On February 15, 2024, Associate Policy Director Dominic Butchko submitted written testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee in support of HB 692- Economic Development- County or Municipality Economic Development Authority- Powers and Use of Proceeds with amendments. The bill expands the scope of authority for certain economic and industrial development projects established by county governments.
For the 2024 Maryland General Assembly Session, MACo has made it a priority – one of the Association’s four legislative initiatives – to Advance Comprehensive Housing Solutions. Much like climate change and sea level rise, the challenges surrounding affordable housing are vast and call for a large, multipronged effort. While in other policy areas, it may be easy to deduce a simple cause-andeffect relationship, housing is a complex web of multifaceted factors. Addressing challenges like workforce, financing, interest rates, broad economic trends, supply chain, and large out-of-state corporate interests – among many other obstacles – requires an all-hands-on-deck effort from policy makers at all levels.
Counties recognize and support the intent of HB 692 and are keenly interested in partnership and being proactive stakeholders around affordable housing issues more globally. Counties offer the following amendment, which we believe to be friendly, to buttress a county’s oversight and auditing authority over the economic and industrial development authorities:
• On page 2, in line 27, insert: “THE GOVERNING BODY OF A COUNTY OR MUNICIPALITY SHALL HAVE FULL AUDITING AND OVERSIGHT AUTHORITY OVER AN ESTABLISHED AUTHORITY.”
HB 692’s cross-file, SB 985, was heard on February 21, 2024 in the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee. Dominic Butchko testified in support of this bill with amendments.
More on MACo’s Advocacy:
