ANNAPOLIS — Democrats at Maryland’s state house scrambled Wednesday to draft an emergency aid package to replace income for more than 15,000 workers at the Port of Baltimore whose jobs are affected by the halt of shipping in the wake of a catastrophic bridge collapse.
State Senate President Bill Ferguson and Delegate Luke Clippinger, both of Baltimore, said they are proposing “immediate and direct aid” for the port workers and their families in the wake of Tuesday’s accident that will likely shutter more activity at the port for the foreseeable future.
“The economic and stability loss to the thousands impacted in the days ahead cannot be understated,” Mr. Ferguson said in a post on X.
Mr. Clippinger said on social media that the region faces an economic toll for months, and “it is incumbent on state and local leaders to work together to craft solutions to the long-term transit issues, sudden closure of the port, and loss of employment.”
Neither legislator responded to inquiries about how much their plan would cost, or how to pay for it. The final day of the current legislative session is April 8.
Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, has proposed a $63.1 billion budget for fiscal 2025 that includes a rainy day fund of $2.3 billion. Mr. Moore has tapped into the budget surplus previously to boost spending on programs while avoiding tax increases.
The governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
The Baltimore port is the ninth-busiest in the U.S., handling $80 billion in shipping last year, and serves as a key economic hub for the region. It generates nearly $3.3 billion in total personal income and $2.6 billion in business income annually.
It generates about $1.5 million per day in state and local tax revenue. In addition to the more than 15,000 jobs directly connected to the port, another 140,000 workers are supported indirectly by the flow of cargo and cruise ship passengers.
More than 444,000 people cruised out of the port last year, the third-highest passenger total in its history, and the most since 2012. The port also leads the U.S. in the shipping of autos.
Shipping came to a halt early Tuesday when the Dali, a Singapore-flagged container ship, lost power as it was leaving the port and rammed into a pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, collapsing the span and killing six construction workers who were repairing potholes on Interstate 695.
The wreckage of the bridge at the bottom of the Patapsco River has closed the only water route into and out of the port. Officials say the 50-foot-deep shipping channel will be closed for weeks, at a minimum, and possibly for months. Trucks can still access the port terminals.
Mr. Ferguson said he has spoken with labor leaders, dock workers, small business owners and port industry leaders, “who all had the exact same message: ‘We must unlock the channel to the Port of Baltimore.’”
“They’re right. And until we do, there is enormous cost to families,” he said.
President Biden has pledged the federal government will pay the full cost of reopening the port and rebuilding the bridge.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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