Legislative Advocacy
Each year, the City Council develops legislative priorities ahead of the Maryland General Assembly’s session in Annapolis to advance the City’s interests at the state level. The City contracts with a legislative advocate who assists with these efforts. The legislative advocate identifies legislation of interest to the City to monitor, provides information on the status and likelihood of passage of bills, supports the City’s efforts in having legislation adopted or amended, provides guidance to Council and staff in delivering timely and effective testimony, and has a good knowledge of the General Assembly’s leadership, legislators, committees, staff, and how they function and work together.
The City provides testimony on numerous bills each year in writing and in person. While there are many – possibly hundreds – of bills each year that are of interest to the City, we typically only take an official position and submit testimony on bills that directly align with the legislative priorities established in advance of the legislative session by Council each year, including priorities established by resolutions passed by Council in previous years. This is a function of political strategy, staff time, and the often unpredictable timing of hearings, among other factors.
Legislative Priorities for the 2019 Session of the General Assembly include:
- Support for Redevelopment of New Hampshire Avenue (MD 650)
- Bond bill funding for the expansion and renovation of the Takoma Park Maryland Library
- Legislation prohibiting the Maryland Department of Transportation from spending any funds for the construction of Maryland Route 410 through the City of Takoma Park that would involve the addition of a new through lane for motor vehicles
- Protection of small businesses and housing affordability during and after Purple Line construction
- Legislation mandating coordination and cooperation between utilities, the State Highway Administration, and municipalities in order to minimize impacts on residents and businesses resulting from infrastructure construction and repairs
- Support for expanded opportunities for municipalities to raise revenues without increasing dependence on property taxes
- Support for building community resiliency and mitigating the impacts of climate change
- Montgomery County Public School construction funding
The table below includes testimony submitted this current year. Testimony submitted in previous years (going back to the 2017) can be found in Legislative Advocacy Archive.
2020 Legislative Advocacy Testimony
| Bill Number and Title | City's Position | Link to Testimony |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 Testimonials (Bills, Titles and PDF Links) | ||
| SB 285: Pedestrian Access Act of 2020 | Support | SB 285: Pedestrian Access Act of 2020 |
| HB 209: Plastics and Packaging Reduction Act | Support with Amendements | HB 209: Plastics and Packaging Reduction Act |
| HB 540: State Income and Property Tax Credits – Purple Line Construction Zone | Support | HB 540: State Income and Property Tax Credits – Purple Line Construction Zone |
| HB 561: Electric Industry—Community Choice Energy | Support | HB 561: Electric Industry—Community Choice Energy |
| HB 790 Green Buildings Tax Credit for Multifamily Housing | Support | HB 790 Green Buildings Tax Credit for Multifamily Housing |
| HB 797: State Court Administrator – Warrants of Restitution and Writs of Possession – Data Collection and Reporting Submitted to the House Judiciary Committee | Support | HB 797: State Court Administrator – Warrants of Restitution and Writs of Possession – Data Collection and Reporting Submitted to the House Judiciary Committee |
| HB 982: Public Utilities—Low- and Middle-Income Housing---Energy Performance Targets | Support | HB 982: Public Utilities—Low- and Middle-Income Housing---Energy Performance Targets |
| HB 1223: Clean Cars Act of 2020 | Support | HB 1223: Clean Cars Act of 2020 |
| SB 285: Pedestrian Access Act of 2020 | Support | SB 285: Pedestrian Access Act of 2020 |
| SB 315: Electric Industry—Community Choice Energy | Support | SB 315: Electric Industry—Community Choice Energy |
| SB 544: State Court Administrator – Warrants of Restitution and Writs of Possession – Data Collection and Reporting Submitted to the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee | Support | SB 544: State Court Administrator – Warrants of Restitution and Writs of Possession – Data Collection and Reporting Submitted to the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee |
| SB 926: Climate Solutions Act of 2020 – Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act | Support | SB 926: Climate Solutions Act of 2020 – Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act |
