Issue Position: Good Government

Issue Position

A recent report found that Maryland ranks 40th for corruption risk as measured by the State Integrity Investigation. It has a letter grade of D-. This is unacceptable, and we can do better. As your delegate, Tom commits to increasing oversight and awareness of Maryland's agency activities. According to the State Integrity report, "Auditors …found that state officials asked multiple construction firms to cook their books to help conceal overspending." Our elected officials need to do more in combating corruption and ensuring information is easily available to voters.

Tom will propose a new, easy-to-navigate online portal to publish state documents. Maryland houses a burgeoning tech sector, including state-supported tech incubators. These companies could provide valuable resources in projects modeled after Code for America and the Open Government Initiative. Tom pioneered using a public blog to make the inner workings of the Columbia Association more accessible to constituents, and he pledges to do the same in the legislature.

Tom believes strongly in this paragraph from Executive Order 13563, Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review:

Our regulatory system must protect public health, welfare, safety, and our environment while promoting economic growth, innovation, competitiveness, and job creation. It must be based on the best available science. It must allow for public participation and an open exchange of ideas. It must promote predictability and reduce uncertainty. It must identify and use the best, most innovative, and least burdensome tools for achieving regulatory ends. It must take into account benefits and costs, both quantitative and qualitative. It must ensure that regulations are accessible, consistent, written in plain language, and easy to understand. It must measure, and seek to improve, the actual results of regulatory requirements.

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