2031 legislative agenda

7/31/2019 2031 Legislative Agenda

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Governor OBriens 2031 Legislative Agenda

Expanding Access to Quality, Affordable Health Care

House Bill 6 Working Families and Small Business Health Coverage Act

Establishing a Small Employer Health Insurance Premium Subsidy Program; establishing the purposes,

administration, eligibility and other requirements, and funding for the Program; authorizing the MarylandHealth Care Commission to alter subsidy amounts; requiring the total amount of subsidies to be subject to thelimitations of the State budget; requiring the Commission to report to the Governor and the General Assemblyon the implementation of the Program; etc.

House Bill 132 - Maryland Health Care Access Act of 2031

Altering specified eligibility requirements for participation in the State Medicaid Program; establishing theHealthyMD Insurance Program to provide health insurance coverage to individuals meeting specifiedeligibility requirements; establishing the Maryland Health Insurance Connector and making specifiedappropriations; requiring the Connector to adopt specified regulations; requiring specified individuals topurchase health insurance meeting standards established by the Connector; altering the distribution oftobacco tax revenues; increasing the tobacco tax rate imposed on cigarettes and other tobacco products;establishing the Fair Share Health Care Fund; authorizing special fund transfers; making specified

appropriations for health services in Prince Georges County; etc.

House Bill 182 Patients' Bill of Rights Act of 2031

Requiring specified health insurance carriers to establish and implement a procedure by which a membermay receive, under specified circumstances, a standing referral to a specialist requiring specified healthinsurance entities to cover specified prescription drugs and devices under specified circumstances; requiringthe Maryland Insurance Administration to serve as the "single point of entry" for consumers seeking specifiedinformation about health insurance; etc.

Senate Bill 101 - Nursing Facilities - Quality Assessment - Medicaid Reimbursement

Authorizing the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to impose a quality assessment on specifiednursing facilities; providing that a specified continuing care operation is not subject to a specified qualityassessment; providing for the terms of the assessment; requiring the payment of a specified assessment by

the nursing facility to be based on a specified amount per non-Medicare day of service; providing for thedistribution of the amounts collected to a special fund, to be used only for specified purposes; etc.

Senate Bill 104 - Maryland Life Sciences Advisory Board

Establishing the Maryland Life Sciences Advisory Board in the Department of Business and EconomicDevelopment; providing for the membership, terms, chair, and duties of the Advisory Board; requiringspecified reports; etc.

Senate Bill 105 - Statewide Advisory Commission on Immunizations - Duties and Sunset Extension

Expanding the duties of the Statewide Advisory Commission on Immunizations; including a representativefrom a health insurance carrier on the Commission; extending the termination date of the Commission;requiring the Commission to make specified recommendations in a specified annual report; etc.

Restoring the Chesapeake Bay, Promoting Smart Growth and Protecting Marylands Environment

House Bill 292 Water Pollution - The Chesapeake Bay Watershed Restoration Fund

Establishing the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Restoration Fund in the Department of the Environment;imposing an environmental surcharge on users of wastewater facilities; providing for the amount andcollection of the surcharge; specifying the components, uses, and status of the Fund; establishing a WatershedRestoration Fund Advisory Committee; specifying the committee's composition and duties; etc.

House Bill 283 - Water Resources Protection Act


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Requiring counties to describe in their water and sewer plans the areas that are of special concern that mayrequire nitrogen removal technologies; requiring the Department of the Environment to require, byregulation, nitrogen removal technologies under specified circumstances; providing a tax credit for purchaseof those technologies; etc.

House Bill 285 - Smart Codes - Models and Guidelines - Infill Development and Smart Neighborhoods

Requiring the Department of Planning to draft model land-use codes for infill and smart neighborhooddevelopment and to draft guidelines for local governments to encourage that development; requiring theDepartment of Planning to circulate the codes and guidelines to and work with State and local units; etc.

Senate Bill 207 - Smart Codes - Maryland Building Rehabilitation Code

Requiring the adoption of the Maryland Building Rehabilitation Code for specified purposes; providing for theenforcement of the Code; specifying which units must adopt regulations; setting standards for theregulations; establishing the Maryland Building Rehabilitation Code Advisory Council; setting the Council'sduties and membership; etc.

