The Maryland General Assembly is now beyond the crossover date, which means we have a good sense of which bills have a strong chance of approval by both chambers and then advancing for the governor’s signature. We’ve had some significant successes and some disappointments, but we are still in the midst of a strong push to get good bills enacted (see our Legislation and Testimony pages for more details).
A major success is that Senate Bill (SB) 528, the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022, has passed the Senate and is being considered in the House of Delegates. It is an important bill, and we are seeking amendments to further improve it.
Other beneficial climate legislation includes:
- HB 88, the GRID Act, which will strengthen the planning processes for our electric grid to better incorporate clean energy, has passed the House and is now under consideration by the Senate.
- SB 81 which will enable eleven Maryland counties to enforce building energy performance standards passed in the Senate
- SB 264/HB 76, which would provide community solar projects an exemption from local property taxes, advanced in both chambers. (Under Maryland’s system, either the House or Senate version now needs to be approved by the opposite chamber before the bill goes to the governor, so it’s not a done deal yet.)
- SB 524/HB 108 which would facilitate adoption of energy efficiency measures by low income households has also advanced in both chambers.
In the transportation area, HB 696, to create an innovative program for financing and promoting the adoption of electric school buses, passed the House, as did HB 94 to electrify the state’s vehicle fleet.
- HB 53, to support implementation of dedicated bus lanes, also passed the House.
- HB 1391, to promote purchases of zero emission vehicles, also passed.
- SB 61/HB 10, which supports adoption of zero emission buses by the Maryland Transit Administration, passed both chambers.
Another major success in the area of natural environment is that SB 541, the Great Maryland Outdoors Act, which will strengthen our state’s park system and increase its accessibility, passed the Senate.
Others milestones in the area of natureal environment are listed below.
- SB 221, a water law enforcement bill recommended by Attorney General Frosh, has also passed the Senate.
- SB4 92/HB 649, which will help eliminate “zombie” permits under which discharges continue under expired permits, passed both chambers.
- SB 273/HB 275, which will help eliminate pollution from PFAS “forever chemicals,” also passed in both chambers.
- SB 7/HB 15 to help control invasive plants passed in both chambers, too.
In the zero waste area, HB 18 to create an innovative paint stewardship program has passed the House, as did HB 131, which creates a chain of custody tracking program to help ensure responsible disposal of synthetic turf. On the Senate side, two bills to respectively promote composting for schools and farms, SB 124 and SB 229, have advanced.
On the disappointment side, the Environmental Human Rights Amendment to the Maryland Constitution did not advance in either chamber. We played a large role in moving it forward, including helping to secure support from more than 150 organizations and thousands of individuals. Our push for having Maryland join other leading states in adopting California’s rule for sales of zero emissions trucks and buses also fell short. Finally, a bill we supported to expand land conservation in the state also failed to advance. I expect we will be back and work hard to pass all three of these measures in the future.
In the meantime, all the currently viable bills could benefit from your support! Be on the lookout for our emails on particularly important actions you can take.