>> madame speaker. >> mr. president.

madame lieutenant governor, members of the general assembly, members of our congressional delegation, collects state and local government, and my fellow marylanders. one year ago we began our work together. and we knew, what we found the opportunity in the state and we had blinding potential in this state we also knew we were leaving too much potential on the table. and a one year later we still have got work to do. we have learned a lot of lessons, some hard lessons. [laughter] but solving big problems does not happen overnight. but let's be clear, a change is happening and today the state of our state, it is strong. [applause]

we have announced the creation of nearly 40000 new jobs, many of them and communities that been historically left behind. [applause] we have the lowest unemployment rate in the country for the fifth month in a row. crime is down across the states homicides involve more city are the lowest they have been in nine years. and communities, communities that have been underestimated and under valued now have an important seat at the table in the halls of power.

so i am proud. i am proud of what we are doing. but most importantly, i am proud of how we are doing it. the executive and the legislature are working together again. and it feels good. we choose to sweat the details knowing our constituents deserve nothing less. and by moving in partnership we have helped to make life easier for the people we are here to serve. we have launched a full frontal assault on child poverty that will lift a combined 160,000 children up the run on the economic ladder. [applause] we have return stolen snap benefits to our most vulnerable,

through thousands of marylanders living paycheck to paycheck. we protected 5000 maryland children who are risk of having medicaid coverage taken away. we have worked with farmers and watermen to get healthy meals. we position marilyn's and lead in the cleanup of the chesapeake bay. importantly, we got together and we got some big stuff done. the truth is these are not just our wins. these are marilyn's wins. i know i talk a lot about partnership. i know the state received a nickel for every time i said the

word partnership we would have all of our budget issues solved. right senators? but let's be clear partnership is not the goal. fulfilling the promise to maryland is the goal. partnership is how are going to get there. because for too long we watch of the executive would fights with the legislature and the media instead of showing real engagement in the white house. so we decided. [applause] our estate is going to be better because of it. these setbacks will be shared. but the victory will be shared too. we can agree with everything i would vote for the truth is it would be weird if we did.

we can and we will work together to achieve common goals. i want to talk about some of the shared goals today. tomorrow, our administration will unveil our plan to our work together to mark will unveil our state plan it is the first estate plan this state has had in nearly a decade. it is not just set the agenda for the next three months will chart the course for the next three years. and our state plan is about much more than aspirational targets. the plan we will lay out will lay out specific actionable realistic and measurable goals. we have built these priorities by listening to the people who sent us here in the first place.

our constituents. mastery went to district with you. we toured an electric vehicle, plants in hagerstown we set down the students to talk about gun violence. we drive tractors with farmers on the eastern shore, and by the way some of those tractors were pretty bad. [laughter] we grieve together in washington county. after the tragic and unconscionable killing of judge andrew wilkinson. and our first year we child with all of you to all 24 jurisdictions in the state of maryland and we listened to the people together. our estate plan is not a reflection of my aspiration is not a reflection of our aspirations. it is a reflection of theirs.

and today i want to talk a little bit about what we heard. first, we heard that the people of our state want to make maryland safer. public safety remains this administration's top priority and that will not change. we will protect of marylanders where they live, where they work, where they worship and where they go to school and hate has no home in the state of maryland. [applause] [applause]

if you talk to people in our neighborhoods they will tell you this is not a discussion that can happen in absolutes. we need to move beyond the simplicity of how pundits talk about safety move toward a complexity of how people experience public safety. because the truth is the sound of a police siren does have a different pitch depending upon the neighborhood you grow up in. i felt the handcuffs on my wrist when i was 11 years old because our community was over police and we knew it. however, we still wanted to feel protected from violent crime and people who would harm our communities. people should not have to choose about feeling safe in their skin and save in their communities. [applause]

yet these are the kinds of false choices that dominate the public safety. do you support law enforcement or do you want to build stronger neighborhoods? do you want to hold criminals accountable or do you want to focus on rehabilitation? we are told to pick a side. often times by people who frankly do not have an interest in solving the problem. [applause] and so to break these false choices we need everybody at the table. our administration will continue and all of the above approach to public safety we will listen to law enforcement and we will listen to the communities they

protect. we will listen to states attorneys and we will listen to the public defenders. we will listen to elected leaders and we will listen to local advocates. we are up against a new challenge and we need to come up with new solutions. our state is facing a record of height vacancies and public safety jobs. we need to address them. and we will with a legislation n that we have introduced. now are seeking justice for victims of crime. more accountability for people who break the law and better rehabilitation for our children .we must answer them. and we will. work with partnership the general assembly. neighborhoods are calling for us to get these illegal guns off at our street and out of our neighborhoods.

