2021 Local Bills and Bonds Requests - Legislative Summary

The following Howard County local bills were passed and enacted this session: 

HB1142
(Ho. Co. 7-21) Howard County – School Redistricting – Public Testimony

HB1151
(Ho. Co. 2-21) Howard County - Class A Alcoholic Beverages Licenses - Quota by Election District 

HB1152
(Ho. Co. 4-21) Howard County - Alcoholic Beverages - Class B Beer, Wine, and Liquor License - Off-Premises Consumption

HB1155
(Ho. Co. 1-21)  Howard County – Alcoholic Beverages – Delivery

HB1190
(Ho. Co. 5-21) Howard County – Board of Education – Redetermination of Geographic Attendance Area

HB1191
(Ho. Co. 3-21) Howard County – Alcoholic Beverages – Alcoholic Beverages Inspectors
 

In addition, bond initiative requests for local projects were funded as follows:

Ho. Co. 16-21, Humanim $150,000

Ho. Co. 17-21, Patuxent Commons $500,000

Ho. Co. 18-21, Caplan’s Façade Renovations $500,000

Ho. Co. 20-21, Harriet Tubman Cultural Center Playground $200,000

Ho. Co. 22-21, Tiber Park $126,230

Ho. Co. 25-21, East Columbia 50+ Center $1,000,000

Ho. Co. 26-21, Harriet Tubman Cultural Center $750,000

Ho. Co. 27-21, Ellicott City Quaker Second School Building $100,000

Ho. Co. 28-21, Days End Horse Rescue Firehouse $400,000

Ho. Co. 29-21, Community Ecology Institute $75,000

Proposed local bills for the 2021 Regular Session of the Maryland General Assembly

The Howard County Delegation held its public hearing for local bills on November, 17th 2020. You can access recording of the meeting hereYou can also view the recording on the Howard County Delegation Facebook page here.  Full text of the Howard County bills can be accessed as they become available here

Short descriptions of the bond initiative requests and local bills proposed for the 2021 legislative session appear below. Details on legislative bond initiatives and text of bills can be found by clicking their titles. This page will be updated as needed and documents added as they become available.

Bond Initiative Requests

Humanim - Remodeling Gerwig, Ho. Co. 16-21; PASSED BY THE DELEGATION (1/20/21) $150,000
By: Howard County Delegation

Patuxent Commons, Ho. Co. 17-21; PASSED BY THE DELEGATION (1/20/21) $500,000
By: Howard County Delegation

8125 Main Street Reconstruction and Renovation, Ho. Co. 18-21; PASSED BY THE DELEGATION (2/10/21) $500,000
By: Howard County Delegation

Centennial Park ADA Improvements, Ho. Co. 19-21; PASSED BY THE DELEGATION (2/10/21) $500,000
By: Howard County Delegation 

Harriet Tubman Cultural Center Playground, Ho. Co. 20-21; PASSED BY THE DELEGATION (2/10/21) $200,000
By: Howard County Delegation 

Robinson Nature Center Amphitheater and Stage, Ho. Co. 21-21; PASSED BY THE DELEGATION (2/10/21) $100,000
By: Howard County Delegation

Expanded Tiber Park, Ho. Co. 22-21; PASSED BY THE DELEGATION (2/10/21) $500,000
By: Howard County Delegation

Patapsco Female Institute Chapel, Ho. Co. 23-21; PASSED BY THE DELEGATION (2/10/21) $300,000
By: Howard County Delegation 

Historic Barnard Fort House, Ho. Co. 24-21; PASSED BY THE DELEGATION (2/10/21) $150,000
By: Howard County Delegation

East Columbia 50+ Center, Ho. Co. 25-21; PASSED BY THE DELEGATION (2/10/21) $1,000,000
By: Howard County Delegation

Harriet Tubman Cultural Center, Ho. Co. 26-21; PASSED BY THE DELEGATION (2/10/21) $750,000
By: Howard County Delegation

Ellicott City Quaker School, Ho. Co. 27-21; PASSED BY THE DELEGATION (2/10/21) $150,000
By: Howard County Delegation

DEFHR Firehouse Redevelopment, Ho. Co. 28-21; PASSED BY THE DELEGATION (2/17/21) $500,000
By: Howard County Delegation

Community Ecology Center, Ho. Co. 29-21; PASSED BY THE DELEGATION (2/17/21) $75,000
By: Howard County Delegation

Proposed Local Bills for the 2021 Regular Session of the Maryland General Assembly

Howard County – Alcoholic Beverages - Delivery, Ho. Co. 1-21
PASSED BY THE DELEGATION (1/20/21) HB1155

By: Delegate Watson

FOR the purpose of authorizing a holder of a Class A alcoholic beverages license in Howard County to deliver alcoholic beverages in the county; authorizing certain employees of a license holder to deliver alcoholic beverages; requiring that an employee making certain deliveries be of a certain age; requiring an individual receiving a certain alcoholic beverages delivery to provide certain proof of age; providing for the manner in which an individual receiving a delivery of alcoholic beverages provides proof of age; requiring the Board of License Commissioners for Howard County to approve a certain certification; requiring the purchaser of certain alcoholic beverages or a certain designated individual of a certain age to be present to receive a delivery of alcoholic beverages; and generally relating to alcoholic beverages in Howard County.

Howard County – Class A Alcoholic Beverages Licenses – Quota by Election District, Ho. Co. 2-21

By: Senator Guzzone

FOR the purpose of altering the quota system for Class A licenses in Howard County so as to limit the issuance of the licenses to not more than one for a certain number of residents in each election district, rather than in the county; and generally relating to Class A alcoholic beverages licenses in Howard County. 

