2026 MACo Issue Previews Archives

2026 MACo Issue Previews / School Construction and Capital Budgets

2026 Issue Preview: School Construction Needs vs Capital Capacity

With the 2026 Legislative Session approaching, MACo continues to highlight significant issues likely to dominate budget and policy discussions in Annapolis. Among them, school construction stands out as a growing pressure point, with rising capital needs outstripping available funding. The Department of Legislative Services flags this tension clearly in the 2026 Issue Papers. Debt affordability limits, slowing revenue growth, and competing capital priorities constrain the State’s ability to keep pace with school construction demand. At…

Comments Off

January 1, 2026

2026 Issue Preview: Hospital Rate Setting and the AHEAD Model

With the 2026 Legislative Session approaching, MACo is profiling major issues, including hospital rate setting in Maryland, that are likely to receive significant attention. Maryland has long stood apart in how it pays for and provides health care. Its unique all-payer system for setting hospital rates, improved through the state’s Total Cost of Care model, has kept costs down, led to better results, and garnered national attention as a model to follow. As previously covered…

Comments Off

December 31, 2025

2026 MACo Issue Previews / Health and Human Services / State Budget and Fiscal Issues

2026 Issue Preview: Current Issues in Public Benefits Programs

Federal SNAP changes adopted in 2025 shift new costs and responsibilities to states, reshaping how Maryland administers benefits and budgets for one of its largest public assistance programs. With the 2026 Legislative Session approaching, MACo is profiling major issues, including public benefit programs such as supplemental nutrition, that are likely to garner significant attention. The federal budget reconciliation legislation enacted in July 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) or HR 1, makes sweeping…

Comments Off

December 30, 2025

2026 MACo Issue Previews

2026 Issue Preview: PFAS

Ahead of the 2026 Legislative Session, MACo is previewing some of the major issues likely to gain widespread attention amongst the General Assembly. Among them, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) remain one of the most persistent and complex environmental and public health challenges facing local governments throughout the state. Valued for their industrial, waterproof, and nonstick properties, PFAS are used in thousands of products, from everyday household items such as water bottles, cookware, and carpets…

Comments Off

December 30, 2025

2026 MACo Issue Previews / Elections

2026 Issue Preview: Elections

With the 2026 Legislative Session approaching, MACo is profiling significant issues likely to shape debate in Annapolis. Among them, election administration stands out as a growing operational and fiscal challenge for counties, driven by federal action, court uncertainty, and rising security demands placed squarely on local boards of elections. The 2026 session opens with heightened attention on elections. The Department of Legislative Services outlines the landscape in its annual Issue Papers, noting new federal actions,…

Comments Off

December 30, 2025

2026 MACo Issue Previews / County News

2026 Issue Preview: Housing Availability and Affordability

With the 2026 Legislative Session approaching, MACo is profiling major issues, including affordable housing, that stand to gather significant attention. Both the 2024 and 2025 legislative sessions saw an unprecedented amount of pro-growth, pro-housing development legislation. At the forefront of both sessions were several bills from the Governor, addressing topics including density bonuses, regulatory certainty, and other reforms. MACo also played a pivotal role, championing a historic slate of housing initiatives, including efforts to address…

Comments Off

December 30, 2025

Read more about the article 2026 Issue Preview: Budget Math Gets Harder

Source: DLS

2026 MACo Issue Previews / County Budgets / County News / State Budget and Fiscal Issues

2026 Issue Preview: Budget Math Gets Harder

With the 2026 Legislative Session on the horizon, MACo is profiling significant issues likely to command attention in Annapolis. At the center sits the State budget, where slowing revenues, rising obligations, and shrinking flexibility will drive many of the toughest decisions facing counties and the General Assembly. The 2026 legislative session opens with a challenging budget picture. The Department of Legislative Services lays it out plainly in the annual Issue Papers. Revenue growth slows. Spending…

Comments Off

December 30, 2025

2026 MACo Issue Previews

2026 Issue Preview: Opioid Restitution Fund

With the 2026 Legislative Session on the horizon, MACo is profiling some of the major issues likely to gain significant attention amongst the General Assembly. Among them, the opioid crisis remains one of the most significant public health crises facing Maryland communities. Although overdose deaths have declined in recent years, they remain higher than 2015 levels. Funding from the Opioid Restitution Fund (ORF), derived from opioid settlement payments to the State, has helped support local…

Comments Off

December 29, 2025

2026 MACo Issue Previews / Public Safety and Corrections

Immigration Enforcement and Juvenile Justice Poised to Dominate Public Safety Debate in 2026 Session

As the 2026 legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly approaches, immigration enforcement and juvenile justice are two topics likely to dominate much of the public safety policy debate. Both immigration enforcement and juvenile justice are not new topics to the Maryland General Assembly. Juvenile justice has been a primary topic consistently for at least the last four years with multiple phases of changes taking place. Immigration enforcement came on the radar somewhat more sporadically…

Comments Off

December 29, 2025

2026 MACo Issue Previews / Environment

2026 Issue Preview: Chesapeake Bay Restoration

With the 2026 Legislative Session rapidly approaching, MACo is profiling some major issues that stand to gather attention in the General Assembly. The single most defining feature of Maryland is the Chesapeake Bay. Its waters shape our geography, flow into our culture, and provide a source of sustenance and cuisine. Unfortunately, Maryland cannot act alone in cleaning and preserving the bay – Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, & West Virginia all lay within the greater…

Comments Off

December 29, 2025