On February 26, Legislative Director Kevin Kinnally submitted a letter of information to the Environment and Transportation Committee on HB 916 – Transportation – Regional Transportation Authorities.
This bill establishes three Regional Transportation Authorities and authorizes new regional tax surcharges dedicated to transportation purposes.
In its letter of information, MACo urges careful consideration of its fiscal and governance implications for county governments. Counties maintain more than 80% of Maryland’s roadways and rely heavily on Highway User Revenues (HUR) to fund critical infrastructure. Yet, HUR funding remains well below historic levels, and counties face another significant reduction in fiscal 2028.
As policymakers explore new regional funding and bonding structures, these proposals must complement — not complicate or supplant — the State’s longstanding commitment to sustainable local transportation funding and balanced investment in both transit and local road networks.
Any discussion of new transportation revenue mechanisms must begin with the
State’s long-standing obligation to restore sustainable HUR funding. Counties already operate far below pre-recession HUR levels, and a scheduled drop in fiscal 2028 would reduce HUR funding by nearly $100 million in a single year. That reduction compounds years of underinvestment in local roads and infrastructure.
HB 916’s cross-file, SB 674, was heard on March 4 in the Budget and Taxation Committee. Kevin Kinnally submitted a letter of information on this bill.
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