$1,000 ‘baby bonus’ for new parents will appear on city ballots in November

When Baltimoreans hit the polls in November, they’ll have the chance to vote on whether City Hall should give a one-time payment of $1,000 to parents upon the birth or adoption of a child.

On Monday, the city board of elections certified more than 10,000 signatures from city residents supporting the Baltimore Baby Bonus, a proposed charter amendment spearheaded by the Maryland Child Alliance.

Nate Golden, the president and lead policy analyst of the Maryland Child Alliance, said his group handed in about 13,700 signatures to the board.

”In Baltimore, people have witnessed the effect that poverty has on families,” he said. “Voters are enthusiastic about policies that directly help families and kids.”

In Baltimore, organizers who wish to pass a new law must gather at least 10,000 signatures from city residents in support of their proposal and submit them to elections officials. If those signatures are verified and the language of their proposal passes legal muster, a charter amendment is put before voters in the general election.

Proposals to gradually cut property taxes and to reduce the size of the City Council will also appear on November ballots. Organizers behind ballot initiatives have until July 29 to submit signatures to the elections board.

Economists have found that a household’s financial circumstances change dramatically after the birth of a child. New parents face increased demands on their financial resources, from new daily needs like diapers and bottles to potential income changes, should a parent leave the workforce to take care of their child.

About 7,000 babies are born in city hospitals each year, according to organizers. No data were immediately available on how many Baltimoreans adopt children each year.

The proposal does not specify the funding structure for the one-time $1,000 payments. If voters approve the measure, the City Council must pass legislation that specifies when and how the payments would be distributed. That requires political buy-in from council members.

Baltimore voters have not voted down a proposed charter amendment since 2004.