Governor Larry Hogan To Submit Supplemental Budget

Provides Funds to Combat Heroin Epidemic, Support Education, Encourage Economic Development, Address Public Safety Needs

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today announced that he will introduce a supplemental budget for Fiscal Year 2018 (FY 2018) on Friday, March 24, to provide additional funding to combat the state’s heroin epidemic, support education and economic development initiatives, and address public safety needs.

“I am very proud of the work our team has done on our FY 2018 budget and would like to thank our partners in the General Assembly who have helped move the budget along in the legislative process,” said Governor Hogan. “This supplemental budget will provide even more support for some of our administration’s most important priorities, including addressing the state’s heroin and opioid epidemic, improving education, encouraging economic development, and providing the necessary public safety services that Marylanders expect and deserve. We look forward to working with the legislature to ensure a smooth and timely passage as we enter the last few weeks of session.”

Among the items in the supplemental budget is $10 million to the Inter-Agency Heroin and Opioid Coordinating Council to develop a broad range of evidence-based strategies aimed at preventing and treating the opioid crisis, provide grants to other state agencies and local governments, pursue enforcement strategies against drug traffickers, and prepare education and outreach efforts. Since recognizing and identifying Maryland’s growing opioid and heroin crisis three years ago during the 2014 gubernatorial campaign, the Hogan administration has proactively addressed this epidemic, including in 2015, when the governor signed an executive order creating the Maryland Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force. This funding is the first installment of the $50 million over five years that the governor announced when he declared a State of Emergency for the crisis on March 1, 2017.

The governor’s supplemental budget will also provide an additional $2.6 million for higher education initiatives, including over $1.4 million for funding for community colleges and scholarships. The budget includes additional funding for job creation and economic development initiatives across the state, such as the Second Stage Business Incubator ($2.5 million), the Main Street Program for neighborhood revitalization through the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development ($750,000), and the construction of the Delmarva Shorebirds Stadium ($980,000), as well as $3.7 million for the Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) program.

Additionally, the supplemental budget includes funding for critical public safety priorities, including $2 million for the Baltimore City Police Department. This funding will provide equipment necessary for the department to comply with the Department of Justice consent decree.