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County attorney briefs commissioners on 2026 General Assembly wrap-up and budget outlook
Summary
The county attorney presented a summary of roughly 80 state bills the office is tracking, highlighted the FY27 budget and flagged a projected structural deficit in future years; commissioners were told staff will follow up on bills that could affect county operations.
At the May 12 meeting the county attorney's office presented an end-of-session summary of the 2026 Maryland General Assembly and highlighted a packet of roughly 80 bills the office is tracking for local impact. The presentation covered key bills that passed, items still awaiting the governor's action, and themes likely to affect county departments going forward.
The county attorney noted the state budget for FY27 closed a near-term shortfall with one-time transfers and that longer-term structural deficits remain a concern: staff cited projections of a $2.5 billion structural deficit in FY28 that could grow in subsequent years. The office pointed commissioners to bills of particular department interest, including HB600 related to METCOM and SB357 regarding a new local gaming permit regime that may create administrative questions for the county.
Commissioners asked about HB492 (courtroom security), potential unfunded mandates and who would administer gaming permits under SB357. The county attorney said fiscal and operational analyses will be undertaken and recommended the treasurer's office remain the default licensing authority for similar matters unless the board chooses otherwise.
The office also outlined plans for soliciting proposals for next year's legislative agenda and described timing constraints tied to the November election and the incoming board in December. Staff asked commissioners whether to proceed with an August solicitation period and a December vote on a final local legislative agenda.
