On February 25, Director of Intergovernmental Relations Dominic Butchko testified before the Environment and Transportation Committee in opposition to HB 779 – Natural Resources – Riverine Siting and Design Criteria – Requirements. 

The bill establishes new standards for the design and siting of state and county capital projects located within the 500-year river floodplain. In doing so, it would substantially expand the scope and responsibilities of the Coast Smart Council—an entity previously focused on coastal, rather than riverine, considerations.

As drafted, these new requirements would increase costs, add complexity, and potentially delay the construction of public facilities — including those that directly support housing development and growing communities — without providing the resources necessary to meet the heightened standards.

From MACo Testimony: 

HB 779 is broad in application and would impose additional requirements on a wide range of public projects. Practically, this could drive up project costs for facilities located near rivers or within mapped floodplain areas, at a time when infrastructure capacity is already a central challenge for growing communities.

More on MACo’s Advocacy: 

• Follow MACo’s advocacy efforts during the 2026 legislative session on MACo’s Legislative Tracking Database
• Learn more about MACo’s 2026 Legislative Initiatives
• Read more General Assembly News on MACo’s Conduit Street blog