Maryland leaders voted Wednesday to cut $148 million from the state budget, due to what they described as “stagnant” revenues paired with rising health care and child care costs.
The cuts span state government. They include $12 million for local health departments, $6 million to boost security at higher education institutions, and a little over $1 million for pay raises at the Office of the Public Defender. Many of the reductions delay hiring for new positions in state government.
Gov. Wes Moore — who chairs the three-member Board of Public Works that approved the cuts — said the changes are designed to prioritize health care and child care spending.
“We know that when Marylanders have access to health care and also access to preventative care, and when families have access to affordable childcare, they are more likely to participate in our labor force and participate in our economy,” he said. “And the key is we’ve got to have an economy where more people can participate.”
Read more (and listen) at WYPR.
