Gov. Moore calls for energy rebates and immigration protections in State of the State speech

Gov. Wes Moore delivered his fourth State of the State address Wednesday, proposing $100 million in energy rebates, new protections for immigrants, and $12 million for flood recovery in Western Maryland.

What’s Happening: Moore spoke to a joint session of the Maryland House and Senate at noon in the House chamber. He outlined a three-part agenda: protect Marylanders from federal policy changes, deliver economic results, and lead on state priorities.

What’s Important: Moore proposed a balanced budget with no tax or fee increases for the fourth consecutive year. The budget includes $14 billion for Medicaid, which serves 1.4 million Marylanders, and $10 billion for public schools. Maryland is filling a $40 million gap in SNAP funding created by federal policy changes.

The Energy Plan: Moore proposed $100 million in energy rebates to help residents with rising costs. Energy prices are up 13% nationwide since last year. Moore called for capping energy prices for two years and announced new data centers must hire local workers and cover their own power costs to receive his support.

The Flood Recovery: Moore proposed $12 million for flood recovery in Allegany County, including $1 million to rebuild the Westernport Library. The federal government denied disaster assistance twice, including after Moore appealed directly to President Donald Trump.

“When our people are in trouble, we’re going to help them. Their party affiliation doesn’t matter. If they’re Marylanders, they’re good,” Moore said.

The Immigration Measures: Moore announced Citizenship Maryland, a program bringing together law firms, private companies, and unions to help 150,000 eligible Marylanders obtain citizenship. He thanked lawmakers for introducing legislation to protect residents from what he called unconstitutional actions by federal agents.

“I stand here as the son of an immigrant single mom. She came here as a child with a Jamaican accent. And now she gets to watch her son serve as governor of the state that he loves,” Moore said.

The Redistricting Dispute: Moore asked the Senate to vote on a redistricting map passed by the House. He reestablished the Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission several months ago. The House debated and passed the map after the commission presented its recommendation. Moore said he and Senate President Bill Ferguson disagree on redistricting but will continue working together.

The Federal Job Cuts: The federal government has fired approximately 25,000 Marylanders with federal jobs in the past year, according to Moore. He said this is the largest federal job cut of any state.

The AI Strategy: Maryland is investing $4 million to train workers for jobs in artificial intelligence. Moore announced AI will be used to help Marylanders navigate SNAP, Medicaid, unemployment insurance, and child care subsidies. He introduced legislation to decouple the state’s vaccine authority from federal authority.

Economic Development: Maryland has attracted more than $10 billion in private investment in three years, according to Moore. AstraZeneca committed $2 billion to build facilities in Frederick and Montgomery counties, creating 2,600 jobs. The Sphere entertainment venue will be built at National Harbor.

Education Results: Maryland’s public schools have improved for three years in a row, according to Moore. The state jumped 20 slots in national early literacy rankings in two years. The teacher vacancy rate has been cut in half in three years.

The Crime Numbers: Homicides are down nearly 50% statewide since Moore took office. Baltimore’s homicide rate is at its lowest level since before Moore was born.

The Housing Plan: Maryland provided funding to build 4,000 new rental housing units last fiscal year, the highest level since the COVID pandemic. Moore introduced the Maryland Transit and Housing Opportunity Act of 2026 to build more housing near transit.

You can watch the address in its entirety below.