Session 2026 Starts Today: The Next 90 Days Will Define Maryland’s Business Future

By Dewan Clayborn, President and CEO
If you lead or work for a business in Maryland, I want to be very clear: the next 90 days will matter more than any in recent memory.
This is not business as usual in Annapolis.
Maryland is entering Session 2026 under real economic pressure. Business growth has slowed. Costs are rising. Competition from neighboring states is intensifying. And this all unfolds in an election year that will shape our state’s direction for years to come.
What lawmakers decide over the next three months will directly impact your costs, your workforce, your ability to grow, and your long-term competitiveness.
Why This Session Is DifferentThis legislative session comes at a critical moment for Maryland’s economy. Businesses across our state are already navigating:

• Increased operating and compliance costs
  
• Workforce shortages and retention challenges
  
• Uncertainty that makes long-term planning harder
  
• A regional race for talent and investment we cannot afford to lose
  

Against that backdrop, legislation will be introduced that, if enacted, would raise costs, increase regulation, and make it harder for businesses to operate and expand.
We will work tirelessly to fight proposals that threaten economic growth and job creation. Protecting Maryland employers is not optional for us. It is our mission.
But we cannot do it without you.
Silence Is Not an Option in an Election YearThis is an election year, and that matters.
Legislators are listening more closely right now. They are paying attention to the voices of the people creating jobs, signing paychecks, and investing in Maryland communities.
That means your voice has never been more important.
You built something here.
A company.
A team.
Opportunities for Marylanders.
Your experience is not theoretical. It is real. And it carries weight.
Your story. Your challenges. Your perspective.
Those are the things that influence decisions in Annapolis.
Engagement Is the Difference-MakerOver the next 90 days, decisions will be made that determine whether Maryland becomes:

• More competitive or less
  
• More predictable or more uncertain
  
• A place businesses choose to grow or a place they are forced to reconsider
  

When business leaders engage, policymakers understand the real-world impact of their decisions. When they do not, policies are shaped without the full picture.
That is a risk Maryland’s economy cannot afford.
Standing Up for a Pro-Growth MarylandWe will fight every day for a competitive, predictable, pro-growth Maryland. One that recognizes businesses are not the problem to be managed, but the engine that drives opportunity, innovation, and economic stability.
Still, the most powerful voice in Annapolis is not mine.
It is not an organization’s.
It is yours.

The Call to ActionThe next 90 days will define what comes next for Maryland’s business community.
Stay engaged.
Speak up.
Stand with us.
Together, we can protect what you have built and push Maryland toward a stronger, more competitive future. Make yourselves heard. Hold policymakers accountable. Help us move Maryland forward.
Session 2026 starts today. Now is the time to act.