Progressive Maryland Education Fund Releases Its 2011 Legislative Scorecard
Baltimore, Md. — The Progressive Maryland Education Fund (PMEF) has released its annual legislative scorecard rating numerically the performance of all individual General Assembly legislators on issues of importance to Maryland’s working families during the 2011 legislative session. The scorecard tracks their votes (or avoidance thereof) as well as effort on nine key bills affecting working families. Learn more.
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See more legislative scorecards from Maryland PIRG and League of Conservation Voters.
The 2011 Session of General Assembly: The Special Interests Strike Back!
Progressive Maryland Education Fund Releases The State of Working Maryland 2010
Baltimore, Md., December 28, 2010— The Progressive Maryland Education Fund (PMEF) and Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute released their annual report, "The State of Working Maryland 2010." The report found the state of working families in Maryland has deteriorated, and the prospects for the future are shaky, unless state and national governments take strong action to promote a broadly-shared recovery.
The current economic downturn is notable not just for the severity of economic contraction but also for the length of decline.
Since 2000, median household income in Maryland increased only 6% in inflation-adjusted terms, from $65,325 to $69,272 (in 2009 dollars). The average annual increase was only 6/10 of 1% over the decade. Moreover, the median household income in Maryland actually declined in 2009 compared with 2008.
Over the last decade, the rate of poverty in Maryland has risen from 7.4% in 2000 to 9.1% in 2009. Maryland’s unemployment rate stands at 7.4% - the higher level since 1983. By numerous indicators detailed in this report, working families in Maryland are hurting, even as Maryland has retained its ranking as the wealthiest state in the nation.
Business profits and stock prices have recovered, but employment and median incomes have not. The national and state economies are on a path to a “jobless recovery.” The danger Maryland faces is that most of the gains of the economic recovery will flow to the wealthiest Marylanders. New jobs will be few, and those that emerge will have lower wages and fewer benefits than before the recession.
See the full report [29-page PDF]; News Release; Executive Summary;
and news coverage by
The Baltimore Sun, Annapolis Capital; Silver Spring Patch; CityBizList; Chaptico Local Spur; Salisbury News; and NBC Washington
Register and Vote
Our democracy in Maryland is weak when only 2/3 of registered voters participate in state elections for governor, or only 1/3 in primary elections. Voting is our most fundamental civil right and civic responsibility. So for information how to register, get absentee ballots, polling places, or anything else related to elections, visit the Maryland Board of Elections website, or contact Progressive Maryland Education Fund's Silver Spring or Baltimore offices.
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About the Progressive Maryland Education Fund
The Progressive Maryland Education Fund (PMEF) is a nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization that researches and reports on public policy issues of concern to working families, engages in non-partisan leadership training focusing on developing young, low-income and of-color leaders, and performs non-partisan voter registration of historically disenfranchised minorities.