Legislation that would give the State Highway Administration (SHA) the authority to issue permits for outdoor signs along scenic byways in Calvert and St. Mary’s Counties recently passed the Maryland House of Delegates.

As reported by Southern Maryland Newspapers Online,

The bill, introduced by Del. Anthony J. O’Donnell (R-Calvert, St. Mary’s) and Del. Mark Fisher (R-Calvert), passed unanimously in the House of Delegates on March 23, and gives SHA the authority to issue permits for an outdoor sign along or near a scenic byway located on a federal-aid primary highway, if the sign was erected before Jan. 1, 2008, or is a directional sign for a facility that is located within a 5-mile radius of the sign and sells primarily local agricultural or aquacultural products. The bill was amended to apply to Calvert and St. Mary’s counties.

It’s a move those in the agricultural community have been talking about for years, said Susie Hance-Wells, president of the Calvert County Farm Bureau. The Calvert Farm Bureau as well as the Maryland Farm Bureau support the bill, she said.

The legislation, HB 286, had a hearing in the Senate on April 1.  No further action has been taken on the bill at this time.