[applause] and for bringing consequences to those who do not hear us loud enough. [applause] and we must hear them. and we have. and i am proud that maryland will be the first state to answer the call by president biden to launch a state wide intervention and we will deal with that. [applause] so, for the people who have said to us that we need to make safer i say this to you, we heard you. and we are moving.

second, we have heard people want us to make maryland more affordable in 2022 maryland was ranked as the seventh most expensive state to live in. we are not proud of that. but i tell you what that also tells a story. the story of the entrepreneur was a bold idea to create a new business or who does not have the money to make a rent this month let alone start a company. it is a story of the mom who works multiple jobs just to put food on the table. this year we will address two big items not just in the budget of every family in the state but on the mind of every family in the state. housing and childcare. [applause]

most marylanders and rental probably put a third of their monthly paycheck towards rent. many can no longer afford to live in their home in the same neighborhood that they grew up in. our state faces a problem of supply and demand, prices go up because we do not have enough homes. so, building more homes will help bring prices down. bills that i will address in the session we will create new tools to drive development and redevelopment in communities that needed the most. [applause] we will build new pathways to homeownership and wealth

creation. we will stand up for renters and confront the harsh truth that maryland has the highest eviction filing rate in america. [applause] we will cut government red tape that makes it harder to build quality housing. [applause] we must and we will protect our farmland and are wild habitats. [applause] and we need to make sure we are also incentivizing housing in places where we should build too. [applause] guides, this is about lives. we need to make it easier for

people to live here, to stay here and to retire here. and to that end we have assembled the most comprehensive housing package in the maryland administration has introduced in years. [applause] and we will work together to get it done. but making life easier for working families does not end with housing. wettest month comptroller released a report outlining the affordability problems that are facing everyday. the report highlighted as a cost of childcare increases overall female employment decreases by 5%. that's why our proposed budget includes the single largest investment for funding of childcare in marilyn's history. [applause]

that investment is going to support 45000 maryland children this year. we can make these in childcare and housing without raising taxes on marylanders. [applause] there are leaders in this chamber who have always thought for kitchen table issues. i know because i get to partner with someone who has used her life's work for two and a half decades to make this real. speaker adrian. [applause] [cheering]

because of his jones, maryland leads the nation in making prescription drugs more affordable. [applause] because of speaker jones reproductive health care is not just the right for maryland women and family, reproductive healthcare is more affordable two. [applause] my friends, thank you for your leadership. at the people who said we need to make maryland more affordable, we need our state to be more affordable. i want them to curate me too do, we heard you and we are moving. third, we heard that people want us to make maryland more

competitive. last year we got marilyn's economy movingly secured federal investments in the frederick douglass tunnel project. [applause] we ensured the new fbi headquarters will be located in prince george's county. [cheering] we have cap the orioles in baltimore for decades to come. [cheering] [applause] we have delivered over $1.4 billion to small and minority owned businesses through the florida public works. [applause]

we provided more than 130,000 laptops to underserved households to narrow the digital divide. [applause] and we work to accelerate the clean energy transition in every part of our state is not just some. now i am grateful, grateful to president biden, or federal delegation all the state and local and municipal leaders who have been fighting for these projects and stay one. [applause] but, together what we showed is and together going forward we will continue to build on our progress. we will invest in industries of the future with funding for life sciences and biotech and data centers and cyber. [applause]

we will cut red tape so maryland is the friendliest state in the nation to start and build a business. [applause] we will make reforms the procurement process of the state of maryland can be a true partner to entrepreneurs and we will engage in a robust debate of how maryland fund transportation projects across the state. [applause] [cheering] we have got to make it easier for people to travel from where they live to her opportunities lie. but the state of maryland has funded transportation the same way for a decade. that has got to change.

