise investments that create opportunity for working familiies and help give our state the highest median family income in the nation. More!

Fewer than 3/5 of registered voters participated in the last state election. Progressive Maryland has done extensive voter registration for past elections, increasing public participation in molding our government.  Please make sure to register online and vote in the 2010 elections. More!