A new report found tens of thousands of Maryland households were made financially insecure by the pandemic.

The report puts the number of financially insecure households in the state at nearly 900,000, with an increase of 70,000 since the beginning of COVID.

The "Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed" project was initiated by the United Way of Northern New Jersey in 2009. The report attempted to capture the financial circumstances of working people who still cannot afford the basics such as housing, food, health care and child care.

Overall, nearly 40 % of households in Maryland were financially insecure in 2021, with 10% below the Federal Poverty Level, and another 28% in the category experiencing difficulties. The report said among the 20 most common occupations in Maryland in 2021, 55% paid less than $20 an hour.

Franklyn Baker, president and CEO of the United Way of Central Maryland, noted while living wage advocates have attempted to raise the minimum wage closer to $20 an hour, in many places it is still not enough.

"There's this hyperfixation around the country on the term living wage or thriving wage or survivable wage," Baker observed. "But at the end of the day, $20 per hour is still not at a place where you're really thriving as a family. And so you're really just trying to survive at 20 bucks an hour."

A Federal Reserve survey last year showed 32% of all adults did not have $400 for an unexpected economic emergency.

While many people in poverty, or just above the Federal Poverty Line qualify for federal and state benefits such as SNAP or Medicaid, many middle income households do not. People working who get a raise or are promoted often face a sudden drop-off in benefits advocates refer to as a 'benefits cliff'.

Baker argued legislators need to change the eligibility requirements so the impact of benefits loss is more gradual.

"There's legislation in many states in the queue or has already been passed, that essentially can delay the impact," Baker explained. "Instead of an immediate impact, it's over the course of multiple years. So it's a gradual hit in the loss of eligibility for certain benefits that they've become reliant upon."

During the pandemic many households were kept afloat by expanded federal supports which have since ended. The study's authors estimated the cost of living for a family of four renting a residence in the state in 2021 was more than $80,000 dollars per year. Incomes providing a middle class living a few years ago now leave families struggling to make ends meet and leave almost no room for savings, they added.


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A Montana legislative committee this week heard a bill to revise workers' compensation laws. Among opponents were workers who have navigated the system themselves. If a Montana worker were to get hurt on the job today, law requires insurance providers defer to the person's "treating physician." But Senate Bill 345 would remove that policy.

Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, says that helps insurers get the "best available evidence."

Amanda Frickle, political director of Montana AFL- CIO, a state federation of unions, said workers' compensation claims and cases are "meant to be deliberative."

"This bill is fundamentally tipping the scales against the injured worker and in favor of the insurance company when it comes to these workers' compensation claims," she said.

The bill would allow insurers to require an independent medical examination from a provider of the company's choosing, even if that means someone out-of-state. In that case, the insurer would cover expenses such as travel, lodging and child care. But opponents say travel is not conducive to healing.

Niki Zupanic, owner of the Montana Trial Lawyers Association, says that adds to workers' up-front costs.

"Many of these costs, whether or not they will eventually be reimbursed, are likely to be coming out of pocket ahead of time from the injured worker, while they're also working most likely reduced hours and trying to juggle other expenses with their families," she explained.

According to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, of all Montanans covered by a workers' comp policy, about 4% report an injury in a given year, or 23,000 people.

South Dakota's new governor is making an active pitch regarding economic opportunities for the state. The renewable-energy sector said it continues to build a strong case, including manufacturing jobs.

Gov. Larry Rhoden spent much of March crisscrossing South Dakota on his "Open for Opportunity" tour to hear about promising development, workforce needs and trade issues. It has not received a visit yet but officials with the Marmen Energy plant in Brandon said they are keeping busy. Nearly 300 people there construct towers to hold turbines for wind energy.

Dan Lueders, plant manager for Marmen Energy, called it the very definition of "American-made" products.

"It's fully American made with American steel," Lueders explained. "We're contributing to the American independence on energy and also providing good-paying manufacturing jobs."

The Clean Grid Alliance said the plant produces roughly 1,000 tower sections each year for shipment throughout the upper Midwest. Lueders noted with data centers and other factors driving up electricity demand, he sees more opportunities for his operation. Nationally, enthusiasm has been somewhat dampened by the Trump administration's push to roll back renewable-energy funding, with a stated desire to focus more on fossil fuels.

But utilities are increasingly turning to renewables to diversify their output as demand spikes.

Waylon Brown, president of Rushmore State Renewables and regional policy manager for Clean Grid Alliance, said if South Dakota keeps the welcome mat out for wind and solar development, other industries will want to set up shop here.

"They're looking for nearby energy generation when deciding what states to do business in," Brown pointed out.

In addition to the manufacturing upside, the Energy Information Administration said South Dakota ranks second nationally for wind energy generation. Brown said, for example, having a healthy power supply could be attractive to the health care sector, noting advancement in medical technology is one of the many other things requiring more energy use.

More jobs could be coming to Arkansas as companies interested in bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. consider the Natural State, according to a study by the Reshoring Institute.

Rosemary Coates, executive director of the nonprofit, said the state's low minimum wage is cost-effective for companies requiring a large labor force.

"What we generally encourage our clients to do is look at the major metropolitan areas and set up manufacturing just outside of that area so you can pull from the labor pool there," Coates explained. "Or to look at the metropolitan areas in places like Arkansas."

She noted although manufacturing remains cheaper in other countries, supply-chain problems experienced during the pandemic are making U.S. companies explore options for reshoring. The study did not address the financial effects of possible Trump administration tariffs on materials manufactured abroad.

Twenty states across the country, mainly in the South, pay the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. If labor is a high percentage of a company's costs, it could be less expensive to reshore operations. Coates added some companies opt to have plants in multiple countries.

"Bringing some manufacturing to Mexico and some to the U.S. and keeping some in Asia," Coates outlined. "Companies are really rethinking the whole idea and strategy about where in the world they're manufacturing."

She stressed labor rates vary between rural areas and major cities in every state. Other costs associated with reshoring include local and state taxes, training, tax credits and logistics.


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