ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Wes Moore has announced preliminary recommendations from the Government Efficiency Commission to modernize Maryland’s occupational permitting and licensing processes. The recommendations aim to streamline vendor credentialing, improve permitting reliability and predictability, and eliminate employment barriers for all Marylanders.

“Modernizing state government is not just a talking point for us — it’s a governing philosophy,” Moore said. “As we continue to create new, good-paying jobs for Marylanders and grow our economy, we need to continue to cut unnecessary red tape. These recommendations will help open pathways to prosperity for hardworking families across our state.”

The Transparent Government Act of 2024 established the Government Efficiency Commission, tasking it with comprehensively reviewing all executive branch permits, licenses, and certifications to identify modernization opportunities. The commission monitors and reviews permitting, licensure, and certification processes based on reports from government agencies and independent units to boost regulatory reliability for businesses planning to invest in Maryland.

The Government Efficiency Commission’s Dec. 1, 2024, report to the governor and General Assembly recommended creating a Maryland Coordinated Permitting Review Council, modeled after the federal Permitting Council, to foster efficient interagency coordination for priority projects.

Other recommendations include:

• Establishing a unified permitting portal.
• Ensuring all credentialing units have digital infrastructure for efficient application processing and tracking.
• Prioritizing reform efforts for 10 high-impact credentials and approval processes for Maryland’s workforce and businesses.
• Reforming criminal history background impacts to remove barriers to lawful employment.
• Creating a reporting system for compliance with the Transparent Government Act of 2024.
• Reviewing credentials that receive fewer than 50 applications annually to determine if state approval is needed.

The commission comprises 15 members, including Delegate Tiffany T. Alston (D-24); Maryland Department of Commerce Secretary Kevin Anderson; Maryland Department of Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain; Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jacob Day; Maryland Department of Labor Secretary Portia Wu; Maryland Department of Planning Secretary Rebecca Flora; Maryland Department of Health for Operations Deputy Secretary Clint Hackett; Maryland Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary Tony Bridges; Chief Performance Officer Asma Mirza; and Deputy Chief of Staff Manny Welsh. The commission meets quarterly to review progress and offer guidance.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

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