Senator Zirkin is dedicated to ensuring the economic prosperity of all Maryland residents and businesses, and through the years he has voted in favor of a number of measures in support of that goal. Locally, he has been a lead advocate for the development of the Owings Mills Town Center, a plan that guarantees District 11 will stay at the forefront of successful business/community models in our State. The project will bring a public library, a community college, and a variety of shops and restaurants to the area in what is expected to become one of the County’s premier community centers.

During the 2006 Session of the Maryland General Assembly, then Delegate Zirkin continued his support for a wide array of economic development initiatives. Senate Bill 144 creates a Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund and a Stem Cell Research Commission to promote State-funded stem cell research through grants and loans to public and private entities in Maryland.

House Bill 175 repeals the September 30, 2006 termination date of the authorization for the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority to use Program Open Space funds transferred to the authority for operating and dept expenses. The Maryland Heritage Areas Program was created in 1996 to help communities use heritage tourism to build their economies while protecting, developing, and promoting their cultural, historical and natural resources.

House Bill 399 allows the Secretary of the Department of Business and Economic Development to approve an expansion of up to 50 percent in the size of an existing enterprise zone. Enterprise zones are areas that are targeted by local jurisdictions and the federal government to encourage economic development through the use of tax incentives and economic development assistance.

Senate Bill 902/House Bill 1487 establish a Rural Maryland Prosperity Investment Fund, the goal of which is to help raise the overall standard of living in rural areas to a level that meets or exceeds statewide benchmark averages by 2020, while preserving the best aspects of a pastoral heritage and way of life. Money in the fund will go to regional planning and development assistance, regional infrastructure projects, rural entrepreneurship development, and rural community development and education.

These bills add to the long list of economic initiatives Senator Zirkin has helped usher through the Legislature. Others include incentives to attract feature film and television productions to Maryland, free business consulting services and an increase in assistance levels to new and existing small businesses, a tax credit for those that invest in qualified biotechnology firms, legislation that encourages local governments and private businesses to procure goods and services from minority businesses, the extension of a program that supports projects in economically distressed areas, and a bill that allows the Department of Housing and Community Development to set aside funds for micro-enterprises.

Much work has been done in making Maryland one of the nation’s preeminent economic powerhouses. Bobby Zirkin has played a major role in these developments, but he understands the ever changing and expanding nature of our market, and he will continue working to ensure a strong, healthy economy for all Marylanders.