Upcoming May 2022 Hearings of Interest

DFA Hearing of Interest May 2022

HB 644 / SB 900
Cecil County Delegation
CECIL COUNTY – FISHING – RESTRICTIONS
Adding Cecil County to a list of counties to which certain riparian laws do not apply; prohibiting a person from placing nets or establishing a haul seine fishery to catch fish for commercial use in the waters of the Susquehanna River in Cecil County; and repealing certain fishing restrictions that apply in Cecil County.
Effective Date: July 1, 2022
NR, §§ 4-712 and 4-717 – amended
Committee: Environment and Transportation
Bill Hearing: Wednesday, 3/9 at 1:00 pm
Position: SUPPORT

HB 1133
Delegate Otto, et al (Adams, Clark, Hartman, Jacobs, Mautz and Szeliga)
OYSTERS – TRIBUTARY–SCALE SANCTUARIES
Repealing provisions of law that include the Manokin River Oyster Sanctuary in the network of tributary–scale oyster sanctuaries in the Chesapeake Bay and including the Severn River Oyster Sanctuary in the network.
Effective Date: June 1, 2022
NR, § 4-1014 – amended
Committee: Environment and Transportation
Bill Hearing: Wednesday, 3/2 at 1:00 pm
Position: SUPPORT

HB 1149 / SB 537
Delegate Jacobs, et al (Boteler, Buckel, Griffith, Hartman, Mautz, McKay and Otto)
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES – SHRIMP FISHERY REGULATIONS – CLARIFICATION
Clarifying the authority of the Department of Natural Resources to, notwithstanding certain provisions of law, adopt regulations governing any aspect of the shrimp fishery and establishing and implementing a pilot program related to fishing for shrimp.
Effective Date: July 1, 2022
NR, § 4-904 – amended
Committee: Environment and Transportation
Bill Hearing: Wednesday, 3/2 at 1:00 pm
Position: SUPPORT

HB 1201 / SB 876
Delegate Jacobs, et al
WATER POLLUTION – CIVIL PENALTY SURCHARGE – OYSTER REPLETION FUND
Establishing a surcharge on civil penalties imposed for certain violations that result in the discharge of pollutants into the Chesapeake Bay or its tributaries; establishing the Oyster Repletion Fund as in the Department of Natural Resources to finance the repletion of natural oyster bars in waters impacted by water pollution violations; etc.
EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2022
EN, § 9-342 – amended and NR, § 4-209.1 – added
Committee: Environment and Transportation
Bill Hearing: Wednesday, 3/4 at 1:00 pm
Position: SUPPORT

HB 1217
Delegates Mautz and Adams
NATURAL RESOURCES – OYSTER INSPECTION AND SEVERANCE TAXES – INCREASE
Increasing the amount of the inspection tax levied on marketable oysters shipped in the shell to any place outside the State from 30 cents to $1; increasing the amount of the severance tax levied on oysters caught within certain natural oyster bars from $1 to $2 per bushel; and requiring that $1 of the severance tax levied be distributed to certain county oyster committees for the repletion of natural oyster bars within the waters of the counties.
Effective Date: July 1, 2022
NR, § 4-1020(a) through (c) – amended
Committee: Environment and Transportation
Bill Hearing: Wednesday, 3/4 at 1:00 pm
Position: SUPPORT with amendment to include Baltimore County Oyster Committee in Sec. 4-1020 (c)(3)

HB 1228 / SB 830

Delegates Crosby, Clark, Boyce, Barve and Stein
NATURAL RESOURCES – OYSTERS – SPAT, SHELLS, AND SUBSTRATE
Establishing various programs, goals, research requirements, planning requirements, and funding requirements related to oyster spat, oyster shells, and oyster substrate; requiring the Maryland Agricultural and Resource–Based Industry Development Corporation to provide loans and grants up to a certain amount to finance the eligible costs of certain eligible seafood processing projects; replacing the oyster shell recycling tax credit with an annual grant program administered by the Department of Natural Resources; etc.
This bill requires a mandated appropriation in the annual budget bill.
Effective Date: July 1, 2022
EC, § 10-519.1 – added, TG, § 10-724.1 – repealed, and NR, Various Sections – added, amended, and repealed

