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Maryland lawmakers debate creating a Department of Social Equity to centralize equity programs
Summary
Speaker Adrienne Jones asked the House Appropriations Committee to give House Bill 12-53 a favorable report, saying the bill would create a Maryland Department of Social Equity to centralize multiple equity offices and improve access to services for disadvantaged individuals and small businesses.
Speaker Adrienne Jones told the House Appropriations Committee she sponsored House Bill 12-53 to create a Maryland Department of Social Equity, a cabinet-level agency that would centralize several existing state equity efforts.
"By streamlining state government, we 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," Jones said in opening remarks. She said the bill would give "equity a literal seat at the table."
Jeremy Baker, the governor's chief legislative officer, described how current programs are scattered across multiple offices. "Currently, state government has 3 distinct offices for this work that are housed within 3 separate departments," Baker said, naming the governor's Office of Small Minority and Women-owned Business Affairs, the Office of Social Equity (which works with the Maryland Cannabis Administration), and the Office of Minority Business Enterprise within the Maryland Department of Transportation. He urged a favorable report and said the administration would work with the committee to strengthen the bill.
Committee members asked about timeline, transition plans and whether a working group or implementation study would be appropriate. Delia Ralph, a delegate who testified in support, asked whether the committee should study the transition timeline and possible delays; Baker said the administration stood ready to work with partners and that the bill's budget mechanisms were intended to move money during transition.
Jones and witnesses told the committee that the proposal is intended to make services easier to navigate and reduce friction for small and minority-owned businesses seeking procurement and support. No formal action or vote was recorded during the hearing.
Committee direction: lawmakers pressed sponsors on implementation details, including the effective date, budget mechanics, and whether a transition working group should be convened. Sponsors said they were open to technical changes and to working with the administration to reduce fiscal-note impacts. The committee did not adopt amendments on the record during the hearing; staff follow-up on transition timelines and budget language was discussed.
Background: supporters framed the bill as consolidating parallel structures that can produce different outcomes for small businesses; the administration noted it already uses a single online portal for many business services and called the bill a continuation of that customer-service approach.
Outlook: committee members signaled general interest but sought more detail on how agencies would shift authorities and budgets; no committee vote was recorded in the transcript.
