Department of Economic & Employment Development/213

State Superintendent of Immigration was authorized to go to other states and Canada, and to visit Europe
each year and "remain at least four months in die prosecution of his work visiting the different countries."
The Bureau secretary was to be conversant in German, Dutch, and French (Chapter 282, Acts of 1898).
The office in Baltimore City was to keep well supplied "for ready reference" with maps, pamphlets and
other statistics on geography, agriculture, shipping, marketing, and the social, educational and other
conditions of each county as well as the quantities and character of land for sale and its price. Though the
Bureau was abolished in 1916, by the 1920s the Southern Maryland Immigration Commission continued
to seek immigrants for work in Calvert, Charles, Prince George's and St. Mary's counties (Chapter 496,
Acts of 1922).

The Bureau of Industrial Statistics also was abolished in 1916, but it was replaced by the State Board
of Labor and Statistics which carried on its information gathering and employment agency duties. The
new Board also was empowered to mediate labor disputes and enforce laws concerning hours of work and
employment of women and minors.

A special legislative session in December 1936 enacted Maryland's unemployment compensation law.
In compliance with federal law, it provided for free public re-employment offices. The Unemployment
Compensation Board administered the laws with federal funds until 1947, when the Department of
Employment Security was created with a Division of Employment Service and a Division of Unemploy-
ment Compensation.

Meanwhile, the State Board of Labor and Statistics was renamed the Department of Labor and Industry
in 1945, with its information gathering and employment agency functions intact. Its focus, however,
gradually shifted towards regulating labor conditions, including issuance of work certificates to minors.

In 1948, another agency was formed to collect information about the State. Authorized by the Board
of Public Works, the Department of Information began as a division of the Hall of Records Commission.
In 1949, it became an independent agency (Chapter 665, Acts of 1949). The Department compiled data
not only about industry and agriculture, but also natural resources, recreation, government, and history.
To encourage a burgeoning tourist and outdoor recreation trade, the Department promoted Maryland
and its products with films, photographs, pamphlets, and press releases.

The Department of Information was superseded in 1959 by the Department of Economic Develop-
ment (Chapter 185, Acts of 1959). Its mandate, to advance the economic welfare of Maryland citizens by
developing the State's natural resources, industrial opportunities, and tourism potential, was carried our
by three divisions: Business and Industrial Development; Research; and Tourist Development and
Publicity Another forerunner of the current Department, the Development Credit Corporation of
Maryland, was created in 1959 to stimulate business and industry by making loans to small businesses
when conventional financing was unavailable.

The move to improve administration of State government by grouping agencies with related functions
under cabinet-level executive departments produced in 1970 the Department of Employment and Social
Services and the Department of Economic and Community Development. In 1975, the Department of
Employment and Social Services became the Department of Human Resources. Later, the Employment
Security Administration (direct descendant of the Unemployment Compensation Board of 1936) was
abolished, and its reponsibilities were transferred from the Department of Human Resources to a new
Department of Employment and Training, which also absorbed the Apprenticeship and Training Council
from the Department of Licensing and Regulation (Chapter 64, Acts of 1983).

The Department of Economic and Employment Development was created in 1987 (Chapter 311, Acts of
1987). It contains agencies and programs formerly administered by its immediate predecessors, the Department
of Economic and Community Development and the Department of Employment and Training.

To generate jobs in Maryland, today's Department of Economic and Employment Development
attracts new businesses, encourages the expansion and retention of existing facilities, and provides financial
assistance and training. The Department publicizes Maryland's attributes, and markets local products at
home and abroad to stimulate economic development, international trade, and tourism. For persons
seeking employment, job match services, training, and unemployment insurance are provided. The
Department also invests in the arts and promotes sports events.

Departmental objectives are pursued by five divisions: Business Development, Maryland International
Division, Maryland Economic Growth Funds, Employment and Training, and Tourism and Promotion.
The Division of Administration provides support to the operational divisions.