Enacted Budget – Fiscal Year 2027
On April 8, Maryland Governor Wes Moore approved the state’s fiscal 2027 budget and separate legislation, the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2026 (SB 284). The fiscal 2027 budget provides $71.04 billion in all funds appropriations, an increase of $863.8 million, or 1.2 percent, from the fiscal 2026 budget. General fund appropriations total $27.8 billion in fiscal 2027, a decrease of $91.05 million, or 0.3 percent, compared to fiscal 2026. The March 2026 revenue forecast estimates general fund revenues of $27.03 billion in fiscal 2027, a decrease of 0.3 percent from the revised fiscal 2026 estimate. Final legislative action on the budget leaves an estimated general fund cash balance of $201 million at the end of fiscal 2027, in addition to $2.2 billion in the Rainy Day Fund.
The budget includes no new taxes or fees and has general fund expenditures smaller than the fiscal 2026 general fund budget. Priorities included in the enacted budget include funding for renewable and clean energy programs and funding to support lower utility bills while also investing in research on energy resiliency and providing utility fee relief. The budget continues record state funding to support the Child Care Scholarship program and includes funds to invest in community-driven initiatives to tackle child poverty. Through the state’s housing agency, the budget funds more than 250 projects through six state revitalization programs. Public safety investments include record funding for law enforcement through the State Aid for Police Protection Program, expansion of community-based programs to serve justice-involved youth, and support for correctional facilities improvements. The budget increases funding for K-12 education and invests in evidence-based literacy and math coaches, work to reduce the state’s teacher vacancy rate, and support of Community Schools, which provide wraparound student and family support services. Other investments include funds to diversify the state’s economy, make Maryland the capital of quantum, and support a one percent rate increase for nursing homes.