The Howard County Delegation of the Maryland General Assembly, chaired by Senator Clarence Lam and Delegate Jessica Feldmark, will hear testimony from the public on proposed local bills and Legislative Bond Initiative requests. No testimony on other issues will be permitted as a second hearing devoted to statewide bills will be scheduled.
The hearing will be held virtually at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 17. Members of the public may register to testify or to watch the hearing through WebEx by going to https://howardcountymd.webex.com/howardcountymd/onstage/g.php?MTID=e1b32cd17996caef752a24df9f0944fd1 and clicking on “Register”. Registration will be available by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, November 9, and will remain open until 5:00 p.m. on Monday, November 16. Written testimony may be submitted by email to HowardCo.DelegationStaff@mlis.state.md.us. Members of the public may testify on any or all of the proposed legislation within their allotted time to speak. Oral testimony will be limited to two minutes per bill up to a total of five minutes for three or more bills. The hearing will also be streamed live on the Howard County Delegation’s Facebook page.
Full text of the proposed Howard County bills can be accessed, as they become available from Bill Drafting, beginning Monday, November 9, 2020, at 6:00pm on the Howard County website (Home>About HoCo>State Delegation>2021 Session Proposed Local Legislation): https://www.howardcountymd.gov/About-HoCo/State-Delegation/2021-Session-Proposed-Local-Legislation. Please monitor this page regularly for the most recent updates. Short descriptions of the local bills and a list of bond initiative requests are included below.
Bond Initiative Requests
Humanim – Remodeling Gerwig, Ho. Co. 16-21; $150,000
By: Howard County Delegation
Patuxent Commons, Ho. Co. 17-21; $500,000
By: Howard County Delegation
8125 Main Street Reconstruction and Renovation, Ho. Co. 18-21; $500,000
By: Howard County Delegation
Centennial Park ADA Improvements, Ho. Co. 19-21; $500,000
By: Howard County Delegation
Harriet Tubman Cultural Center Playground, Ho. Co. 20-21; $200,000
By: Howard County Delegation
Robinson Nature Center Amphitheater and Stage, Ho. Co. 21-21; $100,000
By: Howard County Delegation
Expanded Tiber Park, Ho. Co. 22-21; $500,000
By: Howard County Delegation
Patapsco Female Institute Chapel, Ho. Co. 23-21; $300,000
By: Howard County Delegation
Historic Barnard Fort House, Ho. Co. 24-21; $150,000
By: Howard County Delegation
East Columbia 50+ Center, Ho. Co. 25-21; $1,000,000
By: Howard County Delegation
Harriet Tubman Cultural Center, Ho. Co. 26-21; $750,000
By: Howard County Delegation
Ellicott City Quaker School, Ho. Co. 27-21; $150,000
By: Howard County Delegation
Proposed Local Bills
Howard County – Alcoholic Beverages – Delivery, Ho. Co. 1-21
By: Delegate Watson
FOR the purpose of authorizing a holder of a Class A alcoholic beverages license in Howard County to deliver alcoholic beverages in the county; authorizing certain employees of a license holder to deliver alcoholic beverages; requiring that an employee making certain deliveries be of a certain age; requiring an individual receiving a certain alcoholic beverages delivery to provide certain proof of age; providing for the manner in which an individual receiving a delivery of alcoholic beverages provides proof of age; requiring the Board of License Commissioners for Howard County to approve a certain certification; requiring the purchaser of certain alcoholic beverages or a certain designated individual of a certain age to be present to receive a delivery of alcoholic beverages; and generally relating to alcoholic beverages in Howard County.
Howard County – Class A Alcoholic Beverages Licenses – Quota by Election District, Ho. Co. 2-21
By: Senator Guzzone
FOR the purpose of altering the quota system for Class A licenses in Howard County so as to limit the issuance of the licenses to not more than one for a certain number of residents in each election district, rather than in the county; and generally relating to Class A alcoholic beverages licenses in Howard County.
Howard County – Alcoholic Beverages – Alcoholic Beverages Inspectors, Ho. Co. 3-21
By: Chair, Howard County Delegation
FOR the purpose of authorizing an alcoholic beverages inspector to issue a citation in Howard County; requiring an inspector to complete a training program in the use of arrest authority and pertinent police procedures; prohibiting an inspector from carrying a firearm in the performance of the inspector’s duties; requiring the Howard County Police Department to employ certain inspectors, rather than requiring the
Chief of the County Police Department to provide a sworn member of the County Police Department as an inspector; requiring the Chief of the County Police Department to have certain authority over the hiring of inspectors; and generally relating to alcoholic beverages in Howard County.
