GOVERNOR MARTIN O'MALLEY KICKS OFF “JOBS ACROSS MARYLAND TOUR”

Visits Biomedical Technology Magnet Program Students at Randallstown High School;
Promotes Jobs Tax Credit at Amethyst Technologies, LLC

BALTIMORE, MD (April 9, 2010) – Fulfilling his commitment to stimulate job creation and help put unemployed Marylanders back to work, Governor Martin O’Malley today kicked off his “Jobs Across Maryland” tour, and visited with students in the Biomedical Technology magnet program at Randallstown High School, and later visited Amethyst Technologies, a biotechnology company that is currently hiring up to 20 new employees this year.

The Jobs Tour will bring Governor O’Malley to every region of our State visiting with large and small Maryland businesses, public schools and career-training programs throughout the State. At each stop, the Governor will promote efforts to save and create jobs, including the passage of the emergency Job Creation and Recovery Tax Credit, which offers a $5,000 tax credit for every unemployed Marylander a company hires. The Governor will also discuss efforts to expand access to credit for Maryland businesses.

“There is no government program that is as important or as empowering as a job for helping a family put food on the table, pay the electric bill, and send their kids to college,” said Governor O’Malley. “That is why today we are launching the ‘Jobs Across Maryland’ Tour. On this tour, we will visit small businesses, schools, and career programs, to share ideas and concerns with our fellow citizens who are working hard every day to put more of Marylanders back to work and move our state forward from recovery to a new prosperity.”

“I want to thank Dr. Brown of Amethyst Technologies and her team for helping lead our State into the cutting edge of the biosciences – a sector of Maryland’s Innovation Economy that is essential to our efforts to create jobs, protect jobs, empower small businesses, and defend the hard-won progress of our hard-working families,” Governor O’Malley said. “We are very encouraged that the Budget Conference Committee voted yesterday to increase the Biotechnology Tax Credit to $8 million.”

During his visit at Randallstown, Governor O’Malley met with students studying under the Biomedical Technology magnet program. His first stop included a visit with students who were conducting a lab with DNA. Afterward, he stopped in a forensics class where the students were performing a blood splatter lab. Classes such as these equip students with the skills to succeed in the technology sector.

Following his visit at Randallstown High School, Governor O’Malley toured Amethyst Technologies, a biotechnology company that provides customized compliance services for the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, hospital, and food and beverage industries and provides services for clients such as the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command and Coca-Cola. CEO Dr. Kimberly Brown received a 2009 Top 100 Minority Business® Enterprise Award by the Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs.
“Amethyst hired six people in the last nine months that were unemployed and has plans for 20 additional jobs this year,” said CEO of Amethyst Technologies, Dr. Kimberly Brown. “This Job Creation Tax Credit will provide additional funding for our expansion from biotechnology into food/beverage, hospital, and aviation sectors. Maryland is truly a business-friendly state.”

Last month, as part of his Economic Recovery Agenda, Governor Martin O’Malley signed into law the Job Creation and Recovery Tax Credit, which offers up to $5,000 to employers who hire unemployed Marylanders. The tax credit went into effect as of March 25, 2010, and already 19 applications have been certified by the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR).

To claim the Jobs Tax Credit, employers must apply for and receive certification from DLLR that their hires meet the basic eligibility requirements. The tax credit, considered emergency legislation, will apply to qualified hires made on or after March 25, 2010 through December 31, 2010. An employer may receive a maximum credit of $5,000 for each qualified employee, up to a total of $250,000. The tax credit is available on a first-come, first-served basis, with a program limit of $20 million. Employers can apply online at www.dllr.maryland.gov.

Business representatives in local One-Stop Career Centers can help employers obtain information about the tax credit program and identify qualifying prospective employees who are being served in the career centers. Employers may reach the appropriate business representative by logging on to www.dllr.state.us/county.

For additional information on the Job Creation and Recovery Tax Credit, please call 410-767-2996 or visit www.dllr.maryland.gov.

In addition to signing the Job Creation Tax Credit bill last month, the Governor also signed a bill to modernize the State’s unemployment insurance trust fund, and maintain its solvency by leveraging federal funds. Under the Unemployment Insurance – Tax Deferment, Trust Fund Solvency, and Cost-Neutral Modernization Act, Maryland is eligible for $126.8 million in federal funds to return the UI Trust Fund to solvency at no additional cost to employers, while providing plans to help them in paying their unemployment insurance obligations.