ANNAPOLIS, MD - Governor Wes Moore today testified before the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee in support of the DECADE Act. The governor also testified in front of the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committ?ee and the House Environment and Transportation Committee in support of the Housing for Jobs Act. 

The two bills are part of the Moore-Miller Administration’s 2025 Economic Growth Agenda to strengthen growth investments and expedite housing development to lower costs for Marylanders.

The DECADE Act (SB 427/HB 498) is part of a comprehensive approach to economic development that also includes a reorganization of the Department of Commerce, the governor’s executive order? on economic growth, and FY 2026 economic growth investments. The legislation will sharpen the tools in the state’s economic development toolbox by revamping, relocating, and rebranding key business? development programs. In cases where programs have not met the state’s return on investment standards, the bill repeals them and repurposes their funding to higher impact approaches to maximize Maryland’s economic growth potential. 

The Housing for Jobs Act (SB 430/HB 503) releases constraints on the state’s economic growth by addressing the largest line item on Marylanders’ budgets: housing costs. The legislation tackles the housing affordability and supply crisis by creating streamlined approval processes when there are too few homes in a region to support available jobs. The goal of the proposal is to lower costs while ensuring that Maryland retains and builds upon our strongest asset-our highly skilled workforce.

Governor Moore’s testimony on the DECADE Act as prepared:

Thank you, to both the Chair and Vice Chair. 

I want to thank the committee for the opportunity to testify on The DECADE Act.

This bill is part of our mission to drive economic growth over the next ten years.

But in order to set the path for the next decade, I think it’s important to think about what happened over the last decade.

We saw an economy that grew at less than half the rate of the national economy.

We saw seventeen of twenty state budgets that needed to be cut in order to stay balanced.

We saw spending increase, while our economy and revenues did not.

If our economy had simply kept pace with the national economy, we wouldn’t be dealing with the kind of historic budget crisis we are in now.

We need to grow. It’s the key to securing Maryland’s future. 

The DECADE Act advances three basic ideas:

First, we need focused investments on high-potential sectors.

Maryland can lead the nation - and the world - into the future. 

We can be the capital of quantum computing and cybersecurity…

We can lead the country in aerospace and defense…

We can seize the possibilities of biocomputing and life sciences to grow our economy…

Second, we need to double-down on business attraction, development, and expansion. 

Third, we must invest in programs that are working - and sunset those that are not. 

In our proposed budget, we direct $128 million in targeted investments..

But money isn’t enough - we also need strategy.

Our administration has studied dozens of state initiatives that are designed to grow our economy.

We’ve pored over countless reports, state documents, and internal reviews…

We’ve dug into analysis from the Department of Legislative Services, our Department of Commerce, and stakeholders who know their fields best…

And together, we have studied the programs that will help us unleash the power of our assets and deliver a big return-on-investment.

We are marrying data and strategy, and it’s going to help us sharpen the tools in our toolkit and be better stewards of the taxpayer dollar.

Look: I have long said that Maryland is asset-rich, but strategy-poor.

I will put our assets up against any other state…

From NASA Goddard to NASA Wallops - 

From Fort Meade to Aberdeen Proving Ground -

From Frostburg University in the West to UMES on the Shore.

We have everything we need to succeed, right here: 

The labs, the schools, the facilities, the organizations…

BUT… We need to do a better job of leveraging those assets to drive private sector growth.

The DECADE Act is a critical piece of that strategy.

And look: This bill is over one hundred and thirty pages long. 

It’s dense, it’s nerdy, it’s complicated.

But the spirit of the legislation is very simple: 

Build out state programs that get us closer to dominating industries of the future - and repeal or revamp state programs that don’t.

We will always defend the incumbent industries that are at the heart of our economic strength…

But we also need to have the courage to make big bets on industries of the future.

This is a moment when we have to take our own destiny in our own hands.

And if we bet big on Maryland, we bet big on success.

Thank you, and I look forward to your questions.

Governor Moore’s testimony on the Housing for Jobs Act as prepared:

Thank you, to both the Chair and Vice Chair. 

And I want to thank the committee for the opportunity to testify on the Housing for Jobs Act.

A year ago, almost to the day, I had the opportunity to come to the House and the Senate to testify on behalf of our housing package.

We sat together, and we talked about the importance of investing in housing because of the challenges we face.

Together, we crafted and passed historic housing reform.

Our legislation was an important step forward.

But I want to be clear: A challenge years in the making cannot be solved in just one session.

Our push to make housing affordable won’t be measured in days - Or in months… It will be measured in years.

Not because that is what is convenient - but because that is what’s required.

Now, I want to be clear: We have worked together to transform neighborhoods across Maryland and grow opportunity, from the Western Mountains to the Eastern Shore and everywhere in between…

We are creating pathways to new industries;

We are creating avenues to work, wages, and wealth;

We’ve taken Maryland’s unemployment rate from being ranked 43rd in the nation - to having one of the lowest in the country.

But even in communities that are thriving, one of the biggest barriers to growth is still a lack of housing.

So yes, we have made progress. 

But there is more to do.

The State of Maryland has the 43rd least-affordable housing market in the country.

Maryland has the least affordable housing market of our neighboring states.

Polling data shows that “high cost of housing” is currently the number one issue among Marylanders.

When I talk to young people, they say they’re thinking of moving to a different state because of housing...

And we know that young people make up two-thirds of the migration out of the state.

And when we survey young about why they are moving away, they overwhelmingly point to long commutes and housing costs.

When I talk to teachers and police officers, they tell me they aren’t sure if they can continue to make rent or save up for a down-payment.

And so the Housing for Jobs Act marks the next chapter in our work together…

This legislation cuts red tape for housing production in communities with a high availability of jobs, and a low availability of housing…

We will give builders greater certainty when it comes to planning and executing projects…

And we are taking these steps without heavy-handed preemption. 

We are simply asking local partners to enforce the planning and zoning ordinances that they have already adopted.

That way, we ensure the spirit of planning and zoning regulations can be carried out effectively.

These simple changes will help us build more, drive down costs, and ensure that more Marylanders can afford to live where they work. 

When I talk to my colleagues across the country, nearly every single one of them are laser-focused on housing right now, in blue states and red states…

Montana is focused on housing affordability.

Colorado is focused on housing affordability

Florida is focused on housing affordability.

Thirty-five states are issuing more residential building permits per capita each year than us;

And Maryland is still permitting new housing at a rate nearly 40% lower than before the 2008 crash. 

It is going to require years of intense focus for Maryland to get back on track.

That’s why last year, we made housing a priority. That’s why this year, we made housing a priority.

And we will continue to make housing a priority - because complicated challenges don’t yield to simple solutions.

We need to remain focused and disciplined so we can fix this problem. 

And that is exactly what you see at the center of the Housing for Jobs Act. 

Thank you, and I look forward to the committee’s questions.