[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6338807,"mediaKeyId","2267904-0c6d0d10c89bb47d7f0117eb58c0b1f7","parentId",2267904,"title","BWI Marshall capital projects, passenger recovery and grant risks top Maryland Aviation Administration briefing","audioSeconds",5439,"startMs",5447000,"endMs",7883,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2267904-0c6d0d10c89bb47d7f0117eb58c0b1f7&start=5447&end=7","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2267904-0c6d0d10c89bb47d7f0117eb58c0b1f7/thumbnail_5447000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6338807/Maryland/BWI-Marshall-capital-projects-passenger-recovery-and-grant-risks-top-Maryland-Aviation-Administration-briefing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6338807-795e25e0b5b9fbab5369233a45774493/orig.mp4?Expires=1771036087&Signature=DHmkux1JlyDyVZ7Dj~dXmdt9NbjMbTuTXW05yCodnWFWwGsNcM~NM5oOnKaamP~UXrYET2XXkPZHzGJO8woWhKPQIhIjRO4tVBVorDNaQlAo4aOAOq37ylF~JO56E4C-rzT7b~1tMJf28lg2HhZIK81ZIkDYoekvn~0QEWD1q9jBp06sOSTruGtLPGAzzR78BSGRlI3rjuwuIu6A71krhjeaFJr~aQ9ORhS-Nzfw0AV-c7bMT1UxeYEWDaRZCJpwsCz3jEmwahCKPd1JsX-H5Bp77MtkUAeyeZf5vSN-L6skYEWwiZge3zLSvN4~B3z19485rnW0Wt8tFuIzEnL8DA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","MGA - B&T","date","2025-02-07T00:00:00Z","article","The Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA) appeared before the Public Safety, Transportation and Environment Subcommittee to present its fiscal 2026 operating and capital plans, describing a recovery in passenger traffic, large capital investments at BWI Marshall Airport and potential federal-grant uncertainty.

Steve McCulloch, presenting for the Department of Legislative Services, said the MAA’s fiscal 2026 operating allowance increases by about $14.2 million (nearly 6%) to cover restored contractual services and personnel. McCulloch noted that passenger counts at BWI Marshall exceeded pre-pandemic 2019 levels in calendar 2024 and that the airport’s cost per enplaned passenger fell modestly, which DLS cited as positive for airline competitiveness.

Ricky Smith, executive director and CEO of the Maryland Aviation Administration, told the committee that capital work remains the agency’s primary focus. He described the AB connector and baggage-handling system as the largest capital project in the airport’s history and said major components will be complete later this year. Smith also highlighted a new Southwest Airlines maintenance facility opening planned for the summer and said the airport system supports broad employment and economic activity in the region.

MAA officials outlined federal funding sources that support airport capital projects, principally the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP), discretionary IIJA (Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) awards and passenger facility charges tied to tickets. McCulloch and MAA staff said most formula AIP dollars are secure, but two IIJA-funded projects—the Martin State air traffic control tower and a passenger-boarding-bridge project—were identified by FAA officials for additional review following recent federal actions, and their final status remained uncertain at the time of the hearing. The agency told the committee it will notify the panel if the federal position changes.

DLS recommended deleting 1 new operating information-technology position on the grounds that the department has vacancies that could be reclassified; the MAA opposed deleting the position, citing cybersecurity needs for transportation infrastructure. “Security of the nation's critical infrastructure requires focus on both physical security as well as cyber security of the state's transportation assets,” the agency said in written testimony submitted to the committee.

The committee also discussed the MAA’s March 2024 audit findings. MAA representatives reported that three of four audit findings were not repeated; the remaining repeated item involved contract monitoring controls, and MAA said it has strengthened oversight of concession marketing funds and contract invoices and has recovered some questioned reimbursements from a concessions operator.

