ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is emphasizing the need to reduce violent crime in Baltimore in his State of the State speech to the Maryland General Assembly on Wednesday, calling it an “urgent crisis.”

The Republican governor has proposed a package of legislation aimed at fighting crime, and Democrats who control the legislature released a package Tuesday.

“People are being shot every single day in Baltimore City,” Hogan said in excerpts released before his annual speech. “This is an urgent crisis, and we have an obligation to do something about it right now. There can be no more excuses and no more delays.”

Baltimore had 348 homicides last year — the fifth straight year of more than 300 murders — making it the city’s most violent year ever per capita.

“The time has come for Baltimore City to finally take back its streets and communities once and for all, and they simply cannot do it without decisive action from this General Assembly,” Hogan said.

Homicides jumped about 85% in Baltimore County last year compared to the prior year, from 27 to 50.

The governor also used the speech to highlight his proposal to bring tax relief to retirees. Under the plan, retirees making $50,000 or less would pay no state income tax. Retirees who earn less than $100,000 would see a tax cut of at least 50% and up to 100%.

As lawmakers consider a sweeping proposal to improve schools and update funding formulas, Hogan said he supports working with them to enhance education.

“But instead of continuing to simply debate how much more we should spend, let’s have productive discussions about how we can hold local school systems accountable for the billions of state tax dollars we are already investing, and let’s make sure those dollars are getting into the classrooms where they belong,“the governor said.

Hogan also continued to call for bipartisanship, in contrast to politics in the nation’s capital about 30 miles (48 kilometers) away.

“We have continued to put the people’s priorities ahead of partisan politics, and we worked together to achieve real, bipartisan, common sense solutions that worked for the people we serve,” Hogan said.