An overview of MACo’s advocacy on housing and community development legislation in the 2020 General Assembly.
Under the umbrella of housing and community development, MACo advocates in support of legislation that advances local efforts to address public and affordable housing, blight, foreclosure, and community development.
This year, for the first time in since the Civil War, the General Assembly closed session early on March 18, due to precautionary social distancing measures taken to curb the spread of COVID-19. Consequently, many bills did not have hearings or did not move forward due to time constraints to meet the new deadline. For more information on Maryland’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic visit MACo’s COVID-19 Resource Page.
Follow links for more coverage on Conduit Street and MACo’s Legislative Tracking Database.
Single-Family Rental Licensing
MACo opposed legislation that sought to establish a state-wide licensing program for single-family homes operated as residential rental property and capping rental of all the single-family homes in each county to 15% of all units. Counties argued that such an arbitrary statewide requirement ignores local housing policies and needs, and could also result in an artificial limit on rental housing availability and subsequently raise rental costs. The House Committee on Environment and Transportation canceled the public hearing on Real Property – County Rental Property Licenses – Requirements and Limits and ultimately gave the bill an unfavorable report.
Bill Information |MACo Coverage
