Delegates returned to Annapolis this month for their 90-day 2024 General Assembly session.
Here are some of the major policies that could impact Montgomery County driving the General Assembly in 2024.
Housing
Governor Wes Moore has three major housing bills aiming to solve what he calls a state housing crisis. The governor’s housing package focuses on encouraging development and protecting renters.
There is a shortage of 96,000 housing units across the state, according to the Office of the Governor. This shortage exists because the state has “significantly underproduced” housing over the past 10 years and as a lingering effect of the 2008 housing crisis, the office argued.
The Housing Expansion and Affordability Act would streamline the development process for building new housing units within one mile of a passenger rail unit. Also eligible – former state-owned 50-year-old or more campuses or complexes, or properties owned by a charitable organization. Each of these developments would have to have a minimum of 25% to 50% affordable housing units.
While Maryland has limitations about where to build new housing, the state does not have a lot of policies encouraging development in desired areas, according to the Office of the Governor. The bill would encourage this development and higher density in public transportation sectors.
The Renters Rights and Housing Stabilization Act is positioned to give more protections to renters. The legislation, if passed, would establish an Office of Tenant’s Rights to enforce state laws and centralize renter resources.
The act would establish a renter’s right of first refusal – the opportunity to purchase the property they’re renting first before it is offered up to another landlord or occupant. Renters would also receive greater protection against eviction through this new law. The bill outlines a plan to increase the price to file for eviction and bars evictions during extreme weather events. Maryland currently has the lowest price eviction filing fee in the country.
While Montgomery County Councilmembers expressed some reservations about in the housing bills and how they would impact county programs during a state legislative programming meeting last Monday, Council President Andrew Friedson said he is pleased to address this crisis.
“I’m very excited to have a governor who is diving into these thorny, difficult issues and addressing a housing crisis that we have talked about and acted upon here at the county level and we stand ready to work together.”
Montgomery County Capital Project Priorities
Montgomery County’s priorities for state funding for this legislative session include multi-million-dollar transportations projects, according to a list by the Montgomery County Office of Intergovernmental Relations.
The creation of a Montgomery County Bus Rapid Transit System sits at the top of the list – a $110,000,000 request. Other projects include changes to the Bethesda metro station and a new zero-emission ride bus depot.
The Governor’s office had previously announced a cut of more than $3 billion from the state transportation budget in December, but has since restored $150 million.
Moore Administration’s Legislative Items
In his 2024 administration’s legislative agenda, released Wednesday, Governor Moore outlined 16 pieces of legislation aimed to make Maryland safer, streamline infrastructure projects, and protect specific workers.
“This legislative agenda marks the next chapter in our work to leave no one behind,” Moore said in a press release.
This includes bills that add protections for election officials, road workers and firefighters. Infrastructure-related legislation would make state agencies publish timelines for permitting applications and encourage support for the Baltimore Tech Hub. Other bills would make receiving victim compensation easier, reform the apprenticeship model for police training and create a center to coordinate the state’s public health approach to gun violence.
