David Craig Announces Plan To Jump-Start Maryland’s Manufacturing Sector

Harford County Executive David R. Craig released today a plan to jump start the manufacturing sector which was presented at a forum of gubernatorial candidates in Towson today. The Regional Manufacturing Institute, a non-profit organization representing Baltimore-area businesses, examined ways to improve the sector’s viability in the wake of a national report in which Maryland earned a “D” letter grade as compared to the other 49 states.

“Nationally, manufacturing is on the rebound, and Maryland needs to be a part of this,” said Craig. “With the federal government shutdown and ongoing fiscal emergencies, it’s clear that our state can no longer rely on our proximity to Washington D.C. to increase jobs, and we must diversify our economy.”

As Governor, Craig would institute three broad areas of reform - reducing taxes, reviewing regulations and taking advantage of the natural gas energy boom that is boosting manufacturing in other states. Reducing the individual income tax is a priority because of the importance of start-up and early stage companies that are often organized as pass-through entities. Regulations are often conflicting and duplicative among federal, state and local governments and will be the initial focus of a broader effort to overhaul the process. Craig said it is also time to stop studying fracking and enable natural gas extraction to take place in Western Maryland in an environmentally-responsible manner.

As evidence of the systemic challenges documented in the annual “National Logistics and Manufacturing Report,” in which Maryland earned a “D,” Craig outlined metrics that illustrate the state is a regional laggard in manufacturing. Manufacturing’s share of gross state product in Maryland, at 6.5%, is the lowest of any surrounding states and well below the national average. The number of manufacturing jobs dropped from 133,000 in 2007 to 107,000 in 2013, a loss of 26,000 jobs and a 20% decline which is higher than Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

“Manufacturing supports high-paying jobs that Marylanders need,“ said Craig. “We need to reverse the damage of the O’Malley-Brown years and actually grow jobs that meet the needs of people across various education attainment levels and in all parts of the state.”

The O’Malley-Brown Administration has raised taxes, fees and tolls 40 times that remove an additional $3.1 billion out of the private sector economy per year.