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Amid a national push by President Donald Trump to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, one of Maryland鈥檚 leading lawmakers is pushing in the other direction.
House Speaker Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County) is sponsoring legislation to create a state Department of Social Equity that would assemble in one place several current state government programs that aim to help small and minority businesses and those from disadvantaged communities.
鈥淭oo often, the very people these programs are meant to support don鈥檛 know where to go or who to contact to get the help that they need,鈥� Jones said during testimony on the bill Tuesday before the House Appropriations Committee.
鈥淧rograms are fractured across government, making finding those opportunities a challenge,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e are breaking down barriers to ensure that disadvantaged individuals and small businesses can find and access the opportunities they need at the state, federal and local levels.鈥�
Gov. Wes Moore (D) supports the bill, said Jeremy Baker, the governor鈥檚 chief legislative officer, who sat beside Jones during the hearing.
鈥淚n just the last two weeks, we鈥檝e seen over 1,250 private sector layoffs in Prince George鈥檚 and Montgomery [counties] because of the chaos in Washington,鈥� Baker said. 鈥淭he changing legal and regulatory landscape means Maryland must find innovative and thoughtful ways to support our small and minority-owned businesses and create pathways to quality work, good wages and wealth creation independent of the federal government.鈥�
Testimony lasted less than 10 minutes Tuesday on听, which seeks to create a new department in the executive branch of state government.
The new department would be the successor to three current offices focused on social equity programming: the Governor鈥檚 Office of Small, Minority, and Women-Owned Business Affairs (GOSBA); the Office of Social Equity in the Maryland Cannabis Administration; and the Office of Minority Business Enterprises in the state Department of Transportation.
Duties for the new department would include conducting policy analysis on the effectiveness of social equity programs, adopting standards for various agencies and other units within the executive branch to promote social equity, and maintaining an inventory of social equity work performed by each unit.
The bill鈥檚听听highlights the fact that most of the money for the new department is already in the budget. A total of $11.1 million would be shifted over with the current agencies to the new department, with just $2.3 million in new general funds for a small number of new staff, moving and other expenses.
The fiscal note foresees the need for nine new positions in the department that include a secretary, deputy secretary and a principal counsel. A secretary would be appointed by the governor with advice and consent of the Senate.
The new department would have to submit a report to the governor and General Assembly by July 1, 2026, that identifies all state programs and units 鈥渄edicated to social equity or that have a social equity component.鈥� In addition, the report would have to provide recommendations on how any programs or agencies can promote social equity.
Del. Malcolm P. Ruff (D-Baltimore City), who supports the measure, asked if there 鈥渨as any appetite鈥� to create a work group to make sure the plan is carried out.
鈥淲e stand at the ready to work with any and all partners to make sure the process goes as smooth as possible,鈥� Baker said.
Prior to discussion on the Department of Social Equity bill, Jones testified on another measure she鈥檚 sponsoring to preserve cultural history:听听would allow donations to be made on noncapital programming to the African American Heritage Preservation Program and Grant Fund.
Chanel Compton, executive director of the Banneker-Douglas-Tubman Museum in Annapolis, said it would allow certain programs to continue at historic community centers and sites and small museums throughout the state.
鈥淚n this day and age, African American heritage preservation and Black History programming is consistently being smudged and erased all throughout the nation, so let鈥檚 keep Maryland at the forefront of this work,鈥� she said.
