[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_25":26},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_27":28,"_29":30},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[31,75,87,99,111],{"_32":33,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":39,"_40":41,"_42":43,"_44":45,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6619458,"mediaKeyId","2836289-3f1153df0c76adacefb14fb201db09c7","parentId",2836289,"title","Committee reviews bill to codify privately owned-vehicle lights for volunteer emergency responders in Baltimore City and County","audioSeconds",236,"startMs",2370000,"endMs",2606000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2836289-3f1153df0c76adacefb14fb201db09c7&start=2370&end=2606","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2836289-3f1153df0c76adacefb14fb201db09c7/thumbnail_2370000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6619458/Maryland/Committee-reviews-bill-to-codify-privately-owned-vehicle-lights-for-volunteer-emergency-responders-in-Baltimore-City-and-County","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6619458-9ed0529d8889e147e322f1579e753973/orig.mp4?Expires=1769928427&Signature=K8Rl2UjfQLTimdspndjmuEY5ymUG30ZuZ0Qv~aKwjGpPioMoq6vaKJfO4gWgKzQ-ARX2aj0JC0vZ7sVFQ9KZYi-0F-hOlDNGofAk0F-hff6kZmcO8LoMyDafGEfevadEhbmHjhJ2LCmHbAhBbrOLLdxLd5hmCwjBpkmdmSdHMAlXkGHnshAF1RduuRPMH3bcywtsaxz0dz9tGCixGD4fTG~OLDikIqBl5Z-VnL5t1SW4lQNM-xbB5G3iStwUIIVx81fG4HNt5-53uUhiy36SeP3t~GhojSk-D6uYrucMydssPibCDLTPJpIlsE6lTQOSSEEwnoJ33y0r96fvFleVYw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Maryland General Assembly - Environment and Transportation","date","2025-04-01T17:52:43.413Z","article","Delegates and the senator representing adjacent Baltimore City and County districts told the Environment and Transportation Committee that House Bill 15-20 and Senate Bill 10-30 would clarify existing practice permitting a limited number of privately owned vehicles used by volunteers from the nonprofit Hotsawa of Baltimore to carry red or red-and-white lights while en route to emergency scenes.

Delegate Stein (introducing the House cross-file) said Hotsawa, a volunteer nonprofit that provides EMT and paramedic care in northwest Baltimore, has long operated privately owned vehicles equipped under MDOT permission and that the bills would codify and narrow that practice to cover officers of this organization. Senator Dalia Attar, sponsor on the Senate side, said MDOT had previously allowed many of the group's vehicles to operate with lights. She described the bill as ‘‘codifying current practice’’ and said both Baltimore City and Baltimore County delegations had letters of support and had voted unanimously in favor of the measure.

Committee members asked whether the provision could be misapplied to affiliated suborganizations and whether privately owned vehicles could legally operate as emergency vehicles (for example, exceeding speed limits). Sponsors said the bill, as amended, applies only to the named organization and that MDOT had been consulted; one sponsor said MDOT's earlier letter was written before the amendment that clarified the bill's limited scope. Committee members also asked how the change related to move-over laws and whether volunteers are authorized to use emergency driving privileges; sponsors said privately owned vehicles remain subject to traffic law and that volunteers are not exempted from statutory rules for emergency vehicles.

