Legislation that delays the implementation of the State's Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act (FAMLI) also known as the Time to Care Act (HB 102) has passed through the Maryland House of Delegates. The legislation as currently written would delay all aspects of the FAMLI program by 18 months, including the start of mandatory employer and employee contributions (from July 1, 2025 to January 1, 2027) and the start of benefits from July 1, 2026 to January 1, 2028. This change will delay any needed payroll deductions or premium payments by 18 months. 

In addition, an amendment pushed by MML exempts municipal governments from escrowing payments during the 12 month pre-funding period prior to benefits starting (January 1, 2027 through January 1, 2028) if that municipal government plans to utilize an equivalent private insurance plan (EPIP). 

MML's priority legislation allowing trained technicians to review speed camera images and issue citations met an important milestone by passing out of each chamber of origin by the crossover date. This keeps the bills on track for final passage.

SB 390, with the leadership of bill sponsor and Chair of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee Will Smith, passed out of the Senate on February 18. An amendment was added on the Senate floor that defines "reasonable training." This amendment is seen as clarifying and should not materially impact the functionality of the legislation. 

The Maryland Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced that they are proposing an 18-month delay in implementation of Maryland’s paid family and medical leave insurance program, also known as the Time to Care Act (TCA). Key new dates would be:

· January 1, 2027 – Employer/employee contributions begin for the State TCA plan

Bolton, a consulting firm in the areas of employee benefits and compensation, will host a webinar in the coming weeks with updates regarding the Maryland Time to Care Act (TTCA).  As employers who are subject to provisions of the TTCA, make sure you have the latest information on the law, including:

Key employer requirements under the Maryland Time to Care Act

MML's priority legislation SB 390, which would allow trained technicians to review speed camera images and sign the citations, passed out of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Friday by a vote of 7-1. The next steps are for the bill to move through procedural votes on the Senate floor, expected to be this week. Meanwhile, the House cross-file bill, HB 343, is scheduled for its hearing in the House Environment and Transportation Committee on Friday, February 21 at 1:00 p.m. For more information, please contact Bill Jorch.

One of MML's legislative priorities in 2025 is to allow trained civilians to review speed camera images and issue citations. While this bill was introduced last year, it has two new sponsors this year; Delegate Vaughn Stewart, who is the chair of the Motor Vehicle Subcommittee, and Senator Will Smith, who is the chair of the Judicial Proceedings Committee. Recently, they formally introduced the bills, HB 343 and SB 390. In addition to these two great sponsors, Governor Moore publicly announced his support of the legislation at the MML Legislative Reception on January 8.

Next steps are the public hearings which have not yet been scheduled. For more information please contact Bill Jorch, [email protected].

The Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA) has created an interest form to connect local governments and cannabis businesses. MCA began issuing conditional licenses for new cannabis grower, processor, and dispensary businesses. These awards were made by region (grower and processor) or county (dispensary). Over the next 18 months, these awardees will work to secure a location and become operational. (You may see the awards by license type and jurisdiction here).

Several county and municipal governments have contacted MCA seeking contact information for businesses that are eligible to site and operate in their jurisdiction. MCA developed this interest form to identify local government partners who are interested in obtaining contact information for cannabis businesses who are eligible to site in their jurisdiction, and determine which counties and municipalities would like to proactively work with these businesses to site and operate within their jurisdiction.

The University of Maryland Extension (UME) and The University of Maryland Agriculture Law Education Initiative (ALEI) are seeking survey responses from local government employees to assess local government interest and knowledge regarding agriculture in urban and urbanized areas, and the opportunities and needs of local government to support farming in cities and towns across Maryland, including pathways toward long-term land access for urban farmers. 

The MML 2024 Final Legislative Report is now available! Each year MML staff compiles the legislation that passed through the General Assembly and has impact on municipal governments into this one document. The Final Report includes a short summary of each passed bill plus a link to the General Assembly for more detail.

Join us for a Lunch and Learn webinar on May 14, noon to 1 p.m., to learn how to use the MML Digital Library, a new tool designed to  provide access to a myriad of documents and data that may help your municipal operations. 

Maryland Municipal League (MML) leadership invites you to learn more about an important municipal rail safety communication system. On Thursday, April 25 from 12:00-1:00 p.m., MML will be hosting a webinar in partnership with Maryland Class I freight carriers to facilitate increased direct communication between local governments and rail operators. Presenters from CSX and Norfolk Southern will focus on existing information sources that will assist local leaders and municipalities to better understand details about freight rail shipments and how best to coordinate emergency response.