Committee: Environment and Transportation
Bill Hearing: Friday, 3/4 at 1:00 pm
Position: OPPOSE with recommendation to refer to the Oyster Advisory Commission (oral and written testimony)

HB 1242 / SB 826
Delegate Mautz, et al (Adams, Arentz, Hornberger, Jacobs and McComas)
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT – MARYLAND WATERMEN’S MICROLOAN PROGRAM – ESTABLISHMENT
Establishing the Maryland Watermen’s Microloan Program in the Maryland Agricultural and Resource–Based Industry Development Corporation to provide loans to qualified commercial fishermen to continue commercial operations in the State; providing, beginning July 1, 2025, that generational watermen, beginner watermen, and seafood processing businesses are eligible to receive loans under the Program; requiring a loan made under the Program to be at least $7,000 and not more than $15,000; etc.
This bill requires a mandated appropriation in the annual budget bill.
Effective Date: October 1, 2022
EC, § 10-526 – added
Committee: Environment and Transportation and Ways and Means
Bill Hearing in ET: Wednesday, 3/9 at 1:00 pm
Position: SUPPORT

HB 1298 / SB 960
Delegates Ghrist, Carey, Mautz and Otto
NATURAL RESOURCES – HUNTING AND FISHING OFFENSES – EXPUNGEMENT
Authorizing a person to file a petition for expungement of certain criminal records based on a conviction for certain hunting or fishing offenses; and authorizing a person to file a petition for expungement of certain administrative records for a conviction based on certain hunting offenses.
Effective Date: October 1, 2022
CP, § 10-110(a) and (c) – amended and NR, § 10-1109 – added
Committee: Judiciary
Bill Hearing: Tuesday, 3/8 at 1:00 pm
Position: SUPPORT

HB 1310
Delegate Mautz, et al (Adams, Arentz, Buckel, Hornberger, Jacobs and McComas)
TIDAL FISH LICENSES – OYSTER AUTHORIZATIONS – REVOCATION
Authorizing, rather than requiring, the Department of Natural Resources to revoke a person’s authorization to catch oysters if the Department finds or concludes that the person has knowingly committed one of certain offenses; and authorizing a person whose authorization to catch oysters is revoked under certain provisions of law to apply for reinstatement of the authorization after 5 years.
Effective Date: July 1, 2022
NR, § 4-1210 – amended
Committee: Environment and Transportation and Ways and Means
Bill Hearing in ET: Wednesday, 3/9 at 1:00 pm
Position: SUPPORT (written and oral testimony)

HB 1311
Delegate Mautz, et al
CHESAPEAKE BAY RESTORATION FUND – AUTHORIZED USES (CHESAPEAKE BAY RESTORATION FUND LOCKBOX ACT OF 2022)
Restricting the use of the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund to certain purposes directly related to addressing pollution from wastewater treatment facilities, on–site sewage disposal systems, sewer systems, and stormwater management systems; repealing provisions of law requiring certain amounts to be transferred from the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund to the Clean Water Commerce Account, the Chesapeake Bay Trust, the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays 2010 Trust Fund, and the Department of Agriculture; etc.
Effective Date: July 1, 2022
AG, § 8-706, EN, §§ 9-1605.2(a) and (i) and 9-1605.4(a) through (e), (f)(1), (g), (h), (q)(2), and (r), and NR, § 8-1911(e) – amended
Committee: Environment and Transportation and Appropriations
Bill Hearing in Appropriations: Thursday, 3/10 at 1:00 pm
Position: SUPPORT

