Hello Carroll County Constituents:
I have had a busy summer with two conferences back to back, first the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) in Boston and most recently the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) Summer Conference held in Ocean City.
MACo's Summer Conference - THE BEST opportunity for Maryland's county government officials and stakeholders to meet and discuss best practices and opportunities to provide excellent local governance.
Governor Hogan and members of his administration were on hand, along with state legislators and our Carroll County Commissioners to ensure that the lines of communication are open between the state and the counties.
The 2017 Summer Conference - "You're Hired!"
focused on Maryland's new jobs growth in industries such as technology, the military, clean energy, the environment, agriculture, and education. Counties play a vital role in creating, maintaining, and growing the jobs in our state.
Some of the conference sessions I attended were on the topics of combating the opioid epidemic, telemedicine and the cost and time saving tools that are available to provide the right care, at the right time, in the right setting for our workforce, and learning more about the medical cannabis business and ensuring adequate local policies for this new industry.
Combatting the Opioid & Heroin Crisis
The Hogan Administration, the Legislature and our local Carroll County officials have been working collaboratively to attack the opioid crisis- the deadliest drug crisis in history. No racial, ethnic or economic group is safe. The introduction of fentanyl into this crisis, coupled with the over-prescription of opioids has led to an astronomical increase in overdoses - often fatal.
Every available resource is being directed to fight this epidemic.
Clay Stamp, Executive Director of the Opioid Operational Command Center and advisor to the Governor, led a healthy discussion on the efforts being made to work with the counties to win this war.
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| Ex. Dir., Clay Stamp addressing the audience. |
Hogan's Closing Remarks at 2017 MaCo Conference
Governor Hogan highlighted the achievements of his Administration in his closing remarks and thanked counties for their service. He noted the importance of the State partnering with the counties and stated that his Administration has provided $22 billion in local aid during his term - the highest amount ever. Regarding his Administration, he stressed that "[we] have strived to bring state government directly to the people of Maryland."
Hogan reminded everyone that he is doing what he promised to
Change Maryland for the Better
and
make Maryland open for business. As a result of his efforts, he was happy to report that, "according to The Bureau Of Economic Analysis, Maryland's Percentage Growth (GDP) is ranked 7th in the Nation. Since 2013 Maryland has had the largest climb of any state, moving from 49th To 7th".
He concluded by posing a challenge to the attendees. "Each and every day we are given the opportunity to do something great," he said, and urged everyone to make the most of each day. The Governor pledged that his Administration " can and will continue to change Maryland for the better."
I continue to make this same pledge -- for Maryland and for Carroll County.
Susan and First Lady Yumi Hogan at MaCo
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