Howard County – Alcoholic Beverages – Class B Beer, Wine, and Liquor License – Off–Premises Consumption, Ho. Co. 4-21
By: Delegate Watson
FOR the purpose of authorizing the holder of a certain Class B beer, wine, and liquor license in Howard County to sell beer, wine, and liquor for off–premises consumption, subject to certain requirements; repealing certain provisions that authorize the Board of License Commissioners for Howard County to issue a certain permit to a certain holder of a certain Class B beer, wine, and liquor license; and generally relating to alcoholic beverages in Howard County.
Howard County – Board of Education – Redetermination of Geographic Attendance Area, Ho. Co. 5-21
By: Senator Lam
FOR the purpose of requiring the Howard County Board of Education to submit a certain annual report on the program capacity of each permanent school facility, beginning in a certain school year; requiring the county board to submit a certain report to the General Assembly and the Howard County Delegation to the General Assembly under certain circumstances; requiring the county board to implement certain processes set out in a certain policy to make a certain assessment; requiring the county board to submit a certain report to the General Assembly and the Howard County Delegation regarding the outcome of a certain assessment under certain circumstances; defining certain terms; and generally relating to the target utilization of permanent school facilities in Howard County.
Howard County – School Redistricting – Public Testimony, Ho. Co. 7-21
By: Senator Lam
FOR the purpose of requiring, during a school redistricting process in which the redistricting plan proposed by the Howard County Board of Education differs from the redistricting plan proposed by the Howard County Superintendent of Schools, that the county board allow a certain number of members of a household whose school assignment is changed only in the county board’s plan to provide public testimony before the final vote on either school redistricting plan; and generally relating to the Howard County Board of Education and school redistricting.
Howard County – Howard County Board of Education – School Safety Personnel, Ho. Co. 10-21
By: Delegate Atterbeary
FOR the purpose of requiring the Howard County Board of Education to develop a plan to implement certain school safety guidelines that does not assign school resource officers to public schools in Howard County and uses adequate local law enforcement coverage to implement the guidelines; and generally relating to school safety personnel in Howard County.
Howard County – Howard County – Commercial Building Excise Tax – Board of Education Deferred Maintenance, Ho. Co. 11-21
By: Delegate Atterbeary
FOR the purpose of authorizing the County Council of Howard County to impose a certain excise tax; requiring the County Council of Howard County to specify the types of buildings subject to a certain excise tax; authorizing the County Council of Howard County to impose different tax rates on certain construction; requiring the excise tax to be deposited into a certain fund to be used only for a certain purpose; requiring
the Howard County Board of Education to submit a certain report on or before a certain date to the County Council of Howard County, the Howard County Executive, and members of the Howard County Delegation to the General Assembly; requiring the County Council of Howard County and the Howard County Executive to submit a certain report on or before a certain date to the Howard County Delegation to the 15 General Assembly addressing certain recommendations made by the Howard County Board of Education; providing for the termination of certain provisions of this Act; and generally relating to deferred maintenance in the Howard County Public School System.
Howard County – Fee–in–Lieu of Moderate–Income Housing Units – Prohibition, Ho. Co. 12-21
By: Delegate Atterbeary
FOR the purpose of prohibiting Howard County from authorizing payment of a fee–in–lieu of a requirement under local law that a developer provide moderate–income housing units in a new residential development project; and generally relating to moderate–income housing unit requirements in Howard County.
Howard County – Homeowners Association Commission – Alternative Dispute Resolution Authority, Ho. Co. 13-21
By: Delegate Terrasa
FOR the purpose of authorizing Howard County to establish a homeowners association commission to hear and resolve, through alternative dispute resolution, certain issues between a homeowners association and a homeowner regarding certain documents; and generally relating to the resolution of disputes between homeowners associations and homeowners in Howard County.
Howard County – Residential Rental Licenses – Fee for Tenant Services, Ho. Co. 15-21
By: Delegates Feldmark and Terrasa
Bill still in drafting. Check this webpage for updates or email HowardCo.DelegationStaff@mlis.state.md.us to request to be notified when bill text is available for review.