Friday Five | July 1, 2022
A recap of this week’s top-five news items and resources from the intersection of business and government.
1. Democrats’ ad campaign stirs up a ruckus in Md. GOP primary election
During a press conference yesterday, Republican gubernatorial candidate Kelly Schulz said a national Democratic organization is meddling in Maryland’s Republican primary in support of her opponent. The Democratic Governors Association recently purchased more than $1 million in television ads supporting Dan Cox. Schulz claims this is an effort to ensure a Democratic governor in November.
“The math is easy: Spend $1 million now and save $5 million by not having to face me in the general election,” said Schulz.
Read the full story here.
2. The results of the Goucher poll of Maryland voters
Goucher College Poll, in partnership with The Baltimore Banner and WYPR, polled 501 Maryland Democrats and 508 Republicans ages 18 or older about who they would vote for in the July 19th primary. They were asked about candidates for statewide races and issues such as inflation, crime, housing, the environment and more. Read the results here.
Interested in learning more about the upcoming primary election? Stream the first two episodes of our new podcast Between Two Chambers! Our Vice President of Government Affairs Andrew Griffin talks with House Majority Leader Eric Luedtke and House Minority Leader Jason Buckel on the challenges faced by many Marylanders and the impact of the upcoming election. Listen here.
3. U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Small businesses worry about inflation
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce analyzes 5-year data of the MetLife and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index, revealing small business trends, the challenges small business leaders have faced and how small businesses feel about the future. One top highlight is that inflation dominates the minds of small businesses. According to the 2022 Q2 Small Business Index, 88% of small business owners are concerned about the impact of inflation on their businesses and nearly half (49%) are very concerned, compared to 44% last quarter and 31% in Q4 2021. The U.S. Chamber discusses how despite inflation deeply troubling small businesses, there is confidence among small business owners that customer demand will remain strong and they are planning to meet that demand.
Read the full story here.
4. Maryland State Department of Education will give more than $169M to school systems to address pandemic-related issues
On Wednesday, the Maryland State Department of Education announced they will grant more than $169 million across the state’s school systems as part of the Maryland Leads Initiative, which aims to address pandemic-related educational issues through federal funding. The money will go towards school programs in seven categories, including bettering student outcomes, aiding staff recruitment and retention and strengthening teacher pipelines. Prince George’s County will receive the highest amount of funding in the state at $10,768,616, and the second and third-highest amount will go to Baltimore County ($10,426,672) and Baltimore City ($9,845,142) schools.
“This program provides a critical opportunity to further recover from the pandemic, fuel the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and lay the foundation for our students’ success in the years to come — well after the pandemic is behind us,” said the State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury.
Read the full story here.
5. What is a recession? Your economy questions, answered.
Increased spending along with lingering supply chain shortages and delays from the pandemic has risen inflation to its highest level in four decades, leading many economists and financial experts to predict an impending downturn for the U.S. economy in the next year.
“Recessions are notoriously hard to predict in advance,” said Tara Sinclair, an economics professor at George Washington University. “It’s pretty easy to say a recession is coming at some point in the future. … It’s much harder to quantify exactly when, how long and how deep.”
What is a recession and what happens during one? The Washington Post answers some common questions on economic downturns and how they affect Americans.
Read the full story here.
Retain and attract talent in a competitive job market!
Join us on Wednesday, July 20 from 11 AM to 12PM to hear from experts from Advisory Board on current workforce data and trends brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Get exclusive insight on how you can retain and attract talent while meeting your employees’ needs that will lead to improved business performance.
Webinar | The Forces Shaping the Future of Work
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