2024 Proposed Local Legislation
Howard County – Public Campaign Financing – Board of Education
Ho. Co. 1–24 - Passed by the Delegation on February 7, 2024
By: Senator Lam
For the purpose of authorizing the governing body of Howard County to establish a system of public campaign financing for members of the county board of education; and generally relating to public campaign financing in Howard County.
Howard County Board of Education – Board Member Terms and Compensation Commission
Ho. Co. 2–24 - Passed by the Delegation on February 7, 2024
By: Senator Lam
For the purpose of altering the terms of the members of the Howard County Board of Education; establishing the Howard County Board of Education Compensation Commission; and generally relating to the terms of members of the Howard County Board of Education and to the Howard County Board of Education Compensation Commission.
Howard County Board of Education – Liquidated Damages – Model Policy and Requirements
Ho. Co. 3–24 - Passed by the Delegation as amended on February 7, 2024
By: Senator Lam
For the purpose of requiring the Howard County Board of Education, on or before a certain date and in consultation with the Howard County Executive and the Howard County Council, to publish a model policy concerning the inclusion and use of liquidated damages provisions in procurement contracts; requiring certain student transportation procurement contracts to include a liquidated damages clause consistent with the model policy, subject to a certain exception; requiring certain documentation of a decision not to pursue certain liquidated damages under certain circumstances; and generally relating to Howard County Board of Education procurements and liquidated damages provisions.
Columbia Association Annual Charge – Lease Requirements, Governing Documents, and Income Tax Subtraction Modification
Ho. Co. 4–24
By: Delegate Hill
For the purpose of requiring a written lease for residential real property in Columbia in Howard County to include information on the annual charge assessed by the Columbia Association under certain circumstances; requiring certain homeowners associations to include a certain provision related to the annual charge in their governing documents; allowing a subtraction modification under the Maryland income tax for a certain annual charge during certain taxable years; and generally relating to annual charges in Columbia in Howard County.
Howard County – Board of Education Elections – Ranked–Choice Voting
Ho. Co. 6-24 - Passed by the Delegation on February 7, 2024
By: Delegates Wu and Terrasa
For the purpose of authorizing the Howard County Council to adopt, by law, a ranked–choice voting method for elections for the Howard County Board of Education; and generally relating to the use of ranked–choice voting for elections for the Howard County Board of Education.
Howard County – Payment in Lieu of Taxes Agreements – Moderate Income Housing
Ho. Co. 8–24 - Passed by the Delegation as amended on February 7, 2024
By: Delegate Feldmark
For the purpose of authorizing certain owners of real property and the governing body of Howard County to enter into payment in lieu of taxes agreements for maintaining a certain number of moderate income housing units at the property; and generally relating to payment in lieu of taxes agreements in Howard County.
Candidates for Village Board or Columbia Council in a Village of Columbia – Reports of Donations and Disbursements
Ho. Co. 10-24 - Passed by the Delegation on February 7, 2024
By: Delegate Terrasa
For the purpose of requiring each village community association for a village of Columbia to require each candidate for election to the village board or the Columbia Council who receives donations or makes disbursements to file reports of the donations and disbursements with the village community association; requiring each village community association to make the reports of donations and disbursements available to the public; prohibiting a candidate for election to a village board or the Columbia Council who is elected from taking office if the candidate has failed to file a report of donations and disbursements; and generally relating to reports of donations and disbursements by candidates for village board or Columbia Council in a village of Columbia.
Howard County – Commercial Building Excise Tax – Board of Education Deferred Maintenance
Ho. Co. 13-24
By: Delegate Atterbeary
For the purpose of authorizing the County Council of Howard County to impose an excise tax on commercial building construction; requiring the excise tax revenue to be used only for deferred maintenance needs identified by the Howard County Board of Education; and generally relating to a commercial building excise tax in Howard County and deferred maintenance in the Howard County Public School System.