Ending: Committee members requested follow-up material, including details about runway and capital cash-flow changes cited in the DLS exhibit and clarification on discretionary IIJA grants under federal review. No votes were taken during the hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","PST Committee Session, 2/7/2025 #1","oneSentenceSummary","The Maryland Aviation Administration told the subcommittee that BWI Marshall Airport has recovered beyond pre-pandemic passenger levels, is advancing its largest-ever capital project (the AB connector and new baggage-handling system), and that federal discretionary grant awards tied to IIJA may be under federal review for a small number of projects.","taxTitle","Public Safety, Transportation, and Environment Subcommittee, Budget and Taxation Committee, SENATE, SENATE, Committees, Legislative, Maryland","taxId",78575,"location","Maryland","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6338817,"Lottery, casino and sports-betting revenue projections drive Maryland Lottery budget briefing",1332,895000,2227000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2267904-0c6d0d10c89bb47d7f0117eb58c0b1f7&start=895&end=2227","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2267904-0c6d0d10c89bb47d7f0117eb58c0b1f7/thumbnail_895000.jpg","/articles/6338817/Maryland/Lottery-casino-and-sports-betting-revenue-projections-drive-Maryland-Lottery-budget-briefing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6338817-d5ac71f7893cad851bc91b8f6b87d76b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771036087&Signature=ifDgagj0MfdnzHuPieczMpnGsZg0Vbe3e81Ao3SitXmXnq5QtTZDx9foJxrJLmWOuOaQaXODo1VcIf19JIfO3Z8Oj4Ykp0pOZQaSpU3PDgRg1-9mBTXTXWekjJJp7Kyj2Bnu-nhskn6gabPtJ448HJhHII-D9sLGaWVJQZ4LAkj0-CwNipZ~0ePV5QsdLqJr3pU7LdGoFk~SaeF56qadrBiVEmM9Poo1oPLYOmbCL~4gaNqWIPvWy3ANOQqTzMfeYgyVaDXOoR067~FVe8TyMqqFtUjXgzB6Y3oQrmFTyOF5GASOIMJHd7ffYtXy4aWWFbdKIDamTyLfZWePa23tow__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Public Safety, Transportation and Environment Subcommittee heard an overview of the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency’s proposed fiscal 2026 budget, with Department of Legislative Services analyst Elizabeth Weibel and agency Director John Martin describing shifting revenue patterns across lottery, casino and sports wagering.

Weibel, an analyst with the Department of Legislative Services (DLS), told the subcommittee that the fiscal 2026 allowance totals about $133 million, an increase of roughly $9 million (about 7%), and that about 90 percent of the increase is funded with special funds from gaming revenues. “If you look at the pie chart, you'll see 42% of the budget is for central monitoring and control contracts,” Weibel said, noting those contracts cover instant-ticket machines, ticket printing and distribution, and casino monitoring. She also identified a proposed fiscal 2025 efficiency of $830,000 in vendor fees and a fund swap that reduces General Fund support for the video lottery terminal (VLT) and gaming operations program by $418,000 and replaces it with program revenues.

The DLS presentation highlighted that overall lottery sales totaled about $2.7 billion in fiscal 2024, a 1 percent decrease from the prior year, and that most gaming revenue lines were flat or down in fiscal 2024 except for sports wagering. Weibel said the supplemental stadium financing and transit and local impact grants will take an increasing share of lottery disbursements in the coming years—for example, showing $34.7 million going to stadium financing in fiscal 2025 and $48.2 million in fiscal 2026.

John Martin, director of the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, outlined agency results and priorities. Martin said the agency contributed nearly $1.6 billion in fiscal 2024 to state purposes including the Maryland Education Trust Fund, the Blueprint for Maryland's Future Fund, the state general fund and other statutorily directed recipients. He also reported that casino gaming revenues and lottery ticket sales fell slightly year over year, while sports wagering contributions—allocated to the Blueprint fund—grew rapidly. “Each sportsbook contributes 15% of its taxable win to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future fund,” Martin said, reporting an approximately $60.3 million contribution in fiscal 2024 and strong growth through the first half of fiscal 2025.

Lawmakers asked about three revenue and cost issues flagged in the briefing. Several senators questioned why the agency receives any General Fund support at all. Martin explained the lottery program is entirely self-funded; however, the VLT (casino) program receives a combination of special funds and a small General Fund allocation because the state share of slot machine revenue does not cover all administrative costs. He also said the newly created sports wagering program has not been allocated an agency funding source and therefore receives no direct support.

Members pressed on staffing and contracting. Weibel noted the allowance includes one new regular position for a lottery sales representative and an agency proposal to eliminate five contractual FTEs. Martin said the agency has been reducing contractual staff where possible and is converting some positions to regular status when feasible. He described the agency’s responsible-gaming work and said the agency recently submitted an application for responsible gaming certification at the sustaining level to the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries and the National Council on Problem Gambling.

DLS also flagged two BRFAA provisions (listed in the DLS analysis) that would raise taxes on gaming: a proposed increase in the table-game tax from 20% to 25% and an increase in the tax on mobile sports betting from 15% to 30%. Weibel noted those provisions would not directly change the agency’s budget but would change revenue flows—initially routing additional revenue to the General Fund through fiscal 2027 and afterwards to education-related trust funds.

The agency and analysts agreed to provide additional requested details to the committee, including a breakdown of headcount by function (lottery retail sales, casino compliance and licensing operations) and the numbers of contractual versus regular employees. Martin also said the agency would continue coordination with the University of Maryland Center of Excellence on problem gambling and would keep the committee informed about that work.

