Maryland Gov. Hogan Proposes Plan to Give Some Residents $750 Stimulus Checks

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) this week unveiled the RELIEF Act of 2021, which would, in part, give some Marylanders $750 stimulus checks as part of the coronavirus relief measure.

Unlike the federal stimulus checks, only low to moderate-income Marylanders would qualify for the relief, which includes a payment of “$500 for families and $300 for individuals who filed for the Earned Income Tax Credit, followed by a second-round stimulus for EITC filers that would provide an additional $250 for eligible families and $150 for individuals.”

According to the release, the relief would assist an estimated 400,000 Marylanders. The governor’s release listed the criteria to qualify for the direct relief:

• $50,954 ($56,844 married filing jointly) with three or more qualifying children
• $47,440 ($53,330 married filing jointly) with two qualifying children
• $41,756 ($47,646 married filing jointly) with one qualifying child
• $15,820 ($21,710 married filing jointly) with no qualifying children

The RELIEF Act would also provide pandemic assistance in other ways beyond direct payments to moderate to low-income individuals. It includes a “$180 million commitment to repeal all state and local income taxes on unemployment benefits, helping people get more refunds during tax filing season,” per the release. It also assists small businesses, making “a $300 million commitment to supporting small businesses with sales tax credits of up to $3,000 per month for four months—for a total of up to $12,000.” This will help over 55,000 Maryland small businesses, the politicians claim.

Additionally, the RELIEF Act includes a loan forgiveness plan, which would “safeguard Maryland business owners against any tax increase triggered by the use of state loan or grant funds.”

“We will be introducing the RELIEF Act of 2021 as emergency legislation on day one,” Hogan said, asking lawmakers to “act on it immediately” so he can quickly sign the measure into law.

The plan comes as the federal government continues the rollout of the $600 relief checks as part of the greater $2.3 trillion government spending and coronavirus relief measure signed by President Trump last month.

Last week, following victories for Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in Georgia, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced that providing $2,000 checks to the American people — something pushed for by President Trump — will be a top priority for a Democrat-led Senate and “one of the first things we do once our new senators are seated.”