HARRY HUGHES
Governor of Maryland
Harry Roe Hughes, the fifty-seventh Governor
of the State of Maryland, was elected to a second
term by a wide margin November 2, 1982 He
swept Baltimore City and all but 4 of Maryland's
23 counties, receiving more than 62 percent of the
votes cast
During his first term, Governor Hughes
worked closely with the General Assembly to re-
solve many long-standing State problems Major
strides were made in tax reform, economic devel-
opment, environmental protection, improving a
long-neglected corrections system, increasing aid
to elderly citizens, and reducing the tragic toll
caused by drunk drivers on our streets and high-
ways
Recognized as an authority on transportation
and education issues. Governor Hughes served
for two years as chairman of the Transportation,
Commerce and Technology Committee of the Na-
tional Governors' Association and is currently a
member of the Education Committee He also
served as chairman of the Southern Regional Ed-
ucation Board
The Governor's leadership in speaking out
against incidents of racially, religiously, or ethni-
cally motivated acts of violence was praised by
Congress, which cited his Task Force on Violence
and Extremism as a model for the entire nation
In a move designed to ease pressure on local
property taxes, state aid to Baltimore City and
the counties was increased substantially by the
Hughes Administration Reforms were also
enacted in the property assessment procedure to
make it more equitable and less oppressive to
homeowners
The Legislature also approved a number of tax
reforms introduced or supported by the Hughes
Administration, including the elimination of the
sales tax on home fuels and utilities, expansion of
the homeowners tax credit program to persons
under age 60, and an increase in the standard in-
come tax deduction These direct and indirect tax
reductions for individuals and local governments
totaled more than $1 billion over the Governor's
first term
Creating new jobs in Maryland remains one of
the major goals of the Hughes Administration A
revitalized Department of Economic and Commu-
nity Development has strengthened programs to
attract new business and industry to the State
and to assist those already established here Gov-
ernor Hughes took an active role in this effort, |
personally leading trade missions to China, Eu-
rope, California, and New York City As a result,
the commitment of capital to the expansion and
location of business and industry has increased
substantially and thousands of new jobs have
been attracted to Maryland, which is gaining a
reputation as a center for high technology on the
East Coast
State aid to public elementary and secondary
education was increased substantially by the
Hughes Administration, with more aid targeted
to less wealthy subdivisions Community colleges,
which had experienced an infusion of new stu-
dents, received special attention and millions of
dollars of additional aid through legislation intro-
duced by Governor Hughes
With the support of the General Assembly, hu-
man services programs received a larger and
fairer share of State general funds, achieving
progress in the delivery of services to the poor
and the disadvantaged Unemployment benefits
were increased from $104 to $153 a week over
the four years of the Governor's first term And
when a change in federal law threatened to end
extended benefits for the jobless during the height
of the national recession, Governor Hughes called
the Legislature into special session to initiate a
State solution
Tougher drunk driving laws introduced by the
Hughes Administration and approved by the
General Assembly led to a decrease in deaths at-
tributed to motorists who abuse alcohol The
Governor extended the term of his Task force on
the Drinking Driver to continue to examine and
recommend measures to further reduce this tragic
toll
When sudden conversion of apartments to con-
dominiums began forcing many elderly, handi-
capped, or low-income citizens from the homes
they had lived in for years, the Governor acted to
meet this challenge He proposed and the Legisla-
ture enacted a bill providing the first significant
statewide protection for tenants subject to these
conversions
The Hughes Administration was also successful
in advancing solutions to long-standing problems
of the State The Governor proposed and the
Legislature approved a package of legislation and
constitutional amendments to consolidate the cir-
cuit-level courts of Baltimore City, a goal pursued
for more than three decades The Hughes Admin-
istration undertook the most ambitious prison
construction program in State history, addressing
a chronic overcrowding problem in the State cor-
rections system A major effort was also made to-
ward improving management and strengthening |
