Council introduces tax relief, tech and housing bills; enacts carryout-bag ban and procurement trafficking rule

The Montgomery County Council used its Feb. 11 legislative session to introduce several bills on tax relief, technology oversight, housing and consumer protections, and to adopt two measures on final reading: a procurement provision tied to human-trafficking compliance and a prohibition on plastic carryout bags with an updated effective date.

Introductions

- Bill 3–25, Homeowners Tax Credit (HOTC) county supplemental amendments: The Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee introduced a draft to expand eligibility for the county supplemental to the state-administered Homeowners Tax Credit, raising maximum income and net-worth thresholds and increasing the property-assessed-value eligibility so more households on limited or fixed incomes can qualify. Council President Kate Stewart and committee members emphasized that the proposal uses the state-administered system to ease implementation and target relief. Councilmember Andrew Friedson, who led a senior tax-credit effort last year, and several council colleagues supported adding co-sponsors.

- Bill 4–25, Administration: Public-Safety Technology Acquisition and Use: Sponsored by Council President Stewart and Councilmember…