This week, officials from counties across the state of Maryland journeyed to Annapolis to testify in support of SB 726 and virtually testified in support of HB 1187. These bills would fully restore highway user revenues to local governments.
Restoring local Highway User Revenues (HUR) has been a MACo priority since the State slashed the local share during the recession-driven budgets of about 12 years ago. The former share of $555 million was drastically cut back by about 90%. While the 2018 legislative session offered a small step forward as part of a five-year funding boost, the cumulative share for local governments still trails far behind what they used to receive.
Currently, the local share is around $200 million through fiscal 2023 – and only $56 million across 23 counties. A “cliff effect” looms once that five-year funding level expires in FY 2024. With the compounding factors of a 2013 expansion of transportation revenues and additional funds recently allocated exclusively for State projects, local governments have fallen even further behind on funding owed – and desperately needed – to maintain Maryland’s roads and keep residents safe.
Check out the twitter threads below to read quotes from MACo members who testified in support of the bills.
For the in-person hearing on SB726 on March 9:
For the virtual hearing on HB1187 on March 10:
Photos from the Senate hearing:
More on MACo’s Advocacy:
Follow MACo’s advocacy efforts during the 2022 legislative session on MACo’s Legislative Tracking Database.
Learn more about MACo’s 2022 Legislative Initiatives.
Read more General Assembly News on MACo’s Conduit Street blog.
