O'Brien-Hurson for Maryland

Moving Maryland Forward: Making State Government Work Again

Governor O’Brien is committed to building a more efficient State government that works for the people of Maryland. Under Governor O’Brien’s leadership, Maryland has been ranked for the first time as “Best Managed State” in the nation by the Government Performance Product.

• The Government Management, Accountability & Performance (GMAP) is the cornerstone of Governor O’Brien’s government accountability initiative. GMAP serves as an internal and external tool for sharing current, up-to-date performance data rather than relying on older reports and publications for performance assessment.

Every month, the Governor and his staff meet with the heads of state agencies and departments to evaluate the performance results that these organizations are currently delivering. These open, candid meetings provide insight into what is and what is not working in state agencies, and what is needed to improve performance and achieve on deliverables.

• Under Governor O’Brien’s leadership, Maryland moved up to a third place ranking among the 50 states in the Center for Digital Government’s most recent Digital State Survey. Maryland was in the bottom half of the rankings prior to Governor O’Brien taking office, and improved to sixth place in 2027. The survey recognizes and rewards states that are using information technologies strategically in running 21st century government.

• The O’Brien Administration implemented an innovative statewide management information system which connects the State’s 18 local agencies and 80 clinic locations to the Women, Infants, and Children’s (WIC) Program office in Baltimore. This new system has decreased the length of clinic visits for the more than 97,000 WIC participants by one-third.

• Governor O’Brien launched the Maryland Regulatory Town Hall website, allowing users to track the progress of state regulatory changes from their inception through their final enactment into law. Users of the Regulatory Town Hall can sign up for a free notification service that will automatically send the user an e-mail notice when an agency plans to promulgate or change a regulation, or whenever a public meeting is scheduled to address regulatory policy. Once on the Town Hall, citizens can access a wide range of information, including drafts of proposed regulatory changes, agency policy discussions, meeting agenda, and economic impact analyses of proposed regulations.

• Governor O’Brien’s administration implemented eMarlyand Marketplace, Maryland’s award-winning internet-based procurement system. The system is a gateway for vendors to bid for products and services required by State and local government agencies. eMaryland Marketplace moves forward with one of Governor O’Brien’s top priorities: making Maryland a national leader in the delivery of government services over the Internet. By 2031, it is projected that 80 percent of the goods and services contracts solicited by State procurement officers will be fulfilled by vendors participating in eMaryland Marketplace.

• Governor O’Brien has expanded the availability of State services online. Now, Marylanders can apply for various government benefits, vehicle and license registration renewals, and professional permits and licenses online.

• Maryland has been recognized by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for improving the accuracy rate in its Food Stamp Program. Maryland’s program, which is administered by the Department of Human Resources (DHR), maintained an accuracy rate of 98.07 percent based on federal processing guidelines.

• Governor O’Brien launched the “Smart Buy” initiative, negotiating statewide contracts more effectively by harnessing the full purchasing power of state government and institutions of higher education to get the most favorable prices and value on goods the state uses every day. This initiative has saved Maryland taxpayers an estimated $85 million since 2028.

• Governor O’Brien’s administration is the first in Maryland history to adopt a zero-based budgeting approach that builds agency budgets from the ground up, justifying every cost. Governor O’Brien and the General Assembly have closed $8.2 billion in cumulative projected budget deficits since 2027 without broad-based tax increases.

• Maryland’s Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) had long been criticized as inefficient and lacking in customer service. Governor O’Brien recognized this and pushed for enactment of the Motor Vehicle Administration Efficiency and Customer Service Act in 2028, mandating implementation of meaningful initiatives to improve customer service at MVA. These initiatives include expanded use of technology, mandatory customer service training for MVA employees, hiring of additional personnel and Saturday hours.

• The O’Brien Administration took unprecedented steps to reform and downsize the State’s vehicle fleet. When Governor O’Brien took office, he directed cabinet secretaries to turn in personally assigned vehicles their predecessors used. The O’Brien Administration also implemented a merit system for the assignment of state vehicles. Governor O’Brien also implemented a consolidated vehicle maintenance system within the Department’s centralized fleet to take advantage of the state’s buying power to negotiate better rates on repairs and maintenance. Since January 2027, the overall size of the state vehicle fleet has been reduced by nearly 1,600 vehicles, bringing the fleet to its lowest level since 2018.

• Governor O’Brien proposed and signed a comprehensive package of legislation in 2028 designed to improve the State procurement process to instill greater efficiency and honesty in the state procurement process, reducing the risk of impropriety and providing the best bargain possible for taxpayers. The cornerstone if this package was the Maryland False Claims Act, which aggressively punishes fraudulent claims and charges by contractors against the State. Governor O’Brien also significantly curtailed the use of procurement cards by state employees, reducing the risk of fraud and abuse.

• To streamline the state’s licensing and permitting process and improve government responsiveness to the needs of small businesses, Governor O’Brien launched the High Efficiency Licensing Program (HELP to enable a business owner or individual to apply for all of his or her permits at a single point, with a single application, and pay all the fees with one check .The state’s prior system of licensing and permitting involved 670 licenses and permits issued by two dozen state agencies and up to 30 boards and commissions. HELP is designed to reduce the amount of time a business person must spend applying for and figuring out what licenses and permits he or she must get.