RESI in the News
What Went Wrong? A Closer Look at Baltimore's Absence from Amazon's HQ2 Shortlist
Baltimore Business Journal, 01/25/2018
RESI's Dr. Daraius Irani emphasized that a regional approach was needed to address issues such as crime, employment, and transportation that impact not only opportunities in Baltimore City, but the surrounding areas as well. Dr. Irani stated, "If the city fails, it affects the counties around it . . . This is a long-term issue. We need to empower people in the city and there needs to be a sense of a comprehensive review that the city is not operating in the vacuum.
Starting Sunday, Businesses in Maryland Must Provide Paid Sick Leave
The Washington Post, 02/09/2018
A new sick-leave policy is taking effect in Maryland, requiring businesses with more than 15 employees to provide up to five days of paid leave annually. Uncertainly exists for some businesses as they try to understand how the new policy affects their employees and operations. The article cites a study conducted by RESI which found that in 2015, 78 percent of businesses in the state had 15 or more employees.
Study Finds Md. Tax Increases on Cigarettes, Alcohol Improved Public Health
MarylandReporter.com, 03/04/2018
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University want lawmakers to keep using tax increases in Maryland as a strategy to improve public health after they conducted a study that showed that higher taxes led to lower consumption of alcohol and tobacco. RESI's Dr. Daraius Irani stated that, "sin taxes" could be an effective method to address the problem, and that "the outcomes mentioned speak strongly to the impact that these policies can have on improving public health."
Maryland's VLT Loan Program Generates $466M Economic Impact in State
Maryland Economic Development Association, 03/07/2018
A recent study completed by RESI detailed the impacts of Maryland's Video Lottery Terminal Fund (VLT) in the state. According to the report, between FY 2014 and FY 2017, the VLT program supported 3,059 jobs with total wages exceeding $159 million. The study, which was commissioned by the Maryland Department of Commerce, also found that VLT-funded loans have been instrumental when traditional funding sources were unavailable to small businesses, and that demand for VLT-funded loans exceeded the available supply.
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