Last week, MML staff testified before the House Government, Labor, and Elections Committee in strong support of HB 99, a bill vital to ensuring that cities and towns have the final say in how their newly annexed land is developed. The legislation is sponsored by Delegate Schindler, a former municipal official from Hagerstown, Maryland.

Under current law, municipalities often face a "zoning freeze" after an annexation, regularly referred to as “The 5-year Rule.” Even when a town has a clear, community-vetted comprehensive plan, they are frequently barred from implementing higher-density or different land uses for five years unless they receive express permission from the county.

MML seeks amendments to SB 64 & HB 10 in support of public notice modernization.

Last week, MML staff testified before the House Judiciary and Senate Judicial Proceedings committees in favor of a critical modernization package for SB 64 (and cross-filed HB 10).

As the 2026 legislative session continues, the Maryland Municipal League is actively monitoring several key bills scheduled for testimony next week. To ensure the municipal perspective is accurately represented in the record, we are inviting member cities and towns to submit written comments on the following items. These contributions are vital to documenting the local impact of proposed state policy before the committees of jurisdiction. 

The specific bills and their respective hearing dates are listed below:  

On Wednesday, January 21, Governor Wes Moore formally introduced his budget bills (SB 282/HB 390 & SB 284/HB 392) for the State of Maryland’s 2027 fiscal year. See our municipal analysis below.

The Maryland Comptroller's Office and the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business recently released a new report that explores how federal workforce trends and budget shifts may impact local economies, public sector employment, and private industry.

Key Findings:

On Tuesday, April 22, HB 322 was signed into law by Governor Wes Moore and went into effect immediately.

This session, MML worked with Senator Cheryl Kagan and Delegate Greg Wims to introduce legislation in response to the State Board of Elections' (SBE) declaration in the fall of 2024 that SBE does not have the legal authority to enter agreements with municipalities to lease voting equipment or provide other support. Those bills were Senate Bill 88 and House Bill 322.

This session, MML worked with Senator Cheryl Kagan and Delegate Greg Wims to introduce legislation in response to the State Board of Elections' (SBE) declaration in the fall of 2024 that SBE does not have the legal authority to enter agreements with municipalities to lease voting equipment or provide other support. Those bills were Senate Bill 88 and House Bill 322.

House Bill 322 received its final vote for passage around 8:30 p.m. on the final day of session, Sine Die. As emergency legislation, this new law will go into effect as soon as it is signed by the Governor. As amended, the bill also shortens the amount of lead time required to join the State ballot from 18 months to 9 months.

On Monday, Delegate Ryan Spiegel presented MML's priority legislation on local food and beverage authority to the House Ways & Means Committee. Delegate Spiegel, a past MML President, is the sponsor of HB 997, which would enable local jurisdictions to charge up to a 3% fee on food and beverages sold for on-site consumption. 

In his testimony, Delegate Spiegel highlighted the fact that local governments have limited revenue tools and are already too reliant on property taxes. He also noted Maryland receives more than 43.5 million visitors each year who use local government services but whose spending doesn't support those same services. That burden falls almost exclusively on Maryland homeowners.

Last week, MML staff testified in the Maryland Senate and House on legislation (SB 88 / HB 322) to ensure the State Board of Elections (SBE) can continue to support municipal elections using a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

This legislation is the result of conversations that took place over the fall after SBE shared a memo with county Local Boards of Elections (LBEs) that ordered them to stop supporting municipal elections beyond providing voter rolls:

MML Priority Bills Heard in Senate Last Week; Both Seek New Authority  

(February 3, 2024) Annapolis, MD. – The Maryland Municipal League (MML), representing 160 local governments, testified in favor of two new local authorities last week. On Wednesday, local government leaders joined Senator Cory McCray in support of SB 324, which would enable local jurisdictions to adopt a local food and beverage fee. Later in the week, MML leadership and municipal police representatives joined Senator Will Smith in support of SB 390, which if passed, will allow non-officer staff to certify speed camera violations with appropriate training.

MML’s priority legislation giving local jurisdictions the authority to levy a food and beverage fee, SB 324, has a hearing next week, January 29.

This bill would authorize municipalities and counties to charge up to 3% on on-site food and beverage purchases. 

The Maryland Department of Emergency Management, the Department of Information Technology, and the Maryland State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP) Planning Committee have released another funding opportunity through the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program. The application period began Tuesday, September 3, 2024, and will end Thursday, October 3, 2024.

Through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Congress established the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP) to “award grants to eligible entities to address cybersecurity risks and cybersecurity threats to information systems owned or operated by, or on behalf of, state, local, or tribal governments.”

Covered projects can include (not limited to):

(August 1, 2024) Annapolis, Md. – The Maryland Municipal League (MML) held its 2nd Annual Summer Symposium Thursday, August 1, at the Crowne Plaza in Annapolis. The second in a series of deep dives into emerging municipal issues, speakers discussed Maryland’s housing crisis, the Governor’s recent housing legislation, and how to combat NIMBYism. Maryland Secretary of Housing & Community Development and MML Past President Jake Day gave the keynote speech to over 150 municipal officials and housing organization representatives.  

Don't miss out on this once-in-a-decade opportunity to receive free cybersecurity support. Applications due 6/17.

Apply for the ISO Shared Services Program where jurisdictions can receive support for cybersecurity assessments, vulnerability management, and receive consultations on how to reduce risk, improve security, cyber readiness and resilience, and hardening networks from the Department of Information Technology’s Office of Security Management.