Governor's Office for Children seeks funding continuity for "Enough" anti-poverty effort; DLS questions budget accounting
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Summary
DLS flagged double-counting in the governor's Office for Children's fiscal 2027 allowance and recommended trimming some proposed general-fund increases; the office and dozens of community witnesses urged continued or expanded funding for the Enough neighborhood anti-poverty initiative, citing early implementation results and leveraged dollars.
Department of Legislative Services analyst Madeline Miller told the subcommittee the governor's Office for Children (GOC) fiscal 2027 allowance rises to $92.9 million, but that a significant portion of the total reflects double-counted special-fund authorizations related to the Enough initiative. Excluding duplicates, DLS estimated the agency would have authority to spend about $60.9 million.
Miller described how the Enough program is structured (three tracks: partnership development, plan development, implementation), the competitive grant design, and DLSconcerns about sustainability and special-fund accounting. She recommended deleting $2 million in general funds earmarked for the Baltimore City Children and Youth Fund given current fiscal constraints and advised reducing the Enough general fund appropriation to level-fund the program at fiscal 2026 levels.
Special Secretary Carmel Martin defended the programand the requested fundingsaying Enough has delivered early outcomes, leveraged state and philanthropic support, and is building community infrastructure. Martin told the panel GOC had calculated about $23 million in state agency grant awards that flowed to Enough communities during the first year and that Blue Meridian Partners has committed up to $5 million in technical-support funding.
Community leaders and local management boards called the program a "backbone" for neighborhood planning and described tangible local results: grocery and food distribution programs, tutoring partnerships with UMBC, childcare center openings enabled by bridge funding, and local hiring and capacity-building. Multiple witnesses pressed the committee to maintain or increase Enough funding so planning and implementation momentum would not stall.
DLS asked the GOC to clarify the use of 22-month award periods, future eligibility mapping for new communities, and the amounts contributed by other state agencies during year one of grants. GOC said it would publish an eligibility map by June and defended the use of longer awards to provide certainty to community partners.
What the committee heard next
Committee members asked clarifying questions about out-of-home placement reporting and data contributions; DLS recommended release of $100,000 withheld for several data-contributing agencies pending submission of required reports. No formal vote was taken at the hearing.
Sources and evidence: DLS testimony (Madeline Miller), testimony from Carmel Martin (GOC), and public testimony from local "Enough" grantees and local management boards.