Rail safety has been an important issue for years touching on public health, emergency response, infrastructure damage, and environmental impact. Rail has been identified as an anticipated transportation option with the loss of the Key Bridge for the current trucking industry routes of hazardous materials through the I-95 corridor. We highly encourage you or a representative from your municipality to participate in the webinar.

Maryland entities, including municipalities, will receive funding for about 60 specific projects as part of the federal Consolidated Appropriations Law. These projects are funded through the Highway Infrastructure Programs account and as such will be administered by the Maryland Department of Transportation. The list of projects can be found in the table at the end of the Joint Explanatory Statement, Maryland projects begin on page 239. For further questions on a project in your city or town, please contact Bill Jorch, [email protected]

MML's priority bill, HB 282, as passed by the House would have permitted municipalities that do not maintain a police force to use a technician, as opposed to a law enforcement officer, to review speed camera images and sign the citations.

The bill garnered significant support but failed to receive a vote in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee before the close of the General Assembly Session.

Local governments will soon have the authority to permit the use of golf carts on certain roads in their jurisdiction per the passage of HB 43 / SB 316, which was supported by MML There are certain criteria that must be met in order for the golf cart to operate and for the local government to designate certain road segments for golf cart use.

"Exhibition driving" is now a defined term and is prohibited on public roads in the State, as a result of the passage of HB 601 / SB 442. MML Municipalities may also designate a "special event zone" for certain automotive events that occur on a roadway, which allows additional safety measures to be put in place such as signage, traffic control devices, and a reduction in the speed limit.

HB 805 made alterations to aspects of the adult-use cannabis law that pertain to land use; MML supported amendments were adopted. The changes include:

• Adding places of worship to the list of pre-existing properties that may not be located within 500 feet of a dispensary.
• Increasing the distance a local government may set between dispensaries from 1,000 feet to half a mile.
• Allowing local governments to set the distance a dispensary may operate from a residential zone to up to 100 feet or the same distance from a residential zone required for alcohol retail stores. 
• Prohibiting local governments from adopting an ordinance that places zoning requirements on dispensaries that are more burdensome than those placed on alcohol retail stores. 
• Clarifying that there is a restriction on local governments regarding zoning requirements only for certain exclusively outdoor growers.
• Adding a complaint process against dispensaries.

Another bill made changes to the cannabis law beyond land use. HB 253 alters a drafting error in the law and clarifies that the local government where an on-site consumption facility is planning to locate sets the laws and policies that govern that on-site consumption facility.

More modifications were made to the State's Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program in HB 571 / SB 485, a bill supported by MML with amendments. The first change is that the implementation of the program is pushed back: claims open now on July 1, 2026 (delayed from January 1, 2026) and for those employers that plan to use the State plan, mandatory contributions begin on July 1, 2025 (delayed from October 1, 2024). Secondly, for those employers that plan to use a third-party insurer, the State will levy an application fee to cover administrative costs.

With the passage of HB 649 / SB 525, all employers in the State will now need to include the wage range and benefits associated with a position when publishing a job posting. Onerous provisions relating to employer liability were removed via amendment, leaving only small fines for non-compliance. 

MML's priority bill, HB 282, had its hearing in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on March 26, after passing through the House chamber. As a result of amendments added by the House the bill now allows municipalities that do not maintain a police force to use a trained technician, as opposed to a law enforcement officer, to review speed camera images and sign citations. MML will continue to advocate for passage of this legislation through the Senate. For questions, please contact Bill Jorch, [email protected].

As the 2024 General Assembly session winds down, it is time to start thinking about submitting legislative action requests (LARs) for the 2025 session. The basis for MML's legislative priorities, LARs are ideas for a legislative fix submitted by a member municipality, MML chapter, or MML department for the Legislative Committee's consideration. MML will make the LAR form available on April 1, a few weeks earlier than usual. 

2024 priorities formed from LAR submissions include authority to create local tourism zones, providing options for who may review speed camera images, and expanding the services included in the admissions and amusement tax.

Now that we are more than halfway through the General Assembly session, bills are starting to move. Below are a few transportation-related bills, supported by MML, all of which have already received favorable reports by their respective committees and passed out of their chamber of origin. 

HB 43 - This bill is slightly amended from the version initially introduced and now includes a few additional guardrails. It now allows local governments to designate roads under their jurisdiction as roads on which golf carts may operate, under certain conditions; the road must be 30 MPH or lower and the golf cart must operate only between dawn and dusk unless it has State Highway Administration (SHA) approved lights, drive on the far right of the lane, and contain no more passengers than there are seats. This new authority would allow a new and unique transportation option to local governments.