Governor O'Malley Signs "Smart, Green And Growing" Legislation To Protect Maryland's Environment And Promote Sustainable Growth

Annapolis, MD - Governor Martin O'Malley recently joined Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. and House Speaker Michael E. Busch to sign his "Smart, Green and Growing" legislative package to protect Maryland's environment and natural resources and to promote sustainable growth in Maryland. Governor O'Malley also signed critical legislation to provide further protections and right for Maryland's workforce, the backbone of our state's economy.

"Even in this tough economy, we have not wavered from our commitment to put Maryland families first by taking action to protect the public health and build a more sustainable environment for future generations of Marylanders," said Governor O'Malley. "This legislation represents Maryland's position as a national leader in environmental initiatives, and a sustainable approach to development throughout our State. In addition, we're signing legislation today that cracks down on fraudulent businesses practices that deny employees certain rights, and a system that denies labor unions the ability to adequately protect employees."

"The Chesapeake Bay and Maryland's natural resources will be our legacy," said Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. "We must do everything in our power to leave them in better shape for the next generation. The bill we are signing today will us take the major step forward for this and future generations."

"A healthy environment is the most precious gift we can leave future generations," said Speaker Michael E. Busch. "I commend the Governor and the legislature for the work this session and this term to protect green space, improve air quality and reduce water pollution."

Smart, Green and Growing
Bills signed recently include several pieces of legislation to protect the environment and public health that, including legislation, sponsored by Delegate Barve and Senator Pinsky, committing Maryland to reduce greenhouse gases 25 percent by 2020, making Maryland one of the leading states in the country to take such action. Other legislation will fund improved regulation of coal combustion byproducts (or coal ash), require proposed safe, beneficial uses for coal combustion byproducts, reduce nitrogen pollution from septic systems in the Critical Areas, recycle mercury switches in vehicles, and give counties the right to recover environmental cleanup and monitoring costs.

Today, the Governor also signed into law the Administration's Smart, Green, and Growing legislation agenda, which takes a sustainable approach to development in Maryland that promotes transit-oriented development, reliable local planning choices, and a clear understanding of the impact of development on our natural environment. The agenda also includes the establishment of aquaculture enterprise zones for shellfish growers considering operations in Maryland.

The O'Malley-Brown Administration is fighting to put families first by protecting our environmental legacy and restoring the Chesapeake Bay even in difficult economic times. Thus far, Governor O'Malley has protected more than 21,000 acres through Program Open Space, representing more than five times the amount protected during the same period under the previous administration. In addition to the Smart, Green and Growing legislative agenda introduced this session, the O'Malley-Brown Administration has created an innovative BayStat initiative to award Bay restoration funds to projects that have the greatest positive impact; updated Maryland's Critical Areas Laws; participated in the nation's first ever auction of carbon credits, providing more than $24 million for energy assistance programs in Maryland; and set one of the high goals in the nation for achieving energy savings of 15 percent by 2015.

Protecting Working Families
Governor O'Malley's budget and legislative proposals this year focused on putting families first during this national economic downturn, including record funding for public schools, unprecedented levels of school construction funding, and full funding of the Thornton Bridge to Excellence Plan. In addition, Governor O'Malley fought to make college affordable and accessible for more families, rather than fewer, by freezing college tuition at zero percent increase for the fourth straight year.

This commitment includes legislation that will protect Maryland laborers through the Fair Share Act and Workplace Fraud Act of 2009. The Fair Share Act calls on everyone benefiting from a contract to share in the cost of obtaining it, providing workers and unions with the resources they need to weather the economic downturn, and offering a better understanding of rights and responsibilities. The Workplace Fraud Act cracks down on the misclassification of employees as contractors, a practice that leaves workers unprotected by critical workplace protection laws and creates a competitive disadvantage for those employers who play by the rules. Cracking down on this practice saves Maryland taxpayers nearly $100 million each year in recovered income tax collections and unemployment insurance payments.

Also included in today's bill signing was a bill that will greatly restrict the application of capital punnishment in Maryland criminal cases, making Maryland's death penalties one of the most restrictive in the nation. In addition, Governor O'Malley signed into law legislation that will require proof of lawful presence for Maryland drivers' licenses, bringing Maryland into compliance with federal Real ID guidelines.

The O'Malley-Brown Administration has faught to protect working families through a series of initiatives, including nation-leading foreclosure prevention efforts, fighting to end childhood hunger in Maryland, expanding unemployment benefits to part-time workers, providing critical job services to Marylanders who need it, fighting for a living wage, and the creation of 100,000 new green jobs over the coming years.

SOURCE: Governor Martin O'Malley