Issue Position: Working to Improve the Economy

Issue Position

Craig understands the impact the economic downturn has had on District 14 and the entire state. As part of leadership on the influential House Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for overseeing Maryland's budget, he has worked with his colleagues to balance the budget, nearly eliminate the state's structural deficit and reduce state spending by more than eight billion dollars since 2007.
Craig also serves as Montgomery County's representative on the House Appropriations Capital Budget Subcommittee, which provides funding that creates more than 15,000 jobs per year. While on this Subcommittee, he has worked with his District 14 colleagues to bring back money for local school construction and community projects.
In an effort to revitalize Burtonsville Crossing and other commercial space in Burtonsville, the District 14 team sponsored and passed the Burtonsville Revitalization Tax Credit which, if authorized by the County Council, would create tax incentives for improvements to commercial property in the Burtonsville commercial district.
Craig's grandfather, a second-generation immigrant, was a small business owner in New York. He opened a number of shops that were eventually passed down to his father's generation. Keeping his family history in mind, Craig continues to advocate on behalf of small businesses. If small businesses succeed, people remain employed, new jobs are created and our tax base stays strong. To ensure they remain competitive, Craig helped sponsor the Maryland Jobs Development Act. This law will track economic development projects throughout the state. It will keep small businesses strong and create local jobs.
However, Craig also knows that we've all had to tighten our belts lately and believes it should be no different when it comes to our state's finances. As Delegate, Craig continues to go line-by-line through the budget to identify and eliminate wasteful spending. Craig's experience on the House budget committee and work as a top aide to the Maryland Comptroller has prepared him to help tackle these tough fiscal issues.

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