to win the next decade. we need to make maryland the best state in the country for our kids. and understand who it is we are supposed to be fighting for while we are here. [applause] when our young people got the tools that they need to strengthen their minds and strengthen their hearts, they grow up to dream and to lead. that is why we must build stronger pathways to success for our young people, no matter what road they choose. [applause] we need to work with our friends in labor and her friends and business community to grow apprenticeship and job training programs. [applause] and we need to keep investing in

substance abuse services and mental health, lead abatement and making sure we are taking care of our children and their families. [applause] and we need to honor our pledge to make maryland schools the best in this entire country. [cheering] [applause] it is time. it is time. it is time to support our students in that time is now. that is why for the second year in a row our administration has proposed record funding for k-12 schools fully funded the blueprint for america's future. [cheering]

[applause] the blueprint is a once in a generation opportunity. we can seize that opportunity but only if we do it in partnership. we must bring together local electives, school districts, legislators, and yes the governor's office too. we are going to get this right. we have too. but we have to be clear eyed, honest, committed, and united in order to make this real. [applause] the money is important. but strategy, accountability and partnership are imperative to

get this done right. [applause] we have got to spend it smarter across all of our state programs. in a way that respects the taxpayer. in a way that actually follows data. in a way that responds to the re needs of our communities. so last month we unveiled a landmark legislation that is guided by that exact approach. it's called the enough act. we will use it to continue our assault on child poverty. especially generational poverty. [applause] engaging neighborhoods, organizations, unions, governments, and households. that is what enough stands for. but is more than an acronym.

it is a governing philosophy. we believe that people who are closest to the challenge of the ones closest to the solution they are just hardly ever at the table. if they offer the vision, we can offer the support and not the other way around. [applause] the act is about moving partnership to create safe and thriving communities. it is about involving our community and moving a partnership to support healthy and economically secure families. it's not moving in partnership to ensure access to high-quality education and healthcare for our children who need and deserve it the most. [applause] i am proud to stand with leaders who have championed this kind of work for years. i have restructured communities

who have been left behind. i'm talking about people like chairwoman vanessa. [applause] i'm talking about people like president pro tem malcolm. [applause] untangle folks like members of the legislative black caucus and the fearless leader chair janelle wilkins. [applause] [cheering] now it is time to make work, wages and wealth a reality for every maryland her. [applause] now is the time to drive economic growth and all of our communities including communities of color.

now is a time to eliminate the racial wealth gap we are going to be unapologetic about it. susan because let's be clear the racial wealth crab is not hurting group. the racial wealth gap is hurting all of us. because if we can narrow that gap we will see how it can increase the gdp of an entire state do not take my word for it, take data. we can and we will get this done. so, to the people who have said to me that we need to make maryland more competitive, i say this to you. i hear you. and we have heard you. and we are moving.

and forth and finally, we've heard the people want us to continue to make maryland a state that serves. [applause] that means supporting those who every single day run towards danger instead of away from it. [applause] that means standing with our state workers who often times go on song and go unheard. [applause] that means of those who put everything on the line for us. to help keep us safe.

we will address each of these goals with policy and a partnership. this year we have introduced legislation to ensure our firefighters receive the medical benefits that they deserve it. [applause] we have worked with unions to deliver a raise to state employees for the second year in a row. [applause] and we are working together to ensure that our military families are not forgotten. [applause]

you know, when i deployed to afghanistan, i thought military service and deployments were toughest on the soldiers. i was wrong. it is toughest on the families. and today i am thinking about two people who know that struggle. our lieutenant governor and our first lady. [applause] our administration has declared 2024 that year for military families in the state of maryland. we will uplift for them to work

and secure better benefits. [cheering] [applause] and our lieutenant governor, the first lady and our secretary of veterans affairs they will lead the charge. [applause] this year we will also doubled the number of marylanders in the service year option. [cheering] [applause] now i am proud to be up here with the person who started this work before i decided to run for office in the first place, senate president bill ferguson.

