Good afternoon.

I am Delegate Anne Kaiser, Majority Leader of the Maryland

House of Delegates.
I would like to start by welcoming Governor Larry Hogan and his Administration to
the Maryland State House. In the Maryland General Assembly, we are used to
working across party lines. In fact, the vast majority of legislation that passes
through committees and the floor of the House and Senate is supported by both
Republicans and Democrats.
As Majority Leader, I look forward to working with the Governor, Minority Leader
Nic Kipke, and all of my colleagues in the House and Senate, to tackle the issues
facing our great State.
Maryland is a growing and thriving State, boasting one of the the best education
systems in the country and being among the wealthiest states in the Union for the
last five years in a row. We believe that success is tied directly to having a welleducated workforce. As Marylanders, we pride ourselves on having a quality K-12
education system and affordable accessible higher education at both the community
college and four year college levels.
As Democrats, we believe the most important investment government can make is
in a well-educated, well-trained workforce. When you ask businesses why they start
or stay in Maryland, the number one reason is a highly educated workforce and
quality schools for their employees and their families.
The US Chamber of Commerce has ranked Maryland as the best state in the country
for entrepreneurship and named Maryland one of the next ten boom states in the
US. We are home to the most cutting edge technology companies in the country. We
are quickly becoming the national hub for cybersecurity, with the NSA, Fort Meade
and other federal intelligence resources headquartered in Maryland. In my home
county, we are building a world-class biotechnology corridor, with the private
sector, higher education and government agencies working together to drive
biotechnology advancements and new economic development.
But we cannot grow our economy, boost private sector confidence to invest,
expand, or attract new business to Maryland without a strong, educated workforce:
today, tomorrow and beyond. We have achieved a record high school graduation
rate, with 86% of our students graduating on time and can compete in a global
economy. But, as University of Maryland College Park President Dr. Wallace Loh
said: we need to out-educate, out-innovate, and out-compete our global
competitors.

To promote prosperity in Maryland, we must close the achievement gap for poor
and minority students by fully funding and modernizing every classroom in the
State. We must also restructure the States economic development to better help the
private sector navigate State government and improve customer service delivery to
every taxpayer in the State.
We take seriously our role as the stewards of the Chesapeake Bay an
environmental jewel, but also an engine for Marylands economy. We have made
significant progress over the past decade in reseeding oyster beds, updating
wastewater treatment plants, and curbing stormwater runoff into the Bay and local
waterways but we cannot move backwards. We must maintain this commitment to
ensure that watermen and boaters and all Marylanders can enjoy our waterways for
generations to come.
To build a better Maryland, we must clean up the Chesapeake Bay with our federal
and county partners.
Maryland also has the best healthcare delivery system in the country. Our Shock
Trauma system is revered around the world. If you or your loved one make it to
Shock Trauma within the golden hour after an accident, you have a 97 percent
chance of survival. We have invested in new Medevac helicopters to ensure that you
have access to the best possible healthcare whether you live in the mountains of
Western Maryland, the shores of Ocean City or around the corner from a trauma
center.
To sustain success in Maryland, we must expand drug treatment options in order to
combat heroin, prescription and other drug abuse that has devastated communities
across Maryland.
We cannot be satisfied with the progress we have made. The Democrats in the
House and Senate are committed to working with Governor Hogan to continue to
move our State forward.
Now that the election is over, the real work of governing begins. Working together,
we can ensure a better Maryland.
A Maryland whose future success lies with a strong well-educated middle
class
A Maryland that fuels opportunities centered around the best schools in
America and access to the highest quality community colleges and universities
A Maryland with the finest healthcare delivery system for all of its citizens

 A Maryland that prides itself on being the stewards of the Chesapeake Bay
And a Maryland who believes that its greatest opportunities are still in front of us. It
is our responsibility over the next four years to meet these challenges for all
Marylanders.
Thank you.