The Governor left little to the imagination regarding why he vetoed this bill.

        "This legislation is not necessary, serves no purpose, will waste taxpayers' money, and disrupts a well-ordered and completely functional regulatory system.  Simply put, House Bill 1052 is a solution in search of a problem that does not exist.  This is personality-driven, petty, partisan politics at its worst.

        "In place of the well-respected and award-winning Field Enforcement Division on the Office of the Comptroller, the provisions of HB1052 would replace it with a Rube Goldberg  contraption, establishing needless administrative and bureaucratic chaos, creating uncertainty for regulated entities, and incurring an unacceptable waste of taxpayer dollars."

To read the Governor's Veto Letter in its entirety, click here.

        "This unfortunate legislation unravels years of bipartisan work and study by seeking to reverse the post-Labor Day school start for public schools.  Instead, Senate Bill 128 runs directly counter to an action favored by the vast majority of Marylanders."
        So begins Governor Hogan's veto message, explaining why he vetoed this bill.  

To read the Governor's Veto Letter in its entirety click here

        Governor Hogan wasted no time is setting forth his reasons for vetoing House Bill 166 and Senate Bill 280.

        "If enacted, SB280 and HB166 would cause a dramatic 48% increase in our minimum wage to $15, which could cost us jobs, negatively impact our economic competitiveness and devastate our state's economy.  . . . 

        "During the time I've been Governor, Maryland's minimum wage has increased four years in a row, by nearly 40%, to $10.10, which is by far the highest in the region and one of the highest in the nation."

         . . . . .

        "Normally, we have been able to come together to achieve bipartisan solutions, but this legislation misses the mark and entirely disregards my common sense compromise proposals.

        "In the spirit of compromise, I provided the General Assembly with several reasonably options . . .

        "I proposed a manageable, phased increase of the minimum wage by two dollars to $12.10 by the year 2022," with triggers to raise it even higher . 

        "In addition, I proposed that we differentiate the minimum wage increase to account for geographical differences.  . . .

        "Finally, I proposed a fair and more effective way to help those who are struggling to make ends meet by increasing the state Earned Income Tax Credit to 60% of the federal wage." 

• A total of 2,646 scholarships were awarded in 2018, and more than 1,650 students remained waitlisted.
• Every student awarded a BOOST scholarship is eligible for Free & Reduced-price Meals  
• Recipients were 57% minority
• Average household income of all recipients in 2018 was $30,059
• English Language Learners represent 32% of all scholarship recipients -- 1,014 students in 2018
• Students in Baltimore City schools received 40% of the scholarship awards, followed by students in Baltimore, Prince Georges and Montgomery Counties; scholarship recipients live in 20 or the 24 Maryland jurisdictions
• 822 awards were made to students transferring from a public school.
• An increase in BOOST spending is supported by 65% of voters statewide, and by 82% of Baltimore City voters!

• Charters were allowed enough flexibility to succeed and enough accountability to weed out the worst schools.
• Success is due in large part to the ineffectiveness of the Washington Teachers' Union, which union was significantly weakened when a former school chancellor was able to impose a teacher evaluation system based partly on student outcomes and to lay off teachers based on a lack of merit rather than a lack of seniority.
• Forty-four percent of D.C. students attend charter schools with 56% attending city public schools
• The District has the highest first-year teacher salary in the country. The very best can be making a six-figure salary within seven years.
• Including facility spending, an estimate of per pupil spending is slightly more than $18,000 for charter students and more than $22,000 for traditional D.C. Public Schools students
•  D.C.'s law includes the "Public Charter School Board," regarded as among the leading authorizers in the country. It believes in accountability, and has closed 20 charter schools over the past five years, including 15 for low academic performance.
• Compared with DC Public Schools, the charters serve a higher percentage of poor kids, higher percentage of African American students and nearly as many special-education students
• A significant reason the D.C. education system is working is because the Washington Teachers' Union (WTU) is weak union getting weaker
• Stanford University's Center for Research on Education Outcomes found that charters in the District add an average of about 70 days of learning in reading compared with traditional school students and 100 days in math.
• D.C. leaders put children first