SB 455 / HB 601
Senator Bailey
CHESAPEAKE BAY AND COASTAL SPORT FISHING LICENSE AND RECREATIONAL FISHING – PILOT PROGRAM AND TASK FORCE
Establishing the Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Sport Fishing License Pilot Program to collect certain recreational fishing information and improve compliance with a certain registration requirement; and establishing the Task Force on Recreational Fishing Data Collection and Licensing to study and develop multiyear plans for improving the collection and quality of certain recreational fishing data.
Effective Date: June 1, 2022
NR, § 4-745.1 – added
Committee: Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs
Bill Hearing: Wednesday, 3/01 at 1:00 pm (view committee hearing here)
Position:

SB 537
Senators Carozza (Dist. 38) and Hershey (Dist. 36), Simonaire (Dist. 31), Bailey (Dist. 29)
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES – SHRIMP FISHERY REGULATIONS – CLARIFICATION
Clarifying the authority of the Department of Natural Resources to, notwithstanding certain provisions of law, adopt regulations governing any aspect of the shrimp fishery and establishing and implementing a pilot program related to fishing for shrimp.
Effective Date: July 1, 2022
NR, § 4-904 – amended
Committee: Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs
Bill Hearing: Wednesday, 3/01 at 1:00 pm (view committee hearing here)
Position:

SB 580
Senator Bailey
SEWER SYSTEMS AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS – WATER POLLUTION – SHELLFISH HARVESTER RESTITUTION
Requiring a person responsible for a sewer overflow, treatment plant bypass, or unlawful discharge from a wastewater treatment plant that results in an area being closed to shellfish harvesting to pay restitution to certain shellfish harvesters.
EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2022
EN, § 9-342.3 – added
Committee: Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs
Bill Hearing: Tuesday, 3/1 at 1:00 pm
Position: SUPPORT

SB 713 / HB 1215
Senator Reilly
ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY – NATURAL RESOURCES – FISHING GEAR
Establishing that certain fishing gear restrictions applicable in certain Anne
Arundel County waters apply only to commercial finfish harvesters; and authorizing a
person to use archery equipment to commercially harvest finfish in certain Anne Arundel County
waters.
Effective Date: June 1, 2022
NR, § 4-714 – amended
Committee: Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs
Bill Hearing: Tuesday, 3/1 at 1:00 pm
Position: No Position

SB 783 / HB 596
Senator Smith, et al
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT – ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Maryland to establish that every person has the fundamental and inalienable right to a healthful and sustainable environment; and requiring the State to serve as the trustee of the State’s natural resources, including the air, land, water, wildlife, and ecosystems of the State, and to conserve, protect, and enhance the State’s natural resources for the benefit of every person, including present and future generations.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT – CONTINGENT
Maryland Constitution, Declaration of Rights, Art. 48 – added
Committees: Judicial Proceedings and Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs
Bill Hearing in JPR: Wednesday, 3/9 at 1:00 pm

Position: OPPOSE

SB 826 / HB 1242
Senator Klausmeier, et al
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT – MARYLAND WATERMEN’S MICROLOAN PROGRAM – ESTABLISHMENT
Establishing the Maryland Watermen’s Microloan Program in the Maryland Agricultural and Resource–Based Industry Development Corporation to provide loans to qualified commercial fishermen to continue commercial operations in the State; providing, beginning July 1, 2025, that generational watermen, beginner watermen, and seafood processing businesses are eligible to receive loans under the Program; requiring a loan made under the Program to be at least $7,000 and not more than $15,000.
This bill requires a mandated appropriation in the annual budget bill.
Effective Date: October 1, 2022
EC, § 10-526 – added
Committee: Finance
Bill Hearing: Tuesday, 3/1 at 1:00 pm
Position: SUPPORT

JOINT RESOLUTIONS

SJ 6 (Senate Joint Resolution)
Senator Bailey (Dist. 29)
ATLANTIC STATES MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION – ATLANTIC MENHADEN – PROHIBITION ON COMMERCIAL REDUCTION FISHING
Requesting the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to consider prohibiting the commercial reduction fishing of Atlantic menhaden, including the use of purse seines and spotter planes, in the Chesapeake
Committee: Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs
Bill Hearing: Tuesday, 3/01 at 1:00 pm
Position: recommend OPPOSE

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