[applause] president ferguson, thank you for your leadership and for your vision. maryland court pave the way. and together our state service programs are changing lives. i am proud we have one of our founding service year members here in the gallery. his name is a timmy year. [applause] i love the red shirt. a. [laughter] he was born and raised in western maryland. he is serving in the asian american to preserve yes.

[cheering] to preserve and celebrate a api history. you are not only our present, you are our future. and thank you for making a maryland at the best place in the world to change the world. we appreciate you, thank you. to all the people who came up to us and we were on the road, said we need to continue to make maryland a state that serves, we hear you and we are moving. those are the four pillars of our success this year we will make maryland a safer print will make maryland more affordable it will make maryland more competitive and continue to make maryland safe. and to get there when the partnership of our legislatures.

we need the partnership of our constitutional officers. when the partnership of our county executives in our local electives. we need the partnership of our union leaders in our community stakeholders and our advocates and philanthropy and household, and neighborhood, and businesses, and, you will get it right? [laughter] we need the partnership for people who are willing to serve. willing to serve not just as our inspiration but willing to serve as our guide. we need the partnership of people like michelle taylor. michelle works in a community health center that treats marylanders who have been turned away by other providers. marylanders who are living paycheck to paycheck. marylanders and the community at marilyn's without health insurance, she is the mother of a beautiful daughter named dominique and both of them are

with us today. can you both please stand? [applause] we need the partnership of people like leona walker. she is so beautiful. ms. cleo is a village elder in cherry hill. [applause] ms. cleo sees the promise and every child. and her mission in life is to see her kids, youth and adults away from violence and toward opportunity. she believes in the power partnership. she believes in the power of

prevention and her legacy will endure in the future leaders that she has a mentor and guided by the way that beautiful woman as 82 years young and still continues. [cheering] miss cleo, we appreciate you so much we need the partnership for people like doctor clayborn. [applause] doctor clayborn is a mom of two and adjunct professor at the amazing university of maryland. [applause] she loves teaching medicine. but she always wanted to be an entrepreneur as well.

is it woman of color she struggles to find capitol to get her ideas off the ground but doctor clayborn does not give up. [applause] she was six months pregnant at the height of covid and still went to work on the front lines at prince george's hospital center. [applause] eventually she raised enough money to start her business and today she is the founder and ceo of her own medical device company that's focused on helping children and families it is located right here in the state of maryland. [applause] [applause]

god bless you, thank you. michelle, ms. cleo, doctor clayborn, they remind all of us that this work will take all of us. first corinthians paul, the apostle wrote about love. he told us that love is patient and kind. love keeps no record of being wrong. it does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. while i think about partnerships the exact same way. partnership does not keep score. partnership has no ego. and partnership is not partisan.

partnership is what happens when we all learn about charlotte hall. now, i know everybody in this chamber regardless of a party was enraged and disturbed when we learn about the level of disregard and neglect to being shown to our greatest patriots. and republicans like jack bailey worked with democrats like brian crosby. [applause] , work together to respond. our administration led by secretary tony with a combat veteran hymns, state, national leaders to get to work. three months ago i visited charlotte hall when i heard from

veterans about how much that teamwork mattered. one of them said something to me that i will never forget. they said we may thank you for your service, may actually mean something. he was talking about all of us. he was talking about every one of you. partnership is what we did and what we saw when a storm hit westminster in august. the rain and the wind knocked down 30 utility poles 33 adults and 14 children were trapped in their cars for hours under live wires. if the one of them would've gotten out of their cars it would've been catastrophic.

but we worked together with local leadership across the political spectrum. we worked with law enforcement. we work without remarkable of department of emergency management to get the situation under control. i visited westminster the next morning. lieutenant governor and i walked through damage and we walked through debris. i stood there relieved knowing that all guys, when things are hard partnership only becomes more important. we need to stand united with a clear commitment of doing the

work with a clear understanding the months and years ahead, they will be hard but if there's one thing the last 12 months have taught me is marylanders do hard things. [applause] and they want us to accomplish those things and partnership. this will be a maryland decade. not because we say so, but because we make it so. together. thank you. god bless this great state let's make sure we leave no one behind. [applause]