The segments below provide a brief overview of MACo’s work in the area of government liability and courts in the 2024 General Assembly session.
County governments enforce laws, employ county residents, and maintain facilities throughout Maryland. Therefore county governments may be subject to acting as defendants in court, litigating cases involving employment benefits, injuries sustained on county properties, and various other subjects. MACo advocates on behalf of county governments to clarify the unique role that they serve as employers and public institutions, ensuring the balance of public interests that account for the burden placed upon taxpayers by excessive litigation.
Maryland’s 446th legislative session convened amidst a substantial concern over the State’s fiscal situation, with weakened revenues and cost increases for many services at every level of government. Despite the fiscal limitations, a wide range of policy issues received a full debate, with many resolutions arising from the 90-day annual process. MACo’s legislative committee guided the association’s positions on hundreds of bills, yielding many productive compromises and gains spanning counties’ uniquely wide portfolio.
Follow these links for more coverage on our Conduit Street blog and Legislative Database.
Civil Litigation
MACo supported HB 549- Statute of Limitations – Prosecution or Enforcement of Local Consumer Protection Codes. This bill would have established a timeline of three years for a local jurisdiction to file a claim against an entity in violation of a local consumer protection code. This timeline would begin at the time the offense was committed. This bill did not pass the 2024 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo supported SB 1180- Criminal Law – Threats Against Government Officials and Employees – Expansion. This bill would have prohibited a person from threatening an immediate family member of a State or local government official or employee. This bill did not pass the 2024 session.
Court Fines and Fees
MACo supported HB 501/SB 522- Charter Counties – Enforcement of Local Laws. This bill increases the maximum fine that a charter county, through its “home rule” authority, may levy for a violation of a local ordinance. Additionally, it applies to charter county enforcement of the Fair Housing Act of 1988 and any local employment or public accommodation discrimination laws. This bill passed the 2024 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
Court Regulations
MACo supported HB 895/SB 793- Maryland Tort Claims Act – Sheriffs and Deputy Sheriffs – County Responsibility. This bill clarifies how cases should be brought against a sheriff or deputy, for actions taken in the course of performing a local law enforcement or detention center function. These types of public safety officials are State employees who perform a narrow set of local functions and this bill outlines procedures for tort claims to be filed based on existing liability standards. This bill passed the 2024 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo supported HB 585/SB 480-Protecting Election Officials Act of 2024. This bill protects and defends the staff who manage and conduct elections locally, by making it a misdemeanor to threaten election officials or their immediate family members. Counties must be able to rely on capable and willing candidates to ensure the integrity of the election process. Protecting these employees will ensure vital election roles are filled for years to come. This bill passed the 2024 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
Traffic Safety
MACo supported HB 344/SB 345- Transportation – Vision Zero Advisory Commission – Establishment. This bill establishes the Vision Zero Advisory Commission to reduce the number of vehicle-related deaths by making roadways safer for all residents regardless of transportation mode. This bill passed the 2024 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo opposed HB 356/SB 406- School Bus Stops – Monitoring Cameras and Safety Measures. This bill would have required county law enforcement agencies to issue a warning instead of a citation for a certain school bus stop violation on state highways. MACo opposed this bill, as a warning, without a civil fine, does not elicit the same response as when an actual penalty accompanies the violation. A first-time penalty is proven to drastically reduce recidivism rates immediately, advancing the true policy goal: safer roadways for students. This bill did not pass the 2024 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo supported HB 513/SB 479- Motor Vehicles – Work Zone Speed Control Systems – Revisions (Maryland Road Worker Protection Act of 2024) with amendments. This bill expands State and local authority for the use of unmanned speed cameras in designated work zones on roadways with at least a 45 miles per hour speed limit. It also increases the fee that can be assessed for a violation recorded by a speed monitoring device in a designated work zone, reflecting the severity of those offenses. This bill passed the 2024 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo supported HB 601/SB 442- Street Racing and Exhibition Driving – Prohibited Acts, Enforcement, and Penalties. This bill establishes prohibited acts, penalties, and enforcement for exhibition driving. Additionally, it authorizes statewide procedures for sanctioned special event zones on highways in local jurisdictions. This bill passed the 2024 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo took no position on HB 1001- Motor Vehicles – Automated Enforcement Programs – Privacy Protections, but submitted a Letter of Information. This bill was attempting to clarify the use of and access to images recorded by automated enforcement programs by law enforcement. Additionally it aimed to also regulate various procedures and operational requirements for automated enforcement programs run by local governments. This bill did not pass the 2024 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo supported SB 943/HB 107 – Vehicle Laws – Bus Obstruction Monitoring Systems (Better Bus Service Act of 2024). This bill expands, statewide, the authority of a county to install and manage bus obstruction monitoring systems. It also clarifies acceptable and prohibited activities in designated bus lanes as well as the designated bus stops and curb spaces. This bill passed the 2024 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