Workgroup to Study the Fiscal and Operational Viability of Public–Private Partnerships for Howard County Public Schools – Established
Ho. Co. 14–24 - Passed by the Delegation as amended on February 8, 2024
By: Senator Lam
For the purpose of establishing the Workgroup to Study the Fiscal and Operational Viability of Public–Private Partnerships for Howard County Public Schools; and generally relating to the Workgroup to Study the Fiscal and Operational Viability of Public–Private Partnerships for Howard County Public Schools.
Howard County Agricultural Preservation Advisory Board – Term Length – Alteration
Ho. Co. 15-24 - Passed by the Delegation on February 7, 2024
By: Chair, Howard County Delegation
For the purpose of limiting the term of a member serving on the agricultural preservation advisory board in Howard County to a certain number of years; authorizing members currently serving on the agricultural preservation advisory board in Howard County to complete their terms; and generally relating to the term length of a member serving on the agricultural preservation advisory board in Howard County.
Howard County Public Schools – Differences in Capital Budget Proposals – Report
Ho.Co. 16-24 - Passed by the Delegation as amended on February 7, 2024
By: Delegates Watson, Wu, and Ziegler, and Senator Hester and Lam
For the purpose of requiring the Howard County Board of Education, under certain circumstances, to publish on the website of the Howard County public school system a certain report on the differences between the Howard County Superintendent of Schools’ proposed capital budget and the capital budget approved by the Howard County Board of Education; requiring the Howard County Board of Education to submit a certain report to the General Assembly under certain circumstances; and generally relating to the capital budget of Howard County Public Schools.
Howard County - Task Force to Study Reallocation of Transfer Tax Revenue
Ho. Co. 18-24 - Passed by the Delegation as amended on February 8, 2024
By: Delegate Wu
For the purpose of establishing the Howard County Task Force on Transfer Tax. Distribution Formula Reformation to analyze and propose rebalancing the county transfer tax distribution; and generally relating to the Howard County Task Force on Transfer Tax Distribution Formula Reformation.
2024 Proposed Legislative Bond Initiatives
In addition, below is a list of the proposed bond initiative requests for local projects:
- Asian American Cultural Center ($500,000) - Passed by the Delegation on January 24, 2024
- Atholton Adventist Academy Outdoor Education Center ($150,000) - Passed by the Delegation on February 7, 2024
- Community Action Council ($500,000) - Passed by the Delegation on January 24, 2024
- Community Ecology Institute ($250,000) - Passed by the Delegation on January 24, 2024
- Days End Firehouse Redevelopment Project ($550,000) - Passed by the Delegation on January 24, 2024
- Evolv Pickleball ($350,000) - Passed by the Delegation on February 7, 2024
- Expanded Tiber Park ($500,000) - Passed by the Delegation on January 24, 2024
- Fifth District Volunteer Fire Department HVAC Replacement ($475,000) - Passed by the Delegation on January 24, 2024
- Gentle Giants Center for Connection ($750,000) - Passed by the Delegation on January 24, 2024
- HCC Workforce Development and Trades Center ($1,000,000) - Passed by the Delegation on January 24, 2024
- Historic Courthouse ($1,100,000) - Passed by the Delegation on January 24, 2024
- iHomes ($1,500,000) - Passed by the Delegation on January 24, 2024
- Ilchester Recreation and Parks Center ($500,000) - Passed by the Delegation on January 24, 2024
- Ivy Hill Renovations ($285,000) - Passed by the Delegation on January 24, 2024
- Lakefront Improvement Project ($750,000) - Passed by the Delegation on January 24, 2024
- Patapsco Valley State Park Signage ($100,000) - Passed by the Delegation on January 24, 2024
- Patuxent Commons ($500,000) - Passed by the Delegation on January 24, 2024
- Patuxent Phase 2B Trails ($215,000) - Passed by the Delegation on February 7, 2024
- Rockburn Branch Park Landing Rd ($250,000) - Passed by the Delegation on January 24, 2024
- Rockland Arts Building ($450,000) - Passed by the Delegation on January 24, 2024
- Safe Haven Equine Warriors Expansion and Renovation ($500,000) - Passed by the Delegation on January 24, 2024
- Savage Volunteer Fire Company ($400,000) - Passed by the Delegation on January 24, 2024