The segments below provide a brief overview of MACo’s work on parks and recreation policy in the 2024 General Assembly session.
County government parks and recreation departments provide a range of public recreation programs for all population segments and maintain a large network of open spaces throughout Maryland. MACo’s advocacy seeks to support the efforts of county parks and recreation by urging state and federal funding support and defending local determination of priorities in parks and recreation.
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.
MACo supported HB 530/SB 645- Maryland Trails Advisory Committee and the Maryland Office of Trails – Establishment (Great Maryland Trails Act). This bill would have established a regime whereby Maryland policymakers could better account for and promote the state’s diverse trail networks. This bill did not pass the 2024 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo opposed HB 686- Youth Sports Programs – Venue-Specific Emergency Action Plans – Requirements. While ultimately well intended, this bill would − in practice − curtail a county’s ability to continue to provide youth sport programming as it places excessively burdensome administrative, fiscal, and operational requirements on youth sports programming. This bill did not pass the 2024 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo supported SB 685- Program Open Space – Use of Property – Renewable Energy and Storage with amendments. This bill would allow counties to use Program Open Space (POS) land to develop solar and wind energy generation. In order to strike a balance between both the intent of the sponsor and of POS, counties proposed a set of conceptual amendments which aimed to open some areas for renewable energy development while placing guardrails around others. This bill did not pass the 2024 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo supported SB 886- State and Local Parks – Playgrounds – Safety Standards (Our Kids Play Safe Playground Safety Act of 2024) with amendments. This bill would have mandated counties follow certain standards related to playground equipment design, inspect playgrounds to be compliant with said standards every two years, and keep a record of inspections and plans to address safety hazards. Counties requested language clarifying playgrounds that are out of compliance due to recent standard updates may still follow regular county processes for upgrading those facilities. This bill did not pass the 2024 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage