Maryland's commitment to develop economic and employment opportunities began in 1884 with the
creation of the Bureau of Statistics and Information of the Industries of the State (Chapter 211, Acts of 1884).
To guide development, government needed to know the agricultural, mineral and industrial output of the State,
what commerce was moving through Maryland, and whether transportation networks functioned. In the late
nineteenth century, with farm labor scarce and the labor reform movement gaining momentum, the Bureau
also collected information on labor problems and abuses and reported annually to the General Assembly.

In 1892, the General Assembly directed the Bureau to collect statistics on labor, particularly wages and
strikes; any information about agriculture calculated to attract immigration; and data on mineral products,
manufacturing, transportation, shipping, and commerce (Chapter 29, Acts of 1892). The Bureau also was
to receive reports from all officers and institutions of the State, publish the information in book form, and
annually revise and republish. In 1902, operation of a free State employment agency was added to Bureau
responsibilities (Chapter 365, Acts of 1902).

At the end of the nineteenth century as Maryland professed a shortage of labor, the State aggressively
sought a new work force. In 1896, the Bureau of Immigration was formed to attract European immigrants
(Chapter 295, Acts of 1896). The 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 the 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 of Immigration 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 was reorganized in 1916 as the State Board of Labor and Statistics.
In addition to information gathering and employment agency duties, the Board 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 Compen-
sation 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 Unemployment Compensation.

Meanwhile, the State Board of Labor and Statistics was reconstituted as 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.

Department of Economic Development. The Department of Information was superseded in 1959 by the
Department of Economic Development (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 out by three divisions: Business and Industrial Development; Research;
and Tourist Development and Publicity. Another forerunner of the current Department, the Development