On February 24, Associate Policy Director Karrington Anderson testified before the Budget and Taxation Committee in opposition to SB 547 – Recipients of State and Local Government Funding – Reporting (Buy Maryland Reporting Requirements).
This bill would impose new and administratively burdensome reporting requirements on counties and other recipients of state funding without providing additional resources to implement them.
Counties are strong partners in ensuring transparency and accountability in the use of public funds. However, this reporting mandate would significantly expand annual disclosure requirements for counties and other recipients of state funding without providing additional resources to implement them.
This legislation would impose detailed reporting obligations on local governments and their contractors, requiring changes to procurement agreements, internal tracking systems, and cross-departmental compliance processes. While the goal of transparency is shared, the scope and complexity of these new requirements raise serious concerns about administrative burden, cost, and practical feasibility.
Implementing the bill would require amendments to procurement and grant
agreements, revisions to internal tracking systems, and coordination across multiple departments to ensure compliance by vendors and subrecipients. The bill also imposes reporting obligations directly on contractors, which would necessitate updates to standard contract and grant language to ensure enforceability.
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