By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Political Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
Gov. Wes Moore (D-Md.) made the issue of better housing his mission during the 2024 Maryland legislative session, working hard with legislators to ensure support for renters and homeowners in the state.
On April 25, at his second bill signing after the 2024 session, Moore said there is a “shortage” of “a minimum of 96,000 units” in his state.
“Thirty percent of younger Marylanders are considering leaving our state simply because of housing costs. You cannot have a growing state if people cannot afford to live here.”
More than 52 percent of Maryland renters spend 30 percent or more of their earnings on housing costs. As a result, Moore authored and signed the Housing Expansion and Affordability Act of 2024, the Renters’ Rights and Stabilization Act of 2024 and the Housing and Community Development Financing Act.
“This was the year that we made the choice to put housing front and center because we knew this was an issue that could not wait,” said Moore, who identified the efforts as “legislation that is making our state more affordable.”
According to the governor’s office, between October 2021 and October 2023, the household income necessary to afford a median-priced home in Maryland increased by 56 percent, from $85,000 to $132,000.
Moore also signed the Freedom to Read Act, which aims to prevent politically motivated book bans and ensure students have access to a range of viewpoints. House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Md.-10) spoke on the work being done to discourage discrimination and racism in Maryland.
“Over the past few years, I’ve seen anger and hate resurface as part of our political discourse. We’ve seen political discourse pull apart our communities, families and friends,” said Jones, adding that she was proud of the Freedom to Read Act because she “wanted to put some safeguards and best practices in place” to prevent hate “from taking further root in our state.”
Tashi McQueen is a Report For America corps member.