On March 17, a bill seeking to establish, update, and refine the process of managing and installing on-site sewage disposal systems passed out of the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee, and passed on the Senate floor unanimously. SB 830 – Environmental Health Specialists and On-Site Sewage Disposal Systems – Reform (Environmental Health Systems Support Act of 2023) initially required the Department of the Environment to develop standardized permit forms for those looking to install…

A bill that seeks to improve the delivery of public health services across Maryland has passed the House and moves to the Senate Finance Committee. MACo supports the creation of HB 214's Commission on Public Health, which will study the State's response to COVID-19 and the rising tide of overdose dealths, as well as extant racial disparities in maternal mortality and birth outcomes. Local governments also thank the House Health and Government Operations Committee for…

A bill to probe the potential causes of the statewide decline in police officer recruitment and retention has passed the Senate and will now go to the House Appropriations Committee. Counties support SB 18 - Police Retention Workgroup. As a regular collaborator with local law enforcement agencies, MACo is well aware of the challenges these crucial organizations face. Many industries are still reeling from staffing shortages brought on by the Coronavirus pandemic and other economic factors,…

On March 17, a cross-filed bill that would address the contamination of private and public water supply wells across the State passed the House Environment and Transportation Committee, as well as the Senate Committee on Education, Energy, and the Environment. MACo previously expressed support for both SB 483 - Private Well Safety Act of 2023, and it's cross-file, HB 11. Specifically, these bills establish the appropriately named Private Well Safety Fund, which will hopefully equip…

A bill that restricts counties and undermines local school zone public safety programs—all at a time when acute labor-driven bus service shortages are leading to increased school zone safety demands—has passed the Senate and will now go to the House Environment and Transportation Committee. MACo opposes SB 11 – Motor Vehicles – Speed Limits – School Zones, which specifically alters the default radius within which a county may establish a school zone and implement speed…

SB 40 and SB 330 clear the first major hurdle and move to the House chambers for consideration. Following major police reform legislation in 2021, all county law enforcement officers were required to be equipped with body-worn cameras by 2025. This mandate brought with it a number of complications that counties have been eager to address in the 2023 General Assembly. The procurement process for cameras and the public release of body-worn camera footage were…