The segments below provide a brief overview of MACo’s work on school and capital facilities policy in the 2026 General Assembly session. 
Counties are key partners in delivering and maintaining modern, safe, and well-equipped school facilities, which are essential to student success. Through shared funding responsibilities with the State, county governments invest heavily in school construction and renovation, often making up a significant portion of local capital budgets. Through its advocacy, MACo works to ensure that state policies support efficient project delivery, predictable funding, and local flexibility in meeting evolving facility needs.
In Maryland’s 448th legislative session, school construction policy was shaped by ongoing fiscal pressures, rising construction costs, and continued demand for both new capacity and modernization of aging facilities. The General Assembly considered proposals affecting funding formulas, project approval processes, and accountability measures, each carrying significant implications for how counties plan and deliver capital projects.
Within this environment, MACo engaged to reinforce the importance of a strong state-local partnership in school construction. MACo’s legislative committee guided the association’s positions on hundreds of bills, yielding many productive compromises and gains spanning counties’ uniquely wide portfolio.
Follow these links for more coverage on our Conduit Street blog and Legislative Database.
MACo supported SB 393 – Community College Facilities Renewal Grant Program – Alterations. This bill would have required a certain appropriation to the Community College Facilities Renewal Grant Program if the Governor appropriated less than a certain amount and would have increased the number of grants the Maryland Higher Education Commission could make in a given fiscal year. This bill was WITHDRAWN by the sponsor.
MACo opposed HB 394/SB 158 – Counties – Construction of Sidewalks and Crosswalks – Safe Alternative Routes to Public Schools. This bill would have placed a costly mandate on county governments to carry out new state policies to create sidewalks and crosswalks as alternative routes for all public-school students. MACo raised no issue with the bills’ intent of ensuring safe routes for students, but addressed practical and cost-driven county concerns. This bill did NOT PASS in the 2026 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo supported HB 1329/SB 934 – Education – Public School Construction – Funding. This bill would have adjusted the State’s funding requirement for public school construction beginning in fiscal year 2027. This bill would have been an important step in the right direction for the State to catch up on vital school construction projects, but it did NOT PASS in the 2026 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo supported HB 870 – Environment – Permit Applications for New Buildings – Notice (Large Buildings for Tomorrow Act) with amendments. This bill requires counties to relay permit application information to the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), for new buildings that are subject to the Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) as set by the MDE. MACo suggested targeted amendments, that were adopted, to ensure local planning divisions had sufficient time to comply with the bills new requirement. This bill PASSED the Maryland General Assembly.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo supported HB 1430/SB 960 – Maryland Public Charter School Program – School Facilities – Funding with amendments. This bill requires the Governor to include funds in the annual budget for capital improvements of public charter schools. Additionally, it mandates those funds to be distributed directly to the charter school rather than through the local government or school system. MACo proposed clarifying amendments and guardrails to ensure that counties and school systems are not held responsible for debts or ongoing financial obligations tied to projects undertaken through this new funding mechanism. This bill PASSED the Maryland General Assembly.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
