Council amends bill to curb invasive bamboo, redefine "weed" and debates enforcement burden on homeowners

The Transportation & Environment Committee on Dec. 8 advanced an amended Bill 26-25 on vegetation and invasive plants that would exempt native plants and grasses from the county's weed-removal requirements and would restrict the sale and planting of invasive bamboo.

Chair Glass, the bill's sponsor, said the legislation is intended "to exempt native plants and grasses from weed removal requirements and prohibit the sale of invasive bamboo," and to promote pollinator habitat while addressing neighbor-to-neighbor disputes and remediation costs. Council staff walked the committee through staff and executive amendments and a record of public testimony that staff said was largely supportive when directly applicable to the bill.

The committee accepted a series of clarifying amendments. One deletes the bill's enumerated species list and instead references the Maryland Department of Agriculture and the Maryland Invasive Species Council lists to harmonize definitions. Another amendment clarifies the biological definition of invasive bamboo and a separate amendment exempts indoor houseplants, bamboo for consumption and cut/dried bamboo from the sale prohibition while prohibiting planting or transplanting invasive bamboo on county properties.

Department of Environmental Protection and DHCA staff urged implementation-focused edits. Maisie Veil, DHCA Division Chief for Community Development, and Tamela Robinson, DHCA's code enforcement manager, detailed enforcement constraints, noting inspectors lack year-round botanical expertise and that DHCA received over 700 weed complaints in FY25. Veil told the committee that "DEP and DHCA and other departments fully support the intent of this bill," but emphasized the need to make enforcement clear and practicable for both staff and property owners.

Members pressed on enforcement mechanics. Councilmember Balcom asked what would happen to homeowners who could not afford or physically carry out required corrective work; DHCA said abatements commonly lead to contractor work and subsequent liens on the property. Committee members also debated how an "immediate action" authority for the director should interact with an existing 10-day notice requirement; staff recommended amending the bill's line 42 to reference the deadline in the notice to reconcile the immediate-action language with statutory notice periods.

Executive amendments submitted in an addendum were discussed at length. DEP noted some jurisdictions nearby already have similar planting bans and favored keeping a planting/transplanting prohibition in addition to sale restrictions, while others on the record urged additional public outreach and an updated fiscal impact statement because banning sales affects nurseries and other sellers.

After amendments were accepted and staff clarifications incorporated, the committee voted to advance the amended Bill 26-25; the transcript records the committee vote as 3'0in favor, 0'against. Committee members said they expect further refinement during implementation and suggested the possibility of additional hearings or a joint session with public safety to address related operational issues.

The committee paused for a break after the vote; the transcript records the committee moving on to a planned joint session with public safety.