Commissioner Porter presented a legislative update to the Board on Jan. 28 that covered a package of bills the county and its partners are tracking in the Maryland General Assembly.

Key items discussed included:

- Senate Bill 292 (proposed change to primary/secondary traffic stops and admissibility of evidence). Sheriff Baker criticized the proposal, saying it would reclassify common equipment and registration offenses as secondary and could make evidence seized following a stop inadmissible in court. Commissioners directed staff to monitor the bill and consider opposition.

- Senate Bill 478 (solar energy generating stations). The bill would prohibit the Public Service Commission from approving a certificate of public convenience and necessity for a solar generating station without written approval from each county or municipality where the station would be sited. Commissioners indicated support for the bill (county has a moratorium on projects).

- House Bill 487 / Senate Bill 484 (rights of unhoused individuals). Commissioners said the draft would limit local authority to remove encampments and that the county should register strong opposition; they asked county attorneys and the legislative team to prepare an opposition letter.

- House Bill 647 (restrictive housing / shortening allowable time in restrictive housing). County staff reported MALF (Maryland Association of Local Federations / referenced organization) opposition and commissioners agreed to monitor and consider a county position.

- Delegate Grice’s draft: an amendment that would allow a county governing body to approve projects previously denied by the Maryland Historical Trust (example discussed: a West Denton property where a historic-trust review blocked a dredging permit because of a piece of wood in dredge spoil). Commissioners expressed interest in tracking this bill because it might give local governments a path to overrule or revisit state historic-review holds in site-specific cases.

Staff also briefed the board on other bills related to farm home processing revenue limits, retirement system transfers, transmission lines and conservation easements, and an open-space funding change being pursued at DNR. Commissioners asked staff and the county legislative team to prepare or track letters of support, opposition or information as appropriate and to continue discussion with the county’s legislative liaisons.

Why this matters: Several bills could alter county regulatory authority over development, law enforcement stops, encampments and conservation easements. Commissioners requested staff follow-up and directed the legislative team to prepare letters where positions were clear (support for solar CPCN local-approval bill; opposition to the unhoused-individuals bill), and to continue monitoring other measures.

Next steps: staff to draft letters of opposition/support as directed, coordinate with the county’s legislative liaisons and raise select items at the commissioners’ next meeting and subcommittee calls.