Del. James: O’Malley Signs Fast Track Order to Streamline and Expedite Review of Development Permits

From the office of Del. Mary-Dulany James:

Dear Friends,

As many of you know, I worked during the 2010 and 2011 sessions with Delegate Dave Rudolph, and other members of the Blue Dog Democrats group, to introduce Fast Track legislation. I am pleased to report that today, Governor O’Malley signed an Executive Order that will implement a Fast Track process.

As most of you will recall, Fast Tracking helps speed up the process of issuing government permits so that new developments (offices, retail, buildings, and even roads) that have already been approved at the local level can move forward without unnecessary delay. This will go a long way toward encouraging private investment and private job creation. Both are good for our economy and citizenry – putting people back to work.

Over the past 18 months, every time I spoke with many members of the business community and construction industries, we talked about Fast Tracking. They all got behind the idea, because it is simple: government should get out of the way of private enterprises that are trying to grow and create jobs. Government should not be the main creator of jobs, and should not demand so much red tape and bureaucracy that inhibit private companies. The goal of this Order is for businesses large and small to interface with the government permitting process in a transparent, efficient, and timely manner, where everyone understands up front what is involved in each step of the process for permits to be issued.

This Order is a great step forward for Marylanders who want to get back to work. I look forward to seeing the benefits of Fast Tracking over the coming weeks and months as this Order is implemented. Please visit http://easy.maryland.gov/ for more information on Fast Tracking and Maryland Made Easy, a one-stop shop to help businesses in Maryland easily access resources throughout state agencies, and get the latest news and information on what the state is doing to help businesses thrive in Maryland.

Sincerely,
Mary-Dulany James

GOVERNOR SIGNS FAST TRACK ORDER
Delegate Mary-Dulany James Present As Her Efforts Come To Fruition

Halethorpe, MD – Today Delegate Mary-Dulany James (Harford & Cecil Counties) joined Governor Martin O’Malley, Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, members of the Executive Cabinet, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, and other members of the General Assembly, at Bakery Express Inc. for Governor O’Malley’s signing of an Executive Order implementing Fast Track, a program to streamline and expedite the review of state permits for projects in priority development areas.

In an effort to help the construction industry and other businesses to grow jobs, Delegate James has worked tirelessly over the past two years for this policy. During the 2010 and 2011 Legislative Sessions Delegate James, along with Delegate Dave Rudolph (Cecil County), and other members of the Blue Dog Democrat group, introduced bills to make Fast Tracking state policy. She met with leaders from the construction and building industries, and other business leaders, and heard their needs for this kind of reform that will help them move Maryland’s economy forward and create jobs. Delegates James and Rudolph coordinated closely with the Governor’s staff, and members of the Executive Cabinet, to advance this streamlining effort, with today’s signing as the culmination of those efforts.

Delegate James said of the Governor’s Order, “this is exactly the kind of reform that our State must make in order to strengthen our economy, grow new jobs, and attract the investment that will carry us forward out of these tough times,” adding, “I am proud to be a part of this important step in opening our State’s doors to business, particularly in the rural counties I represent, that stand to benefit from the jobs BRAC will bring.”