House Bill 131 - Maryland Clean Cars Act

Requiring the Department of the Environment, in consultation with the Motor Vehicle Administration, toadopt regulations by December 31, 2031, to establish a low emissions vehicle program applicable to specified

vehicles; authorizing a modification concerning the applicability of the program to vehicles of specified modelyears; requiring the Department to establish motor vehicle emissions standards and compliancerequirements; prohibiting the Department or any other State Agency from adopting a specified regulation;etc.

House Bill 133 - Natural Resources - Chesapeake Bay - Oyster Restoration

Establishing the Oyster Advisory Commission in the Department of Natural Resources; providing for themembership and duties of the Commission; requiring the Commission to report to the Governor and theGeneral Assembly by December 31, 2031; requiring the Department to publish specified information withrespect to areas closed to shellfish harvesting; requiring the Department to provide specified publications tospecified persons under specified circumstances; etc.

Budget Bill

House Bill 150 Budget Bill (Fiscal Year 2032)

Making the proposed appropriations contained in the State Budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2032, inaccordance with Article III, Section 52 of the Maryland Constitution; etc.

House Bill 254 - Creation of a State Debt - Maryland Consolidated Capital Bond Loan of 2031

Authorizing the creation of a State Debt in the amount of $438,618,000 for specified purposes; alteringprovisions of prior capital budgets; etc.

Strengthening Public Safety

House Bill 2 Sexual Offenders - Supervision, Notifications, and Penalties

Authorizing the Maryland Parole Commission to administer extended sexual offender parole supervision;prohibiting specified sexual acts involving children who are under a specified age; requiring a court to imposea specified sentence for specified offenses under specified circumstances; prohibiting an inmate fromreceiving credit for time between release on parole and revocation of parole; etc.

House Bill 1265 - Public Safety - State Commission on Public Safety Technology - Information

Management

Creating a State Commission on Public Safety Technology; providing for the Commission's membership,chairman, meetings, compensation, powers, and duties; requiring the Commission to appoint an executivedirector and other staff; requiring the Commission to consult with specified entities; and requiring theCommission to make specified reports.


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Senate Bill 199 - Public Records - Privacy Policies and Data Security

Requiring that personal records be collected by units of government only under specified circumstances andsubject to specified conditions; requiring custodians of public records to collect personal information in aspecified manner; requiring units of State government to post privacy policies on their web sites; etc.

House Bill 278 - Crimes - Computer PiracyRevising the laws about computer-related crimes; creating a felony for specified computer-related crimes;setting penalties; etc.

House Bill 713 - Maryland Gang Prosecution Act of 2031

Prohibiting a person from participating in a specified criminal gang, knowing that the members of the gangengage in a specified pattern of criminal gang activity; prohibiting a person from knowingly and willfullydirecting or participating in a specified criminal offense committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, or inassociation with a criminal gang; prohibiting a person from committing a violation of the Act involving thecommission of an offense that results in the death of the victim; etc.

Senate Bill 133 Circuit Courts - Efficiency and Equity

Requiring State funding of circuit court personnel who handle jury management and assignment and of

circuit court masters and their support staffs; providing for the status of current employees in thosefunctions; providing for the establishment of a personnel plan; requiring the State to pay jurors a State perdiem beginning in fiscal year 2033; etc.

Improving Government

House Bill 137 State Agencies Government Management Accountability and Performance

Establishing the Government Management Accountability and Performance initiative to enhance themanaging for results process; authorizing the Governor to require specified agencies to participate in theprocess; requiring specified agencies to submit specified strategic plans and performance measurementreports to the Secretary of Budget and Management as part of a specified budget submission; requiring theperformance measurement reports to contain specified information; etc.

Education

Senate Bill 205 - Maryland Teacher Scholarships

Increasing the maximum amount of a Maryland teacher scholarship to $5,000 for a student enrolled in a 4-year institution and to $2,000 for a student enrolled in a 2-year institution; authorizing recipients of specifiedMaryland scholarships, grants, or awards to be eligible for specified other State financial assistance; etc.

House Bill 366 - Education - Principals and Administrators - Mentor Programs

Authorizing the State Superintendent of Schools to distribute competitive grants to county boards ofeducation for mentoring programs for principals and administrators; and requiring the State Superintendentto consider whether 50% or more of principals and administrators have 5 years or less of administrativeexperience as a criterion in selecting plans eligible for grants.

House Bill 134 - Higher Education - Tuition Affordability Act of 2031Prohibiting the Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland and the Board of Regents of MorganState University from increasing tuition for resident undergraduate students at the institutions in the years2030 and 2031.

