Transit groups urge support for SB 20 to restore local transit funding; delegation to consider sending a letter

John Duklowski, executive director of the Transportation Association of Maryland, urged the Southern Maryland delegation to support Senate Bill 20, legislation intended to secure predictable state funding for local transit and to prevent a repeat of a decade‑long reduction in state support.

Duklowski told the delegation that state support for local transit from the Transportation Trust Fund was about $107 million in 2015 but has fallen to a statutory floor of $80.5 million, a decline of roughly $27 million over 10 years. He said inflation and cost increases — including more than 33% inflation reported by federal measures and over 50% increases in capital costs like buses in some measures — have outpaced available state support. Duklowski outlined a funding principle in which federal support should aim for about 50% of operating costs, localities about 25% and the state about 25%, and said current shares for some rural systems approach 38% local funding and about 13% state funding.

Duklowski asked delegates to sign a letter the delegation chair circulated supporting SB 20 and to return any edits quickly; Delegate Edith Patterson said the letter had been circulated and members would be given an opportunity to vote up or down on sending it under the chair’s signature. The delegation ran short of time and did not finalize the letter during the meeting; members were told the letter had been sent to members yesterday for approval and that they would be given an opportunity to respond.

Ending: Delegates requested more time to review the SB 20 background materials; no formal vote was taken at the meeting and members were asked to register approval or edits to the draft letter before the delegation sends it under the chair's signature.