House Bill 527, introduced by Delegate Laurie Cullari, would give people who live within a quarter-mile of the Purple Line three months of free Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) ridership and provide free advertising space to businesses within the same radius. Cullari described the measure as a modest recognition of the prolonged construction harms experienced along the corridor and said she expects to amend the bill after discussions with state transportation officials.

Cullari, the bill sponsor, told the House Environment and Transportation Committee she has long supported the Purple Line but said construction management failures turned what "would have been a couple of years of inconvenience" into more than a decade of disruption. "I am a big supporter of and have been for years of the Purple Line," she said, adding that residents and businesses near the line have been harmed by extended delays and unsafe pedestrian conditions.

The nut graf: supporters say the bill is a narrow, time-limited relief and promotional tool meant to help legacy businesses survive and to encourage nearby residents to try new transit. Opponents and some committee members pressed on details, including whether the proposed advertising would favor large chains, how the short-term fare waiver would be funded, and what grants or other relief businesses have already received.

Business owners and residents described months of interrupted access and revenue losses. Lenny Zagai, described on the record as co‑owner of Caffa Cafe, said his downtown Silver Spring cafe has struggled and urged the committee to pass HB 527. "I really strongly believe that this bill will provide a very good things for especially for legacy businesses that who created Downtown Silver Spring," Zagai said. Long Branch resident Maria Moran described reduced sales and pedestrian-safety concerns and urged a favorable report.

Stakeholders and witnesses included the Purple Line Corridor Coalition, which recommended longer advertising periods and broader recovery work; small-business owners who described lost customers, employee reductions and physical access problems; and advocates who urged the committee to ensure the program targets the smaller merchants that sustained the corridor prior to construction.

Committee members and witnesses discussed several specifics that Cullari said she would try to address in amendments: MDOT and MTA suggested shortening the free-ridership period from three months to one month; the sponsors discussed defining which businesses qualify for free advertising to avoid large chains taking limited ad space; and speakers asked the bill to clarify coordination with the MTA small business grant program (witnesses said some businesses received a corridor-wide $5,000 grant in a prior round while a newer small-business grant was only recently launched).

Cullari said she has been negotiating language with MDOT and expects to file committee amendments. The bill hearing concluded after public and stakeholder testimony; the committee did not take a final vote at the hearing.

Ending: The sponsor said the measure is intentionally modest and symbolic, meant to recognize disproportionate burdens that adjacent residents and small businesses have borne. Cullari indicated she will work with MDOT and the MTA on amendments and return to the committee with refined language.