Maryland Association of Counties Associate Director Les Knapp testified with bill sponsor Senator Barry Glassman in support of Senate Bill 174 before the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee on February 9. As introduced, the bill allows a charter county to provide a digital copy of its compiled laws and any compilation of its public local laws rather than furnish paper copies to certain State agencies and the county’s legislative delegation. The bill also reduces the number of copies of its compiled laws that a charter county must provide to the Department of Legislative Services (DLS) from four to one and provides that the copy may either be in digital or printed form.
During his testimony, Senator Glassman introduced amendments that would apply the bill to all counties, not just charter counties. Mr. Knapp expressed support for the bill and Senator Glassman’s amendments, noting that the bill essentially modernizes outdated provisions of the Maryland Code. He explained that all counties except Somerset already have their codes available online and Somerset’s would be online by the end of the year. He stated that some counties currently spend thousands of dollars a year just to print copies of their code and public local laws to satisfy the current law and being able to provide digital copies was more environmentally friendly.
Delegate Addie Eckardt is the sponsor of an identical bill, House Bill 111, which was heard by the House Environmental Matters Committee on February 4. Mr. Knapp also testified in support.