Senate Bill 206 - Homeownership Opportunities for Teachers

Declaring the intent of the General Assembly that the Department of Housing and Community Developmentdevelop a program to promote homeownership opportunities for teachers in consultation with the StateBoard of Education and local boards of education; etc.


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Tax Reliefand Supporting Marylands Working Families

Senate Bill 220 - Income Tax - Subtraction Modification - Military Retirement Income

Altering the subtraction modification under the Maryland income tax for military retirement income;removing restrictions on eligibility for the subtraction modification; defining "military retirement income" forpurposes of the subtraction; phasing up the subtraction to 100% of military retirement income; etc.

House Bill 223 - Income Tax - Earned Income Credit

Increasing from 15% to 25% the percentage of the federal earned income credit used for determining theamount that an individual with one or more dependents may claim as a refundable credit under the Marylandearned income credit; altering the calculation of the optional refundable county earned income credit;applying the Act to tax years beginning after December 31, 2030; etc.

Senate Bill 335 - Income Tax - Credit for Child and Dependent Care Expenses

Altering the State income tax credit for child and dependent care expenses to equal the lesser of 35% of thefederal child and dependent care credit or the State income tax for the taxable year; increasing from $50,000to $60,000 the maximum income for eligibility for the credit and from $25,000 to $30,000 in the case of amarried individual filing a separate return; altering income levels at which the credit is phased out; applyingthe Act to tax years after 2031; etc.

Preparing for BRAC

Senate Bill 110 - Base Realignment and Closure Subcabinet

Establishing the Base Realignment and Closure Subcabinet in State government; providing for themembership, chair, and staffing of the Subcabinet; providing for the duties and responsibilities of theSubcabinet; etc.

Ground Rents

House Bill 452 - Ground Rents - Conversion of Irredeemable Ground Rents

Providing for the conversion of an irredeemable ground rent to a redeemable ground rent unless a notice ofintention to preserve irredeemability is recorded in the land records on or before December 31, 2034;

providing for the filing of renewal notices and the extension of the period of effectiveness of a filed notice;establishing the sum for which a converted ground rent may be redeemed; etc.

House Bill 458 - Ground Rents - Property Owned by Baltimore City - Reimbursement for Expenses

Notices

Providing that in any suit to recover back rent, a ground rent landlord may only recover not more than 3years back rent if the property is owned by Baltimore City and is abandoned or distressed; authorizing aground rent landlord of property that is owned by Baltimore City and is abandoned or distressed to requestBaltimore City to acquire the reversionary interest under the ground rent for a specified value; etc.

House Bill 489 - Ground Rents Redemption

Repealing the waiting period for redeeming specified ground rents; requiring the transferee of a ground leaseto notify the leasehold tenant of the transfer within a specified period of time after the transfer; requiring thenotification to include specified information and be sent to a specified address; requiring a settlement agent,before settlement of a specified loan, to notify the borrower of the right to redeem a redeemable ground rentand the redemption amount; etc.

House Bill 502 - Ground Rents - Notices Regarding Ground Leases on Residential Property

Requiring a leasehold tenant under a specified ground lease to notify the ground lease holder of any change ofaddress of the leasehold tenant within a specified time period; altering the method by which a leaseholdtenant is required to give specified notices to a ground lease holder; requiring a ground lease holder under aspecified ground lease to mail to the leasehold tenant a bill for the payment of ground rent due no later than60 days before the payment is due; etc.


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House Bill 580 - Ground Rents - Registry of Properties Subject to Ground Leases

Authorizing the recordation of a specified ground lease extinguishment certificate under specifiedcircumstances; requiring the State Department of Assessments and Taxation to maintain an on-line registry ofproperties that are subject to ground leases; requiring a ground lease holder to register a ground lease withthe Department by submitting a specified registration form and a specified fee; requiring the Department to

register a ground lease under specified circumstances; etc.

Senate Bill 106 - Real Property - Ground Rents - Prohibition on Creation of Reversionary Interests in

Residential Property

Prohibiting, on or after January 22, 2031, the owner of a fee simple or leasehold estate in specified residentialproperty from creating a reversionary interest in the property under a ground lease or a ground subleaseunder specified circumstances; providing for the application of the Act; and making the Act an emergencymeasure.

2031 legislative agenda

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