The record included letters of support from the delegations and the Baltimore City administration. No committee vote was recorded at the April 1 hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","ENT Committee Session, 4/1/2025 #1","oneSentenceSummary","Sponsors told the House Environment and Transportation Committee on April 1 that bills would codify a limited practice allowing volunteer Hotsawa officers in northwest Baltimore to equip privately owned vehicles with red or red-and-white lights when responding to emergencies.","taxTitle","Environment and Transportation Committee, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Maryland","taxId",15060,"location","Maryland","headline","","shortSummary",{"_32":76,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":77,"_40":78,"_42":79,"_44":80,"_46":81,"_48":82,"_50":83,"_52":84,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":85,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":86,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6619461,"Howard County delegation backs limited mechanical equipment use in Patuxent River wildland",221,655000,876000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2836289-3f1153df0c76adacefb14fb201db09c7&start=655&end=876","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2836289-3f1153df0c76adacefb14fb201db09c7/thumbnail_655000.jpg","/articles/6619461/Maryland/Howard-County-delegation-backs-limited-mechanical-equipment-use-in-Patuxent-River-wildland","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6619461-36b60d111ded72eb8f76b8a418eec21d/orig.mp4?Expires=1769928427&Signature=AOhh0qgUjStLPRb-vnDRSvCtC18WpetSPLMEehQspqDAWbONkgMhAA-fJZ1wMPAwGLJXXxDcKgUlMig~0-q9nRlegNt--ZisJ-LCixgPGwgyOje0160SI~zy9RVj48yfpoCDCJFTbR95Mef3hLOP~M0fnxw3bSg7R50WQsqbrUcyLtxqfDg2NoGjKTEcxXw-gI2oRNEWwjxqICqWMlu0x4yJAE5FQTGyX9edaHOLruzy1D8a~XMjEhE6S8BhoP2W0DiPcHyerpD0We~WAvGrIF20CMGgi7J94ROkBDIQMemi6ToNs55wGOr9vym7L2uJKIy2vHJycJOOFml3tu4aNQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Delegate Jen Teraza presented Senate Bill 9-68 to the House Environment and Transportation Committee on April 1 as a local Howard County measure supported by the Howard County House and Senate delegations. The bill would provide the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) express authority to use mechanical or motorized equipment for specific, limited purposes — such as maintaining emergency access — in the Patuxent River wildland, which Teraza said includes approximately 1,579 acres of state-designated wildland and several parcels.

Teraza told the committee that restrictions on motorized equipment in state wildlands have limited trail maintenance, leaving trails overgrown and sometimes posing risks to park visitors and first responders. She said DNR and Montgomery County are supportive, though an official delegation letter from Montgomery County was not on the record at the time of the hearing. Committee members asked clarifying questions about parcel boundaries and whether the area overlapped Prince George’s County; Teraza said the parts addressed by this bill were not the portions in Prince George’s County and referred members to the full metes-and-bounds description.

The committee did not take action during the hearing. Supporters characterized the measure as narrowly tailored to allow DNR to maintain trails and emergency access where nonmechanized methods were insufficient.","Delegate Jen Teraza said Senate Bill 9-68 would allow the Department of Natural Resources limited use of mechanical or motorized equipment to maintain trails and emergency access in the Patuxent River wildland spanning Howard and Montgomery counties.",{"_32":88,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":89,"_40":90,"_42":91,"_44":92,"_46":93,"_48":94,"_50":95,"_52":96,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":97,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":98,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6619465,"Howard County delegation seeks authorization to extend speed cameras to US Route 1",77,571000,648000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2836289-3f1153df0c76adacefb14fb201db09c7&start=571&end=648","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2836289-3f1153df0c76adacefb14fb201db09c7/thumbnail_571000.jpg","/articles/6619465/Maryland/Howard-County-delegation-seeks-authorization-to-extend-speed-cameras-to-US-Route-1","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6619465-b3a93d8e4bf5d0282cfe48d51108d7af/orig.mp4?Expires=1769928427&Signature=XxYykvqjv5czjjEEtRtOxTNWZ38NxtMbtHvb~SLBzaucHmsxyudQ~DbMY9HfVsP2bcEe6~sRBLQf43xQkvXqlkM1AQgi-~W4eil4WU-RmviY6fxPO9KcMs7YP7nH30ZVAke9oTv-ro66gTfUGerCD7~Ydvxz0J~Ikm0Uh0Q1zl5oj-IAn05wvqUNgHWX2KAXSaSZ2LM3X~UQJLO752tRFhqVES26umsqamr1hPEvatpQypN-ztchtxgHLzUJuj0oEWXkrtNj6OPC9U4cB0lAGcUqAoTLFhV6IglGsCRBux13d3ZWFrwUX23InCDKCWl~m4gUa13vObDnRF4P9cu8Lg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Delegate John Teraza told the Environment and Transportation Committee that House Bill 13-11 — a local Howard County measure supported by both the Howard County House and Senate delegations — would expand the use of automated speed monitoring systems to U.S. Route 1 in Howard County. Teraza said the bill, as amended by the delegation, also specifies that fines collected would be used for pedestrian and highway-safety purposes and asked for a favorable report.

