On January 29, Legislative Director Kevin Kinnally testified before the Budget and Taxation Committee in support of SB 20 – Locally Operated Transit Systems – Mandatory Funding – Inflation Adjustment (Local Transit Sustainability Act).
This bill stabilizes funding to the Locally Operated Transit System (LOTS) grant program.
Marylanders in every region rely on public transportation systems, supported by the LOTS program, to commute to and from work and within their communities. The vast majority of these systems are developed, operated, and maintained by county governments. Following the pandemic, previously predictable revenue streams and ridership rates declined dramatically and have yet to stabilize fully.
This, in turn, adds challenges for these local systems, leaving them unable to make multi-year service plans and commitments. SB 20 seeks to provide predictability for LOTS: starting in fiscal 2027, future funding increases would be tied to the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers by up to five percent.
Counties support SB 20 as a commonsense bill. If Maryland is to meet the growth, housing, and environmental goals set by the General Assembly and the Governor, robust and local transit systems are the cornerstone needed to bring these ambitions into fruition.
SB 20’s cross-file, HB 432, was heard on February 11 in the House Appropriations Committee. Dominic Butchko testified in support of this bill.
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