Maryland Governor Larry Hogan is keeping to his promise to fight the Democratically controlled General Assembly on issues of spending. Hogan has decided that he will not spend $245 million dollars approved by the General Assembly for a number of programs from building school projects to rape kit testing.

Hogan say’s he wants to hold the funds in the event the market takes a turn downwards. This decision could affect some 70 initiatives throughout the state. Hogan said that some of the very programs he supports would be affected as well but it needed. He has however, pledged to find funds to help purchase rape-kit testing.

If the Governor had not decided to hold the funds state agencies could have started using the money as early as Monday, which is the start of the fiscal year.

Some of the programs that will be impacted include money for summer jobs for  youth, pro bono lawyers for college students filing rape charges, redevelopment in low income area’s in the state and transit goals in Southern Maryland.

Officials say they will continue to monitor agency budgets and see where they can find the money needed for vital programs.

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