The Prince George's County Council's General Assembly Committee on March 11 examined the Housing for Jobs Act and approved two amendment strategies intended to protect the county's interests as the bill advances in Annapolis.

Planning Director Lakisha Hall briefed the committee on local housing production and on how the state derived its job-to-housing ratios. Hall said the county issued roughly 5,600 residential permits in 2024, including about 1,340 permits for townhomes/duplexes/condos, 744 single-family permits and roughly 3,500 multifamily permits. Hall told the committee the state used American Community Survey and other federal data, not the county's real-time permit records, to make its regional calculations.

Why it matters: Council members and local planners said Prince George's County faces unique regional dynamics — including historically high commuter shares and different job counts in state versus regional data — that could require an exception or revised counting method to avoid penalizing the county.

Council action: Vice Chair Wanika Fisher moved and Council Member Burrows seconded a motion giving staff authority to pursue a "notwithstanding" amendment exempting Prince George's County from certain regional requirements. The motion carried 4–0. The committee then voted, 4–0, to authorize staff to seek an amendment requesting that the state use employment figures produced by regional agencies — such as the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and the Baltimore Metropolitan Council — instead of the federal-American Community Survey data the state relied upon.

Discussion highlights: Several speakers argued the bill's regional approach could unfairly require Prince George's County to produce unrealistically large numbers of new housing units because it is coupled with Montgomery and Frederick counties in the state calculation. County consultant Tom Genova said state figures appeared to include part-time job counts and other differences that inflate the county's job totals; he and others recommended counting pipeline units and COG data when computing any local obligations. Lorenzo Bellamy, representing local stakeholders, and Director Hall both urged the county's delegation to consider amendment language that recognizes local permit pipelines and unique commuting patterns.

Next steps: The committee directed staff and counsel to draft amendment language and to work with the county's delegation in Annapolis. Committee members asked for draft amendments in time for the state bill's Thursday amendment deadline.