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House advances bill to create a state-funded "navigator" for nonprofits; sponsor says role will help groups find state grants
Summary
Delegates adopted amendments and discussed making the Department of Commerce a hub for a navigator position to help Maryland nonprofits access state grant funding; the bill was made an emergency bill in committee amendments and later special-ordered for a later floor session.
The House considered and amended legislation to establish a nonprofit "navigator" position in the Department of Commerce to help Maryland nonprofits identify and apply for state grants and resolve funding bottlenecks.
Floor amendments converted the bill into an emergency measure, added cosponsors, and set an intent that the navigator position be filled by July 1, 2025. The committee also included a two-year sunset in earlier language but later floor amendments struck a provision that would have prohibited the navigator from assisting nonprofits that pay a single salaried employee more than $250,000.
A floor leader told colleagues that Maryland has roughly 40,000 nonprofits and the navigator would help small organizations identify state opportunities and address delays in state funding streams; the floor leader said the bill focuses on state funds only, not federal grants. The measure drew questions about whether the navigator would be a permanent state position and whether its duties would extend to federal grant navigation; the sponsor and floor leader replied that the focus is state grants and that the bill includes reporting requirements to legislative committees.
The House adopted the committee amendments on the floor, subsequently adopted the amendment that removed the $250,000 employee prohibition, and later approved a motion to special-order the bill to an afternoon session to permit further amendment work.
Ending: The bill was amended and placed on special order for further consideration; sponsors said the position is intended to be in place by July 1, 2025 and that it will help smaller nonprofits navigate state grant processes.
