The Policy Lowdown with the Maryland Center on Economic Policy

Maryland is facing growing budget deficits in the coming years that present a choice: do we cut back on support for our schools, transit service, road construction, environmental protections, and other public services? Or do we raise the revenue we need to continue investing in our communities and building a strong foundation for our economy?

As Maryland's General Assembly session kicked off last week, Kevin Slayton sat down with Senate President Bill Ferguson to discuss his top priorities for the legislative session and, in particular, what his approach is to balancing the state's budget as state revenues drop below what the state needs to maintain current services.

The entire Maryland Center on Economic Policy policy team joins Kevin Slayton to talk about the issues to watch in this year's Maryland General Assembly session and how the decisions made in Annapolis in the next 90 days could shape Marylanders' lives.

Maryland legalized cannabis for recreational use July 1 and the new industry started off with strong sales, bringing in new revenue for state and local priorities. A portion of those funds are dedicated to repairing the harm of the "war on drugs" in Black and Brown and low-income communities.

In this episode, host Kevin Slayton talks with Dayvon Love, director of public policy for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, and Justin Strekal, a partner with Useful Strategies and national advocate for cannabis reform, about what the changes mean for Maryland communities, particularly communities of color.

Pandemic relief efforts brought unprecedented protections and resources to help keep families in their homes when they were facing a financial challenge. With those federal resources now gone, tenants and advocates across Maryland have been working on permanent policy changes to reduce evictions, strengthen tenants rights, and promote more stable, successful communities.

Maryland Center on Economic Policy Analyst Taneeka Richardson and Matt Hill of the Public Justice Center’s Human Right to Housing project joined host Kevin Slayton discuss the latest policy changes and the work ahead.

Health is at the center of everything in our lives; without it, we are limited in our work, our ability to take care for our families, or to simply live out our daily lives. However, many Marylanders are unable to access or afford health care services. This is especially true for the thousands of immigrant Marylanders that do not qualify for services or coverage due to their immigration status.

In this episode, host Kevin Slayton talks with Dr. Michelle LaRue, health and human services director for CASA, and Maryland Center on Economic Policy State Policy Fellow Jasmin Aramburu about how these barriers to health care affect immigrants in Maryland and our communities, and what we can do about it.

Despite Maryland's relative wealth compared to other states, the annual KIDS COUNT Data Book showed that many Maryland families and children are still facing significant challenges. This year's Data Book ranked Maryland 21st among the states in child well-being. The KIDS COUNT Data Book is published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Host Kevin Slayton brought MDCEP KIDS COUNT Director Nonso Umunna back to the studio to discuss what this year's Data Book says about the issues affecting families across the state and how policy changes could better support children and families in Maryland.

As the Baltimore City Council considered the mayor's proposed budget earlier this year, they had new options for shaping how the city uses shared resources. Thanks to a voter-passed referendum, for the first time in more than 100 years the council has more power to move funds around in the budget.

As the council was making their final deliberations, host Kevin Slayton talked with Baltimore City Comptroller Bill Henry and Musaab Ibrahim, Senior Research Assistant with the Maryland Center on Economic Policy, about what these changes mean for city residents.

No matter what we look like or where we come from, most Marylanders believe in caring for our families and leaving things better for the generations to come. However, the upside-down tax system we have today makes it harder for our communities to thrive.

In this episode, Kevin Slayton talks with Christopher Meyer of the Maryland Center on Economic Policy about the Roadmap for Tax Justice, a proposal to reform Maryland's tax system so that large, profitable corporations and the wealthy pay what they truly owe while also expanding opportunity by creating robust working family tax credits that help families make ends meet.

Then, Kevin heads to Annapolis to speak with Delegates Jheanelle Wilkins and Julie Palakovich Carr - two legislators who have been working to advance legislation that makes our tax system more equitable.

One of the important things we do together as a community is work to make sure the next generation is set up for success. In Part 2 of a two-part series on policies affecting children and families, host Kevin Slayton leads a conversation with Laura Weeldreyer, Executive Director of Maryland Family Network, and Nonso Umunna, KIDS COUNT director for the Maryland Center on Economic Policy. They discuss the important role of high-quality, affordable early childhood care and education for our kids, families, and communities.

One of the important things we do together as a community is work to make sure the next generation is set up for success. In Part 1 of a two-part series on policies affecting children and families, host Kevin Slayton leads a conversation with Rev. Kobi Little, president of the Baltimore City NAACP chapter, and Nonso Umunna, KIDS COUNT director for the Maryland Center on Economic Policy. They discuss what the data show about the challenges facing kids and families in the state and the kinds of policy changes that would help ensure the state doesn't continue to leave some children behind.

There is nothing more essential to our well-being than having a safe place to live. Yet we all know that this basic human need is out of reach for far too many Marylanders. 

In this episode host Kevin Slayton talks with Claudia Wilson Randall, Executive Director of Community Development Network of Maryland, and Taneeka Richardson, housing policy analyst at the Maryland Center on Economic Policy, about the ways Maryland is addressing - and not addressing - the significant need for affordable housing across the state.

One of the most important things we do together as a community is set the next generation up for success. Maryland has a mixed track record in funding public schools, but legislators made a commitment to provide a great education for every child when they passed the Blueprint for Maryland's Future legislation in 2021. 

In this episode, host Kevin Slayton talks with Shamoyia Gardiner, Executive Director of Strong Schools Maryland, and Christopher Meyer, Research Analyst at the Maryland Center on Economic Policy, about the current state of school funding in the state and what that means for kids and families.

Maryland's state budget provides the clearest reflection of what we value – and what we don’t value. Host Kevin Slayton talks with Benjamin Orr, Founder, President and CEO of the Maryland Center on Economic Policy, about how state policymakers decide how to use our shared resources, why it matters, and how you can help shape those priorities. And, they discuss ways state budget decisions can help some communities while leaving others behind. Note: This episode was recorded in the fall and therefore references 2023 as the future.