On January 29, Legislative Director Kevin Kinnally testified before the Budget and Taxation Committee in support of SB 198 – Transportation – Consolidated Transportation Program – Prioritization (Transportation Investment Priorities Act of 2025) with amendments.
This bill realigns the prioritization “scoring” formula and county application requirements for the funding from the Consolidated Transportation Program (CTP), Maryland’s six-year capital budget for major transportation projects.
Major projects affected by the bill, essentially those targeting capacity or congestion, would be “scored” using a detailed and rigid statutory scheme. In this analysis, the bill enumerates various sensible metrics for each project.
However, it also includes several specific standards or calculations that apply to certain modes or projects but not others. As a result, SB 198’s multiple scoring tenets would likely redirect more resources to Maryland’s urban/suburban core, completely discounting the priorities of rural communities, which are usually in dire need of funding assistance.
Testifying before the recent Transportation Revenue and Infrastructure Needs Commission, MACo also urged a process that would avoid creating technical barriers that could keep smaller jurisdictions from being able to properly identify and assess local priorities for State consideration. A burdensome application process should not be the de facto driver of infrastructure investment decisions. MACo urges attention to both of these concerns via bill amendments, and stands ready to collaborate with the Committee to that end.
SB 198’s cross-file, HB 20, was heard on February 11 in the House Appropriations Committee. Kevin Kinnally testified in support of this bill with amendments.
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