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The group supported legislation in 2024 that would have raised taxes on the wealthy and corporations instead of imposing budget cuts. 2
Maryland Rise began operations in 2021. 3 The group claims to be non-partisan, but the group is an advocate for many left-of-center economic policies including higher government spending, more generous welfare programs, and higher taxes. 4
In 2021, Maryland Rise supported legislation that it claimed expanded voting rights and made it easier for people to vote. The legislation created “a permanent absentee ballot list, ensure ballot boxes, set new rules on the siting and operation of early voting centers, ease voting for members of the military and students and contain updated rules on ballot curing.” 1
In 2021, Maryland Rise supported legislation that expanded the size of Maryland’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and made illegal immigrants eligible to collect them. 1
In 2021, Maryland Rise supported legislation that ensured “that no one who qualifies for free or reduced-cost care can have their wages garnished because of a hospital medical debt, guarantees that no patient will lose their home to a lien by a hospital, and puts a one year moratorium on all lawsuits from hospitals on medical debt until January 2022.” 1
In 2024, the group supported legislation that would ban Maryland hospitals and medical practices from placing a line on houses due to unpaid medical debt. The group claimed the practice disproportionately impacted Black people. 5
In 2022, Maryland Rise supported the passage of the Time to Care Act which created a paid leave program in the state of Maryland. In 2023, the group supported the passage of legislation that set the required taxes to fund the program to be a split of 50 percent paid by the employer and 50 percent paid by the employee. 6
In 2024, the group supported legislation that would grant Maryland state government employees up to 10 days of bereavement leave if they lost a child or had a stillbirth which would be separate from other leaves granted by the state. 7
In 2024, Maryland Rise supported legislation that would require an employer to list pay ranges, a general description of benefits, and other compensation in job listings. The group claimed that it would reduce alleged racial and gender pay gaps. 8
In 2024, Maryland Rise supported proposed income tax increases on the wealthy, higher taxes on businesses, and higher estate taxes on the wealthy. The proposed legislation would expand selected tax credits for lower-income Marylanders, which it claimed would disproportionately help black families. The group came out against proposed budget cuts and instead suggested closing the proposed budget deficit with higher taxes. 2
In 2024, Maryland Rise supported legislation that would guarantee compensation for scheduled shifts shortened or cancelled by employers. The legislation would also allow workers to decline schedules that do not permit enough rest time between shifts. 9
Maryland Rise’s executive director is Lisa Klingenmaier. She was previously the assistant director of advocacy for Catholic Charities of Baltimore. 10
The group’s former executive director is Myles Hicks. He became the executive director of Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence. After that, he became the deputy legislative officer for Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D). 11
According to Maryland Rise’s 2022 tax returns, the group had $598,200 in revenue, $353,772 in expenses, and $307,336 in assets. 12
All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:
Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years: