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Subcommittee reviews $177 million in miscellaneous grants, DLS recommends cuts and deletions to some projects
Summary
DLS told the Capital Budget Subcommittee the governor's fiscal 2027 miscellaneous grants package proposes 63 grants totaling roughly $177.5 million (GEO + PAYGO); the analyst recommended deauthorizing or reducing several grants and highlighted large commitments to Prince George's County, the Maryland Zoo, National Aquarium and multiyear CIP items.
At the Capital Budget Subcommittee hearing, Department of Legislative Services analyst Suveksha Pujal reviewed the governor’s proposed fiscal 2027 miscellaneous grants portfolio, which includes 63 grants with approximately $119.9 million in GEO bonds and $57.6 million in PAYGO funds.
Pujal said Prince George’s County would receive the largest jurisdictional share of GEO and PAYGO funds in FY27 and that economic development projects receive the largest single-category share (~$60 million). She described multiyear CIP commitments that carry future obligations (for example, an eight-year commitment to AstraZeneca facilities expansion).
On specific projects, DLS recommended deauthorizing prior funds for projects not proceeding and recommended reducing or deleting authorizations for a range of items, including renovations at American Lease (reduced by $50,000), funding adjustments for the Baltimore Museum of Art, and deletions or reductions for bike trails, bridge projects, and various local infrastructure items listed in DLS Exhibit 5. Pujal also outlined that funding for some projects in the CIP (for example the Institute for Health Computing) is contingent on submitting program plans to DBM before GEO funds can be used.
Multiple witnesses representing grantees urged the committee to preserve funding. Jennifer Whitten of LifeBridge Health described a $30 million surgical renovation at Sinai Hospital as critical and noted the hospital had not updated those facilities in 20 years. Beth Maloney of the Baltimore Museum of Industry asked the committee to preserve a $250,000 allocation for a Key Bridge exhibition, and Katie Berners of the Glen Echo Park Partnership sought $1,000,000 for Spanish Ballroom rehabilitation.
The committee received testimony on several large cultural and infrastructure needs: the National Aquarium requested funds to address causes of emergency closures (DLS noted CIP-estimated needs of roughly $120 million over the next eight years), the Maryland Zoo requested planning and construction support for infrastructure improvements, and DLS recommended review or deletion of funding for a number of local projects listed in its exhibit.
DLS concluded the miscellaneous-grants analysis with recommended GO bond actions and a set of reductions; the subcommittee took the testimony under advisement and moved on to additional panels.
