Gov. Moore waiting on housing bill as other legislative priorities advance

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is still waiting for action on his plan to attack the lack of affordable housing, though most of proposals on the the long wish list he sent to lawmakers are moving forward ahead of a key deadline.

Moore’s Housing Expansion and Affordability Act would offer developers the ability to build more units in projects that meet certain criteria: They’re near transit stops, they’re on former state property or they’re being built by a nonprofit organization. In order to be approved for the additional units, the projects would have to have a significant number of units at affordable prices.

Moore, a Democrat, has pitched the bill as one way to address the “true crisis” of lack of affordable housing in Maryland. The state’s supply of housing available — for rent or for sale — is tens of thousands of units short of what’s needed, according to estimates from the state and from realtors.

Monday is an important day in the General Assembly’s 90-day legislative session known as “crossover,” with bills needing to pass either the House of Delegates or the state Senate and cross to the other chamber in order to have the best chance of passage.

The governor’s key housing bill is not going to make that deadline, but the Moore administration is optimistic that lawmakers will still approve it before the end of the session on April 8.

The Moore administration also will make a late push for a bill that’s necessary for the state to take ownership of the historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, renovate it and run racing operations. Greg Cross, the Moore-appointed chairman of a state racing authority that’s shepherding the deal, will make an appearance before lawmakers on Tuesday to advocate for the bill.

Though the horse racing bill doesn’t officially carry Moore’s name, and he has not commented publicly on it, getting that through in the final weeks is expected to be a priority of the governor’s team.

The rest of Moore’s agenda is progressing with little friction from the Democratic-led General Assembly.

“We are feeling great. We have seen significant progress on the Governor’s Agenda coming into crossover,” Eric Luedtke, a former lawmaker who is the governor’s chief lobbyist, said in a statement.

Here’s a look at where Moore’s bills stand on the crossover deadline.

Financing housing, protecting renters

While Moore’s proposal to boost housing construction is tied up, other housing-related bills are moving forward.

Moore has proposed creating a state entity to make loans or other investments to community development initiatives, with funding from federal tax credits. The measure is moving forward in the House of Delegates.

The House also is advancing a Moore proposal to expand the rights of renters.

Establishing a Center for Firearm Violence Prevention

Moore modeled a proposed Center for Firearm Violence Prevention after a similar center in the White House. The center would be housed in the state health department, and would focus on researching gun violence as both a public safety and public health crisis.

The Senate has approved a bill creating the center, and the House version of the bill is also moving forward. However, state senators cut the center’s first-year funding from Moore’s proposed $10 million down to $4 million.

ENOUGH Act to combat child poverty

Moore set an “audacious goal” of ending childhood poverty in his first State of the State speech in 2023, and this year’s effort toward that goal is the ENOUGH Act. It stands for the “Engaging Neighborhoods, Organizations, Unions, Governments and Households Grant Program.”

The ENOUGH Act would spread $15 million worth of grants per year to community efforts in neighborhoods where there are high concentrations of children living in poverty. The act is moving forward in the Senate.

Easing approval for backup generators at data centers

Aside from the housing development bill, a measure from Moore aimed at helping data centers is running into the most opposition.

Moore’s bill proposes an easier approval process for data centers to install backup generators that would keep the centers powered up when the electricity goes out. Currently, backup generators on this scale need to go through a process called the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity.

Data centers are an emerging sector of the information economy and hold a promise of jobs and economic development, but environmentalists are concerned about exhaust and pollution from the needed backup generators.

When this bill passed the Senate last week, there were three “no” votes, including from a senator in Frederick County, where a data center has been proposed. The bill also is opposed by the League of Conservation Voters, an influential environmental group that’s typically an ally of the governor.

The House has not yet acted on the bill.

Reforming victim compensation practices

The governor aims to help crime victims by expanding who is eligible for compensation and expanding how much money they can be granted to pay for expenses such as funerals and counseling. Advocates for crime victims have said the process for getting compensation is cumbersome.

“This bill will ensure that victims of crime can count on support when they need it most,” Moore said when he unveiled the bill in January. The measure is advancing in the House of Delegates.

Pava LaPere Legacy of Innovation Act

Named in honor of a rising tech entrepreneur who was killed in Baltimore last year, the Pava LaPere Legacy of Innovation Act would offer grants to startups founded by graduates of colleges in the Baltimore region. The measure sailed through the House of Delegates and is awaiting Senate action.

Maryland Road Worker Protection Act

This bill significantly increases the fines for speed camera violations in work zones in an attempt to deter speeders and protect highway workers. The current fine is $40, one of the lowest in the nation.

The bill was recommended by a task force chaired by Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, a former transportation engineer, that was formed following a crash on the Baltimore Beltway last year involving two speeding cars that killed six road workers. The legislation has passed the House of Delegates.

Protecting Election Officials Act

A bill moving forward would make it a specific crime to threaten to harm an elections official or their immediate family members due to their job, setting a penalty of up to three years in prison or fines up to $2,500. The change is necessary, supporters say, at a time when elections workers are increasingly facing threats.

Versions of the bill have passed the Senate and the House.

Transparent Government Act

The Transparent Government Act would require state agencies to create a “catalog” listing the types of permits it issues and the estimated time it takes for applicants to be awarded a permit. Versions have passed both the House and the Senate.

Addressing public safety worker shortages

This measure reworks and expands an apprenticeship program for public safety workers such as police and correctional officers. It also creates a workgroup that will study the issue of attracting and retaining workers to public safety jobs. Versions of the bill are advancing in both the House and the Senate.

Families Serve Act

This bill would allow employers to give hiring preferences to military spouses, and versions have passed both the House and the Senate.

Time to Serve Act

This bill would allow state government employees to use up to 30 days of leave when serving with the National Guard, military reserves or natural disaster response forces. Versions of the bill have passed both the House and the Senate.

Workers compensation reforms for firefighters

A bill expanding the types of illnesses that can qualify a firefighter for workers’ compensation benefits has passed both the House and the Senate.

Pamela Wood

pamela.wood@thebaltimorebanner.com

Pamela Wood covers Maryland politics and government. She previously reported for The Baltimore Sun, The Capital and other Maryland newspapers. A graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, she lives in northern Anne Arundel County.

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