Bill Hearing / County News / Environment / General Assembly News / MACo Testimony / Public Works
Counties Back Bill to Promote Development of New Markets for Recycling

On January 15, 2021, MACo Policy Associate Alex Butler testified virtually before the House Environment and Transportation Committee in support of HB 164 Department of the Environment - Office of Recycling - Recycling Market Development. This bill would require the Maryland Department of the Environment to promote the development of new markets for recyclables. From the MACo Testimony: Markets for recycled commodities have seen sincere hardships in the last several years due to a decline in market demand…

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January 15, 2021
EPA Invites New Applicants for Water Quality Improvement Loans
County News / Economic Development / Environment / NACo and Federal Issues / Now Hear This / Public Works
EPA Invites New Applicants for Water Quality Improvement Loans

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week announced that 55 new projects from across the United States have been invited to apply for loans under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA). Created in 2014, WIFIA is intended to help strengthen water infrastructure in the United States. This financial assistance program for clean and potable water is extremely popular, saving billions on utility bills and creating nearly 40,000 new jobs since 2018. The new…

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January 15, 2021
Top Issues of 2021 Session: Chesapeake Bay Cleanup
2021 MACo Issue Previews / Agriculture / Environment / Public Works
Top Issues of 2021 Session: Chesapeake Bay Cleanup

With the 2021 Legislative Session rapidly approaching, MACo is profiling some major issues that stand to gather attention in the General Assembly’s work. Here, we preview the state of the Chesapeake Bay. Protecting the Chesapeake Bay is almost always at the forefront of environmental policy agendas going into the General Assembly Session, and 2021 will likely be no different. Efforts to restore and preserve the Bay are shaped by a variety of factors, including federal…

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December 28, 2020
MD General Assembly Posts Pre-Filed Bill List
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MD General Assembly Posts Pre-Filed Bill List

The Maryland General Assembly Senate and House pre-filed bill lists are now available on the General Assembly website. Although the list of pre-file bills are available, there is no bill text at this time. Currently, readers are able to view the bill title, sponsor, and committee assignment. As of today, there are 780 total House and Senate pre-filed bills and resolutions listed on the website. This will be updated to reflect updates on the General…

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December 21, 2020
Montgomery Releases Draft Climate Action Plan
County News / Energy / Environment / Public Works
Montgomery Releases Draft Climate Action Plan

Montgomery County has unveiled its Draft Climate Action Plan that will act as the County's blueprint to reach ambitious climate change goals. The plan aims to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80 percent by 2027 and by 100 percent by 2035, going beyond the State's goals of 50 percent reduction by 2030 and achieving net-zero GHG emissions by 2045. “We are already feeling the impacts of climate change in our County—hotter summers, increased flooding…

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December 15, 2020
Agriculture / Coronavirus / County Budgets / Economic Development / NACo and Federal Issues / Public Works / Transportation and Public Works
Register For NACo’s Dec 20 Large Urban / Rural Counties Virtual Symposium

NACo will host a joint event for two of its most active caucuses, the Rural Action Caucus, and the Large Urban Counties Caucus - together during the afternoon of December 20. The National Association of Counties, ever working to reach its member jurisdictions, has assembled a half day of content to bridge the interests of two of its most active sub-groups, those representing the largest urban members, and its most sparsely-populated rural members. The December…

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December 9, 2020
Preview the 2021 Session “Big Picture”
Business Affairs / Coronavirus / County Budgets / County Government and Structure / County News / Economic Development / Education / Elections / Emergency Management / Employee Benefits and Relations / Energy / Environment / Feature / Finance and Procurement / General Assembly News / Government Liability and Courts / Human Resources / Information Technology / NACo and Federal Issues / News You Can Use / Parks and Recreation / Pensions & Public Funds / Planning and Zoning / Public Information and Ethics / Public Safety and Corrections / Public Works / School Construction and Capital Budgets / State Budget and Fiscal Issues / Taxes and Revenues / Transportation and Public Works
Preview the 2021 Session “Big Picture”

A compilation of Issue Papers previews major fiscal and policy issues facing the General Assembly in the year ahead. This year’s report also includes a special section devoted to issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. This resource is a handy guide to the top issues that your legislators will be tackling in 2021 – a great preparation document for county officials in advance of meetings with their local Delegations. Developed by the Department of Legislative…

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December 1, 2020
County Ballot Questions: Here’s What We Know
County Government and Structure / County News / Economic Development / Education / Elections / Employee Benefits and Relations / Finance and Procurement / Health and Human Services / Housing and Community Development / Human Resources / Information Technology / News You Can Use / Now Hear This / Parks and Recreation / Planning and Zoning / Public Information and Ethics / Public Safety and Corrections / Public Works / School Construction and Capital Budgets / Transportation and Public Works
County Ballot Questions: Here’s What We Know

Across Maryland, voters considered a number of ballot questions concerning county governance and structure. Here, Conduit Street provides the latest results for each county-specific ballot question. Allegany, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Charles, Dorchester, Garrett, Harford, Kent, Queen Anne's, St. Mary's, Somerset, Washington, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties did not present voters with any county-specific ballot questions. Vote totals and percentages in this article are based on unofficial results of the Maryland State Board of Elections as of Thursday, November 5,…

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November 4, 2020
MD Congressional Reps Announce $13.4 Million for Wastewater Infrastructure in Cecil
County News / Environment / Public Works
MD Congressional Reps Announce $13.4 Million for Wastewater Infrastructure in Cecil

Yesterday, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressman Andy Harris announced $6,529,000 in federal funding to construct a new wastewater treatment plant in Chesapeake City. The new plant will replace two existing sites, and meet new nutrient removal requirements. Funds for the project come in the form of a $5,029,000 grant and a $1,500,000 loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development as a part of the Water and Waste Disposal…

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October 29, 2020
Feds Grant Maryland Over $20 Million for Drinking Water Projects
Environment / Public Works
Feds Grant Maryland Over $20 Million for Drinking Water Projects

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Maryland will receive $20,170,000 for drinking water improvement projects. The funds will go to the State's Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Program that provides low interest loans to communities for projects such as upgrades to existing drinking water treatment facilities and water transmission line replacement. The grant will be met by $4 million in state matching funds. From the press release: “EPA’s continued commitment to…

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October 20, 2020

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