The segments below provide a brief overview of MACo’s work on business affairs policy in the 2026 General Assembly session.
Business regulation and licensing sit at the intersection of economic opportunity and public safety, with counties responsible for administering and enforcing many of the rules that govern local commerce. Through its business affairs advocacy, MACo seeks to preserve local authority, ensure effective oversight, and maintain access to essential regulated services in communities across the state.
In Maryland’s 448th legislative session, business affairs policy was shaped by broader economic uncertainty and fiscal constraints, prompting renewed focus on workforce access, licensing standards, and regulatory consistency. Against this backdrop, MACo engaged to ensure that changes to business regulation remain practical, balanced, and grounded in the realities of local government administration.
Despite the fiscal limitations, a wide range of policy issues received a full debate, with many resolutions arising from the 90-day annual process. 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 1008 – Alcohol and Cannabis – Cannabinoid Beverages Off-Premises Sales Permit – Establishment with amendments. This bill would have authorized the sale of cannabinoid beverages through holders of alcoholic beverage licenses with off-sale privileges and establishes a distribution framework through licensed wholesalers. MACo’s amendment focused on correcting the current imbalance of State sales tax revenue to ensure counties receive a fair share of revenues and align local responsibilities with the resources needed to support a safe and effective marketplace. This bill DID NOT pass the 2026 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo supported HB 1442 – Community Choice Aggregation Pilot Program – Definition, Application, and Workgroup – Modifications. This bill would authorize counties to form a community choice aggregator program, which would provide a new local option to procure electric generation services on behalf of residential and small commercial customers. This bill DID NOT pass the 2026 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo opposed HB 179 – Department of Commerce – Complaint Portal and Annual Report. This bill would have required the Maryland Department of Commerce to create and maintain a complaint portal for reporting when governmental units, such as counties, take longer than 60 days to process an application. MACo raised concerns that the bill neglected to fully account for the variety of reasons – many of which are beyond a local government’s control – that processing a business license, permit, or certification may exceed 60 days. This bill DID NOT pass the 2026 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo supported HB 1351/SB 929 – Home Improvement Contractors – Disaster Mitigation Services and Fraudulent Insurance Acts – Regulation and Prohibition. This bill would have given counties new authority to help protect residents from predatory actors during the vulnerable moments following a disaster event by allowing limits on in-person solicitation by contractors offering disaster mitigation services. This bill DID NOT pass the 2026 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
