The Prince George's County General Assembly Committee voted 4–0 on March 11 to support House Bill 14 34 / Senate Bill 353, which establishes a food-deserts work group to assess locations, causes and interventions across Maryland.

Daryl Carrington, a consultant presenting the bill, said the Department of Housing and Community Development would staff the group and that a consultant would likely be needed; he cited a one-time cost of $75,000 for fiscal 2026 to support technical work. The group would inventory food deserts statewide, study strategies to attract supermarkets and craft recommendations in a report due Nov. 1 of the following year.

Why it matters: Several areas of Prince George's County are already identified by state and county officials as underserved for full-service grocery stores. Committee members said the county should engage with the work group to ensure its data and local programs are considered as the state develops incentives.

Committee action: The committee moved a favorable position on HB 14 34; the roll call recorded a unanimous vote to support the bill and encouraged county engagement with the work group.

Next steps: Committee staff will coordinate with county departments to participate and to submit county-specific information to the work group.