MACo Comments On MDOT Scorecard Proposal

MACo has submitted comments to the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) expressing concerns about its proposed methodology for implementing a scoring model for major transportation projects. Specifically, MACo raised concerns about the provisions in the proposal which penalize counties for failing to support proposals made by municipalities. From the letter: If allowed to stand as currently proposed, a variety of potentially unintended outcomes could result. A county with a relatively small municipal population could see…

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MDOT Unveils Proposed Scorecard Model, Counties Have Questions

On Thursday, December 7 at MACo's Winter Conference, Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Secretary Pete Rahn presented the latest chapter on Chapters 36 of 2016 and 30 of 2017 - aka, the Maryland Open Transportation Investment Decision Act of 2016, “Scorecard Bill,” “Transportation Transparency Bill,” or the “Roadkill Bill,” as amended. Secretary Rahn presented the Department's proposed methodology for scoring major transportation projects under the amended law. MDOT must finalize the scoring system by January 1,…

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MDOT Unveils New “Scorecard” Draft at #MACoCon Workshop

Following last year's political firestorm over how the State should prioritize transportation spending, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) has new plans for scoring major projects in its Consolidated Transportation Program (CTP) - and MDOT Secretary Pete Rahn will unveil that draft plan and solicit input from county officials first at the MACo Winter Conference.  County elected officials and transportation professionals surely remember the story well. The Maryland General Assembly entertained legislation officially called the Maryland Open…

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2017 End of Session Wrap-Up: Highway User Revenues

Below is a brief overview of MACo's work to restore county roads funding that was cut during the Great Recession.   Follow links for more coverage on Conduit Street and MACo's Legislative Database.  Highway User Revenues The General Assembly maintained an additional $8.8 million in additional local transportation aid to be allocated among 23 counties. For more than forty years, local governments have received at least 30 percent of these revenues to fund local roads and bridges…

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MACo Backs Compromise on Transportation Scorecard

MACo Executive Director Michael Sanderson testified in favor of the amended Administration bill (SB 307) which would repeal the controversial transportation scorecard law passed last year. This bill passed unanimously out of the Senate and was heard by the House Appropriations and Environment and Transportation committees on March 23. Governor Hogan's Administration introduced and supported the bill. MACo's testimony states, This amended bill substantially reframes the 2016 legislation creating a “scorecard” for major transportation projects. The…

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Transportation Scorecard Compromise Passes Senate Unanimously

SB 307, the Administration bill to repeal the controversial transportation scorecard law passed last year, has passed out of the full Senate in an amended form. The final floor vote was unanimous, after discussions and additional amendments yesterday described the revised bill as a compromise acceptable to the Administration. The third reader bill, including all amendments is available online. MACo had testified on the original "repeal" bill urging the legislature to either repeal or refine…

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Senate Compromise on Transportation Scorecard Bill Advances

The Budget and Taxation Committee has passed an amended version of the Administration's bill to repeal the controversial transportation scorecard law. The amended version would delay full implementation of the scoring process as a guide for project funding for two years, and empower a work group to study possible changes to the law. From coverage in the Baltimore Sun: The law, passed over Hogan's veto last year, requires officials to study local transportation projects, rank…

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Miller Offers “Grand Bargain” on Transportation Scorecard Bill

At the high profile hearing for SB 307, Governor Hogan's proposal to repeal the transportation scorecard legislation enacted last year, Senate President Miller testified in support of a proposed "compromise" that would delay the scoring system's effect for two years while a select work group would be empaneled to work through the system. The Administration and Department officials testifying in support of the repeal legislation expressed an initial reluctance, but indicated appreciation for the movement…

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Maryland Reporter Muses On Scorecard Bill, Solutions

In a commentary piece timed with the beginning of session, veteran Annapolis reporter Len Lazarick of the news site MarylandReporter.com bemoans the role of “facts” in political debate, and eventually focuses his attention on the high-profile “transportation scorecard” legislation passed last year and still causing a furor. Governor Larry Hogan has made it clear that his top priority this session is to repeal the transportation scoring legislation passed overwhelmingly last session, which the Governor vetoed…

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Transportation “Scorecard” Bill Still Sparking Back-and-Forth

2016 legislation variously known as the "Scorecard Bill," the "Road Kill Bill," or the "Transportation Transparency Bill" continues to stir up emotions in the State capital, as the legislative session approaches. The content of the bill itself, the process for its legislative consideration, and larger funding issues with the Department of Transportation are all in the crosshairs for this still-raging debate. Department of Legislative Services (DLS) Executive Director Warren Deschenaux has weighed in on HB…

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