Committee members asked brief clarifying questions. The panel did not take a recorded vote during the hearing. Teraza said the bill had been amended since filing and emphasized local delegation support.","Delegate John Teraza presented an amended local bill to expand speed monitoring cameras to U.S. Route 1 in Howard County and said fines would be earmarked for pedestrian and highway safety purposes.",{"_32":100,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":101,"_40":102,"_42":103,"_44":104,"_46":105,"_48":106,"_50":107,"_52":108,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":109,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":110,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6619470,"Heated hearing over tow-company liens; counties and consumer groups oppose state-level lien work group",1621,833000,2454000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2836289-3f1153df0c76adacefb14fb201db09c7&start=833&end=2454","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2836289-3f1153df0c76adacefb14fb201db09c7/thumbnail_833000.jpg","/articles/6619470/Maryland/Heated-hearing-over-tow-company-liens-counties-and-consumer-groups-oppose-state-level-lien-work-group","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6619470-0156c8db0b91dddaab8e00bf1c987c76/orig.mp4?Expires=1769928427&Signature=g0XSMr3qgptRU1clGGUx7YADS9BxpQ6U4ehg8n~NOTIYRRhOGON1u0FeHWHCk2-k2GKtuToJ-A-kU45J~n5JBVLfOyAjLM79yTaWBQoYiJRwLxAMyAoTLW3X6oTWWksJ4kX7fK8nq-3wCjUkxp1hnpo2cjqJd5Sii5FdedzUuOhVhISUWDC9z8Pj-hlK5zejq7OovANDY6YOuTyMbgRFJYNKicQwYTOYd1ARX7XZoXIhoyy9ujBCIA~K7tOWY6lWCRRnNXHW4nyILN0WI40F66oYT6rCD6f~HLMhiteUrInttB7~5FZwTXmMJzbFr8PlsYDYyVFnw3F6wfmUtduc2g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Supporters of a study on post-towing procedures and the possibility of a statutory possessory lien asked the House Environment and Transportation Committee on April 1 to form a work group to consider changes to Maryland law. Samuel Deschano, legislative director for Senator James, said the original bill was intended to clarify possessory liens for towed vehicles but was amended in the Senate to create a work group. \"If the work group says we don't need a statutory change, okay, that's fine. But we need to at least take a look at this and make sure that we're doing it right,\" he said.

Representatives of the towing industry, including attorney Sean Malone (representing Henry's Towing) and Charles Parish of Vision Recovery Service and the Towing Recovery Professionals of Maryland, urged lawmakers to convene stakeholders. Malone described practical problems that towers face when state guidance is ambiguous and said legal uncertainty has exposed operators to suit and uneven local rules. Parish said private-property towing practice differs from municipal tows and asked that the committee pass a task force to develop a workable framework.

Opponents — led by attorneys and Montgomery County officials — argued that possessory liens are illegal under Maryland law and that creating a lien without state- or local-level due-process infrastructure would push unfunded burdens onto counties. Richard Gordon, a private-practice attorney who sues towing companies for predatory practices, told the committee that possessory liens are \"manifestly illegal\" without expedited hearing guarantees and that expanding statutory lien rights would encourage predatory behavior.

Kathleen Boucher of Montgomery County and Eric Friedman of the Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection asked the committee to reject creating a state presumption in favor of liens. They urged any work group to include stronger local-government and consumer-representation, legal expertise on consumer protection and an explicit mission that does not presume a lien is appropriate. Carrington Anderson of the Maryland Association of Counties said the proposed work group appears unbalanced and warned of potential unfunded mandates if local governments were required to create expedited hearing systems.

