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ANNAPOLIS — In his State of the State address Tuesday, Gov. Martin O'Malley focused on the economy, pledging to add jobs and protect homeowners.

"There is no government program that is as important or as empowering as a job. Therefore, progress requires that we focus the energies of this session on three primary areas: creating jobs, saving jobs and protecting jobs," O'Malley said.

O'Malley (D) revealed no new programs or legislative initiatives in the speech, instead using the 27-minute address as a mission statement for the final General Assembly session of his term.

He touched on a number of proposals that already have been released, including a $3,000 tax credit for businesses that hire someone who is currently unemployed and a controversial plan to reduce rates on unemployment insurance premiums paid by businesses.

O'Malley mentioned the word "job" or "jobs" 29 times and "joblessness" once.

He also asked lawmakers for their support for an administration bill that would require mediation between mortgage companies and homeowners before a foreclosure proceeds.

A number of those proposals will be headed to the House Economic Matters Committee, which is chaired by Del. Dereck E. Davis. Davis didn't fault the governor for being light on details in the speech.

"Right now, I think broad strokes, a general outline of what he wants to do, that works better in a setting like this," said Davis (D-Dist. 25) of Upper Marlboro.

O'Malley elicited the strongest reaction with an attempt at inspiration: "The recession will end. Our journey is not over. And our best days are still in front of us."

He then received a 20-second standing ovation.

"He gives a great speech, but the issue is whether the action is there," Senate Minority Leader Allan H. Kittleman (R-Dist. 9) of West Friendship said later.

Democrats generally hailed the speech as an upbeat statement in the face of a staggering economy. Republicans said O'Malley is having an election-year conversion to the importance of jobs.

"I thought the priorities were right. He had to emphasize the economy, and he hit the jobs thing hard," said Sen. Brian E. Frosh (D-Dist. 16) of Bethesda.

House Minority Leader Anthony J. O'Donnell, however, said the governor's speech lacked substance. O'Malley doesn't have a sense of what is happening in Maryland, he said.

"He talked about government creating jobs and the necessary role of government creating jobs," said O'Donnell (R-Dist. 29C) of Lusby. "The reality is we need the private sector to create jobs. He has just decimated, through policy decisions, private sector development of jobs."

But Del. John L. Bohanan Jr. (D-Dist. 29B) of California said, "For me it was an uplifting speech."

Republican criticisms show they're more interested in partisan rhetoric than coming up with solutions, he added. "We've got to get away from all the negative pessimism and start focusing on what we're doing right and what we need to do together to move forward," Bohanan said.

Staff Writer Alan Brody contributed to this report.