Howard County – Alcoholic Beverages – Alcoholic Beverages Inspectors, Ho. Co. 3-21
PASSED BY THE DELEGATION (1/20/21) HB1191

By: Chair, Howard County Delegation

FOR the purpose of authorizing an alcoholic beverages inspector to issue a citation in Howard County; requiring an inspector to complete a training program in the use of arrest authority and pertinent police procedures; prohibiting an inspector from carrying a firearm in the performance of the inspector’s duties; requiring the Howard County Police Department to employ certain inspectors, rather than requiring the
Chief of the County Police Department to provide a sworn member of the County Police Department as an inspector; requiring the Chief of the County Police Department to have certain authority over the hiring of inspectors; and generally relating to alcoholic beverages in Howard County.

Howard County – Alcoholic Beverages – Class B Beer, Wine, and Liquor License – Off–Premises Consumption, Ho. Co. 4-21 
PASSED BY THE DELEGATION AS AMENDED (1/20/21) HB1152

By: Delegate Watson

FOR the purpose of authorizing the holder of a certain Class B beer, wine, and liquor license in Howard County to sell beer, wine, and liquor for off–premises consumption, subject to certain requirements; repealing certain provisions that authorize the Board of License Commissioners for Howard County to issue a certain permit to a certain holder of a certain Class B beer, wine, and liquor license; and generally relating to alcoholic beverages in Howard County.

Howard County – Board of Education – Redetermination of Geographic Attendance Area, Ho. Co. 5-21
PASSED BY THE DELEGATION (2/3/21) HB1190

By: Senator Lam

FOR the purpose of requiring the Howard County Board of Education to submit a certain annual report on the program capacity of each permanent school facility, beginning in a certain school year; requiring the county board to submit a certain report to the General Assembly and the Howard County Delegation to the General Assembly under certain circumstances; requiring the county board to implement certain processes set out in a certain policy to make a certain assessment; requiring the county board to submit a certain report to the General Assembly and the Howard County Delegation regarding the outcome of a certain assessment under certain circumstances; defining certain terms; and generally relating to the target utilization of permanent school facilities in Howard County.

Howard County – School Redistricting – Public Testimony, Ho. Co. 7-21
PASSED BY THE DELEGATION (2/3/21) HB1142

By: Senator Lam

FOR the purpose of requiring, during a school redistricting process in which the redistricting plan proposed by the Howard County Board of Education differs from the redistricting plan proposed by the Howard County Superintendent of Schools, that the county board allow a certain number of members of a household whose school assignment is changed only in the county board’s plan to provide public testimony before the final vote on either school redistricting plan; and generally relating to the Howard County Board of Education and school redistricting.

Howard County – Howard County Board of Education – School Safety Personnel, Ho. Co. 10-21
HB1189

By: Delegate Atterbeary

FOR the purpose of requiring the Howard County Board of Education to develop a plan to implement certain school safety guidelines that does not assign school resource officers to public schools in Howard County and uses adequate local law enforcement coverage to implement the guidelines; and generally relating to school safety personnel in Howard County.

Howard County – Howard County – Commercial Building Excise Tax – Board of Education Deferred Maintenance, Ho. Co. 11-21

By: Delegate Atterbeary

FOR the purpose of authorizing the County Council of Howard County to impose a certain excise tax; requiring the County Council of Howard County to specify the types of buildings subject to a certain excise tax; authorizing the County Council of Howard County to impose different tax rates on certain construction; requiring the excise tax to be deposited into a certain fund to be used only for a certain purpose; requiring
the Howard County Board of Education to submit a certain report on or before a certain date to the County Council of Howard County, the Howard County Executive, and members of the Howard County Delegation to the General Assembly; requiring the County Council of Howard County and the Howard County Executive to submit a certain report on or before a certain date to the Howard County Delegation to the 15 General Assembly addressing certain recommendations made by the Howard County Board of Education; providing for the termination of certain provisions of this Act; and generally relating to deferred maintenance in the Howard County Public School System.

Howard County - Fee–in–Lieu of Moderate–Income Housing Units – Prohibition, Ho. Co. 12-21 
DID NOT PASS THE DELEGATION (1/27/21)

By: Delegate Atterbeary

FOR the purpose of prohibiting Howard County from authorizing payment of a fee–in–lieu of a requirement under local law that a developer provide moderate–income housing units in a new residential development project; and generally relating to moderate–income housing unit requirements in Howard County.

Howard County – Homeowners Association Commission – Alternative Dispute Resolution Authority, Ho. Co. 13-21 
WITHDRAWN (12/28/20)

By: Delegate Jen Terrasa

FOR the purpose of authorizing Howard County to establish a homeowners association commission to hear and resolve, through alternative dispute resolution, certain issues between a homeowners association and a homeowner regarding certain documents; and generally relating to the resolution of disputes between homeowners associations and homeowners in Howard County.

Howard County - Fee for Rental Housing Services - Established, Ho. Co. 15-21
PASSED BY THE DELEGATION AS AMENDED (2/3/21) HB1285

By: Delegates Feldmark and Terrasa

FOR the purpose of establishing a fee on rental housing licenses issued in Howard County for a certain purpose; requiring that the fee be at least a certain amount and paid at a certain time; specifying that the fee is in addition to any other fees required for the issuance or renewal of a rental housing license; authorizing the Howard County Council to set by ordinance the amount of the fee; providing that the fee does not apply to a rental housing license issued to an owner of certain types of housing; authorizing the County Council to specify by ordinance certain eligibility requirements, types of services, and processes for obtaining services; defining a certain term; providing for the application of this Act; and generally relating to rental housing license fees in Howard County.

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