Committee advances voting list after presentation of multiple House bills
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Summary
After presentations on a string of House bills covering procurement, gambling safeguards, childcare supports, disaster funding, library aid and other topics, the Budget and Taxation Committee closed the hearing and approved its voting list (number 14) by voice vote to move items to the committee floor for final consideration.
The Budget and Taxation Committee heard presentations on a range of House bills and then moved its voting list number 14 to a voice vote at the close of the hearing.
Key bills and brief descriptions presented at the hearing:
- HB 0954 (Delegate Chris Adams): Requires undisputed retention proceeds on state construction contracts be paid within 90 days after substantial completion; addresses the lack of a retainage definition in the State Finance and Procurement article.
- HB 0518 (Delegate Julie Plakovich Carr): Adds player protections for mobile sports betting, including a credit-card ban, player-set limits with cooling-off, marketing restrictions, identity reverification, and codifies a Lottery policy banning prop betting on college sports.
- HB 0561 (Delegate Julie Plakovich Carr): Seeks to stabilize the Maryland Childcare Credential Program after restored funding for FY26 but operational delays caused by a canceled MSDE vendor contract.
- HB 1346 (Delegate Marlon Ampre): Creates optional expedited filing tiers (one- and two-hour processing) at SDAT with fee-funded options and regulatory guardrails.
- HB 0717 / related bills (Delegate Mark Edelson): Cross-filed items discussed included differing sunset periods and one amendment excluding a specific MDTA project (Route 50 between 97 and 404) from certain bill requirements.
- HB 0660 (Josh Paper for Delegate Dana Jones): Gradual funding increases for the State Library Resource Center over five years to support statewide library services.
- HB 0953 (Delegate): Allows the governor, with Board of Public Works consent and a public process, to transfer rainy-day funds to the State Disaster Recovery Fund to expedite response to sudden disasters; sponsor cited $12,000,000 in recent executive funds and estimated repair needs of about $30,000,000 for small towns.
- HB 0225 (Harrison Palmer): Extends the sunset for the Maryland Horse Industry Board to 2036.
- HB 0261 (Wallace Sermons, DGS): Makes Competitive Proof of Concept (CPC) a standalone procurement method, with oversight from procurement leadership and DoIT, so agencies can test and then implement solutions without restarting procurement.
At the hearing's close, the chair said the committee would "move over to our voting list" and called for a voice vote on voting list number 14. The transcript records the chair calling for "Aye" and that there were no recorded oppositions in the hearing record. The transcript does not specify the full contents of voting list number 14 within the hearing text.