Ending: The subcommittee did not take formal action during the hearing; senators asked for follow-up material and the agency concurred with the DLS budget recommendation to the extent described in the presentation.
","The Public Safety, Transportation and Environment Subcommittee heard an overview of the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency’s fiscal 2026 budget, with Department of Legislative Services analysts and agency leadership reporting a roughly 7% growth in the allowance driven by special funds amid flat traditional lottery and casino sales and strong growth in mobile sports wagering.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6338812,"Public Service Commission briefs senators on vacancies, arrearages, grid grants and offshore wind litigation",3335,2161000,5496000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2267904-0c6d0d10c89bb47d7f0117eb58c0b1f7&start=2161&end=5496","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2267904-0c6d0d10c89bb47d7f0117eb58c0b1f7/thumbnail_2161000.jpg","/articles/6338812/Maryland/Public-Service-Commission-briefs-senators-on-vacancies-arrearages-grid-grants-and-offshore-wind-litigation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6338812-08596280f3cd2bcc71a2f005e4bbe517/orig.mp4?Expires=1771036087&Signature=TEM~Jtaykv0CkQoyDJ4e1JN5mgffROb-ohS-EchW5Ggv0dhLWfLA4Di4hqORG6w30oB8zbZiW~xySBd4tJzBcKSL2Du42yWGs-TbzZf-Ph4-lPlm4cxiSz2K1rkMR150uUZqwHd3EsjC46y9w7lYYng0UXq7jsxxycjqtHFr6pyMn8QifqKyJk19iu8t4sL~94Gqerk6ia7fGTBq2gdcb8qq8zHW2bt~10YL0Iz692ztfPmljicaRvMplUMYXTtA7rit1rQf9TyrnW2Kiv6LsyksLnWtE0lc3fqjqYWA5tHuJXSrv-JZotZGofgqmW~802HVFWLe55Kp4OD5pBTbDA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Public Safety, Transportation and Environment Subcommittee received the Department of Legislative Services’ analysis of the Maryland Public Service Commission’s (PSC) fiscal 2026 operating budget and heard commissioners describe workforce strains, consumer arrearage trends and federal funding activity.

Suveksha Pujal, a DLS analyst, summarized the PSC proposed fiscal 2026 operating allowance of about $30.2 million, a $1.6 million (5.5%) increase over the previous year driven mainly by personnel costs. “PSC is primarily funded through special funds obtained through assessments on public service company revenue,” Pujal said, and noted the allowance would add 10 regular positions for a total of 75 authorized positions, while PSC reported 33 vacancies as of December 2024.

Brett Hoover, chair of the Maryland Public Service Commission, told the subcommittee that filling vacancies has been difficult because many PSC positions require specialized technical expertise that is in demand across the federal government and private sector. “A lot of the issues that we deal with tend to be fairly complex, require a certain amount of expertise, and also tend to be positions that are in high demand,” Hoover said, adding that the commission has used outside consultants where it cannot recruit staff quickly enough.

The DLS presentation and PSC testimony also addressed consumer hardship and utility arrearages. Pujal reported rising residential electricity and natural gas prices — for example, an average residential electricity price of 18.4 cents per kilowatt-hour in September 2024, an increase from the prior year — and noted PSC is creating a new public portal for termination and arrearage data that has not been updated since May 2024. Hoover described a two-track response by the commission: revising termination rules to add specificity for summer disconnections and pursuing a rate-design proceeding to consider special rates for low- and moderate-income customers to reduce arrearages.

PSC also briefed the committee on federal infrastructure funding for grid resilience. Pujal and Hoover told senators that utilities have pursued grants and loans from the Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA/Bipartisan Infrastructure Law), and DLS highlighted several awards to utilities including SMECO and Baltimore Gas & Electric. On offshore wind, Hoover said the US Wind project’s construction and operations plan had been approved by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, but litigation challenging BOEM’s permit could affect project timing: “There is litigation that's been filed against the project developers related to the construction permit issued by the federal government,” Hoover said, and he noted the commission’s role is limited because offshore siting is a federal matter.

Committee members asked about protections for consumers and steps to speed reconnection after terminations; Hoover said PSC is pursuing minimum standards for payment plans and working with the Department of Human Services’ OHEAP energy assistance program to streamline customer access to funds.

Ending: DLS recommended committee narrative requesting updated termination and arrearage data; PSC indicated it is undertaking rulemaking and other steps to address arrearages and recruitment challenges. No formal legislative action was taken during the hearing.","The Maryland Public Service Commission described a 5.5% increase in its fiscal 2026 operating budget request, ongoing vacancy and recruitment challenges for technical staff, rising residential electricity and natural gas prices, work to reduce utility terminations and arrearages, and potential litigation risks to an offshore wind developer.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

BWI Marshall capital projects, passenger recovery and grant risks top Maryland Aviation Administration briefing

Lottery, casino and sports-betting revenue projections drive Maryland Lottery budget briefing

Public Service Commission briefs senators on vacancies, arrearages, grid grants and offshore wind litigation