It is frustrating to see the list of bills Governor Hogan vetoed yesterday including several pieces of legislation I sponsored, including the Transit Safety and Investment Act and emergency procurement and budget legislation. Additionally, the Governor vetoed legislation designed to support immigrant Marylanders, invest in clean energy innovation, and protect college faculty, among other things.
The Maryland Transit Administration has $2 billion of unmet safety and state-of-good repair needs because of six years of disinvestment. Governor Hogan’s veto of the bipartisan Transit Safety & Investment Act, which I co-sponsored along with Senator McCray, is a signal that he does not support our healthcare workers, port employees, or the hundreds of thousands of Marylanders who depend on transit to get to work everyday.
The emergency procurement and budget legislation, co-sponsored with Senator Pinsky, is meant to prevent bad actors from abusing the system and to safeguard your tax dollars while our government responds to a state of emergency. This pandemic has taught us many lessons we must pay attention to in order to be more prepared for any future emergencies we may face as a state.
These vetoes are a disservice to Maryland businesses, our economy, and the livelihood of our state and our ability to rebuild as we emerge from this pandemic. We must create a sustainable and equitable infrastructure system in this state and I look forward to the General Assembly overriding these vetoes.