Committee members asked whether a work group could resolve the dispute. Supporters said a work group was their hope; critics said the General Assembly has repeatedly considered and rejected statutory liens in past sessions and that the present problem stems from illegal practices, not an absence of law. The hearing record contains testimony from industry witnesses and county consumer-protection offices. No formal committee vote was taken on Senate Bill 883 during the hearing.","Proponents asked a House committee to authorize a work group to study post-tow procedures and possessory liens; county officials, consumer-protection offices and trial lawyers urged rejection or extensive amendments, citing past rejections and constitutional concerns.",{"_32":112,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":113,"_40":114,"_42":115,"_44":116,"_46":117,"_48":118,"_50":119,"_52":120,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":121,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":122,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6619475,"Committee hears bill to ease state ID access for minors raised by nonparents",446,160000,606000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2836289-3f1153df0c76adacefb14fb201db09c7&start=160&end=606","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2836289-3f1153df0c76adacefb14fb201db09c7/thumbnail_160000.jpg","/articles/6619475/Maryland/Committee-hears-bill-to-ease-state-ID-access-for-minors-raised-by-nonparents","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6619475-e200a5b9f1aa38f03440acc425389f1d/orig.mp4?Expires=1769928427&Signature=fofK7sFnVUx~vi8hnFMswIIgyLB0mPHptCV6hcsZjTlgJO05YSVo6S3yuFiURGmwY~unmWqqZ7rQ2XMClnDu89oAUxacJkjh1zv-7FNy-7AB768OkmHH5h15RFLwhe1f5iZ97QV1SiopOOQjl1DEBZOiJa9VuOUYFgUhmqtqvwCojniSI2W53v3ZxyWUc7~KGnxLIytZ18bjC9j2myxoglE5Mse9IoakZZqK1CW36lYrGet~HAZIY3nasAMEIKT4cb0SiVmRT-9wYjVXJGHs0zRaiPkKAsATXiJ1EILVkDZF~QQN8d~RJlELWhNOj5yqq3GKfovTfMEJ8eGf~Mt38Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Alexis Brown, a legislative intern for Delegate Jamila Woods, asked the House Environment and Transportation Committee on April 1 to give House Bill 15-39 a favorable report. The bill would alter state procedures so minors can obtain a state identification card when a primary caretaker who is not a legal guardian can produce documentation showing they have acted as the child’s primary caregiver.

Brown said the bill was inspired by Omari Barnes, a Maryland teenager who has been raised by his paternal grandmother since age 2 and remains unable to obtain an identification card because the grandmother is not a legal guardian. Brown described barriers that she said also affect youth in foster care, youth experiencing homelessness, and those estranged from their guardians. \"A state issued ID is not just a piece of plastic. It is a key to opportunity, independence, and self sufficiency,\" she told the panel.

Delegate Jamila Woods elaborated that Maryland Department of Transportation staff told the family that a DNA test for the father would resolve the issue because the father's name does not appear on the birth certificate and he has refused to provide a DNA sample. Woods and Brown said the grandmother has taken the child to medical appointments and enrolled him in school and that those records could demonstrate caregiving. Woods characterized the bill as an “emergency bill” meant to remove what supporters say are unnecessary procedural obstacles.

Committee members asked whether documentation such as school records or physician records would be acceptable evidence; Woods and Brown said those records exist and can be used. Vice Chair Boyce asked about MDOT's position; Woods said MDOT described the situation as \"easily fixable\" but had advised a DNA test as the remedy in the family's case.

The hearing concluded with no committee vote recorded on the bill during this session. Witnesses and legislators framed the issue as one of removing administrative barriers that prevent minors under stable caregiving arrangements from obtaining identification that proponents said is necessary for jobs, banking and other routine activities.","Supporters told the House Environment and Transportation Committee that House Bill 15-39 would let minors obtain Maryland IDs when a nonparent caretaker can show school or medical records proving primary responsibility.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee reviews bill to codify privately owned-vehicle lights for volunteer emergency responders in Baltimore City and County

Howard County delegation backs limited mechanical equipment use in Patuxent River wildland

Howard County delegation seeks authorization to extend speed cameras to US Route 1

Heated hearing over tow-company liens; counties and consumer groups oppose state-level lien work group

Committee hears bill to ease state ID access for minors raised by nonparents