ANNAPOLIS — In his first State of the State address Wednesday, Gov. Wes Moore laid out a vision of a Maryland in which the state and its government are supported by a corps of volunteers and public servants.
Moore, sworn-in just two weeks ago, offered a lofty and idealistic vision of a state where child poverty is eradicated, and many citizens answer a call to service.
“I only realized recently that service, the word service actually comes from the Latin word servitium, which means slavery,” said Moore. “So it’s fitting as, as the first African American in the state of Maryland to deliver this speech and as the first African American to deliver this speech standing in a building that was built by the hands of enslaved people, that we are now putting service towards the good of all.”
Moore wove a call to service into a 45-minute speech that touched on the familiar themes of his campaign and inaugural address.
The governor’s speech avoided standard references to the strength of the state. There were also no new policy initiatives in his first address to the General Assembly.
Instead, Moore touched broadly on initiatives covered in 10 bills that make up his first legislative agenda.
Included in Moore’s agenda are bills to accelerate implementation of the state’s $15 minimum wage; make permanent an expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit and child tax credit; and expand a program adopted by his predecessor that makes it easier for workers to substitute experience for formal...
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