MARYLAND Changing Maryland for the Better

An Interview with Larry Hogan, Governor of Maryland

EDITORS’ NOTE Governor Larry Creating jobs, reining in govern- A balanced approach to transportation and Hogan was inaugurated as the ment spending, and providing tax and improving infrastructure is extremely critical to the 62nd governor of the State of fee relief are top priorities of our admin- future growth and strength of Maryland. In the past, Maryland in January of 2015. Prior istration. Since taking office, Maryland the Transportation Trust Fund was routinely raided, to being elected, he worked in the pri- has added more than 70,000 jobs, and and much-needed transportation dollars were vate sector for more than 25 years we’re growing jobs at one of the fastest diverted to pay for out-of-control state spending as a successful Maryland business paces in the nation. Our economy has while our roads and bridges were neglected. Not owner. Frustration with the out-of- jumped from 49th to 11th place among only are we working to restore the money that was touch leadership in Annapolis led all 50 states, according to analysis from taken but we have invested $2 billion in priority him to found Change Maryland, the the federal government. In our first legis- road and bridge projects in every single jurisdiction largest nonpartisan organization in lative session, we successfully delivered in the state. state history, dedicated to bring- tax relief for our veterans and repealed We’re also investing in transit by moving for- ing fiscal responsibility and common Larry Hogan the notorious Rain Tax mandate. We’ve ward with building the Purple Line commuter rail sense to Maryland state government. reduced or eliminated over 250 state fees, project in the Washington, D.C. suburbs at a frac- Spurred by massive public engagement and the saving taxpayers over $110 million, in addition to tion of the original projected cost to Maryland tax- success of Change Maryland, Governor Hogan cutting tolls at every facility across the state. payers. We transformed transit in the Baltimore area ran for the state’s highest office in 2014 on a plat- How have you addressed education through the new BaltimoreLink bus line, which is form of fiscal restraint, tax relief, and job creation. reform in Maryland and are you happy with designed to connect jobs to people in the city who In November of 2014, he won 20 out of 23 counties the impact you have made in this regard? need them most. by an average of 35 percent, leading to the return Maryland has some of the best schools in the You were diagnosed with Stage 3 non- of balanced government to Annapolis for the first nation, but there are also districts where schools Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and went through time since 2006. Governor Hogan also worked have been struggling for years. Finding innova- aggressive treatment, but have since announced closely with the agricultural and environmental tive solutions to close that performance gap is that you are 100 percent cancer free and in communities to develop enhanced Phosphorous extremely important, and we’ve taken critical steps complete remission. Would you touch on the Management Tool regulations. To address the to ensure every child in our state has access to a major efforts that you have undertaken to raise state’s heroin addiction epidemic, Governor world-class education. awareness for all of those battling cancer and Hogan created the Maryland Heroin and Opioid Our administration has made the largest supporting efforts to find a cure? Emergency Task Force. He also established the investment in our K-12 public school system in the I made the decision to share my diagnosis Regulatory Reform Commission, which is currently history of our state. However, money alone is not with the public because I believe it is important to conducting a top-to-bottom review of every single enough. We owe it to our children to think outside be as open and honest as possible with the peo- regulation in the state. The Redistricting Reform the box and find creative solutions. ple who elected me to serve. I never could have Commission, also established in 2015, directly led To help prepare Maryland students for the jobs predicted the incredible outpouring of prayers and to Hogan-sponsored legislation to end the partisan of tomorrow, we launched our P-TECH (Pathways support from Marylanders in every corner of the drawing of district lines. in Technology Early College High School) program state. Knowing that there were millions of people this year, which is a nationally recognized approach around the state, even around the world, praying Would you discuss the mission of Change to education that blends high school, college, and for me and supporting me, gave me strength to Maryland and the impact and success of the work experience. P-TECH students complete a six- keep fighting. organization? year education program, graduating with both a But it was really my interactions with my fel- When I started Change Maryland, I never high school diploma and a two-year postsecondary low cancer patients, especially young children, expected that it would reach so many people degree in a STEM field from an accredited commu- which had the biggest impact on me. Meeting and have as much of an impact as it did. It started nity college. Students in the P-TECH program are these kids and their families has inspired me to stay off as an idea among a few friends and grew into then first in line for skilled jobs upon graduation. involved in this fight and to keep raising awareness the largest nonpartisan grassroots organization in The first two P-TECH schools in Maryland opened until a cure is found. the history of our state. We sought to shine a this year in Baltimore City. How have you been able to drive action spotlight on the tax-and-spend policies that were We’ve also worked to give parents better alter- and create change for Maryland in today’s chasing jobs and businesses out of our state and natives for their children’s education in areas where political environment? making it harder to live, work, and raise a fam- school systems are still struggling. By strengthening Since taking office, I’ve been focused on ily in Maryland. As it turns out, Marylanders of charter school laws in the state and signing legisla- doing exactly what I said I would do during my all political stripes agreed, and pushing for com- tion to provide scholarships for low-income students campaign: controlling government spending, pro- monsense economic reforms became the focal to attend nonpublic or faith-based schools, we are viding relief to hardworking taxpayers, growing our point of our campaign. giving students the opportunity for a better educa- economy, and putting people back to work. That’s Would you discuss the priorities for your tion and a brighter future. what Marylanders voted for, it’s what they deserve, administration and how you have addressed How critical is the investment in infra- and as governor, it’s my responsibility to make sure these issues since you assumed office? structure to the future growth of Maryland? it becomes a reality.• VOLUME 40, NUMBER 1 POSTED WITH PERMISSION. 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