More than a billion dollars in one-time payments will be funneled toward infrastructure projects benefiting public schools, universities, medical facilities, parks and more under legislation signed Monday by Gov. Larry Hogan.
The Republican governor, nearing a deadline to sign bills passed by the Democratic-controlled General Assembly or let them become law without his signature, put his name on scores of them while surrounded by lawmakers and constituents in Annapolis.
The $1.2 billion capital budget bill represents an increase in funding for one-time projects backed by a multibillion-dollar surplus that lawmakers and the governor were working with this year.
It includes $466.7 million for education — $304 million of that for public school construction projects — and another $195 million for higher education institutions. Grants for various local projects make up the largest other piece — $560 million — while smaller elements include $35 million for medical facilities and $24.7 million for state facilities, including $12 million toward a new Legislative Services Building in Annapolis.
“This is a very big deal,” said Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Baltimore Democrat. “It is the single biggest job-creating piece of legislation that we will jointly sign.”
House Speaker Adrienne Jones, a Baltimore County Democrat, said the budget will “keep Maryland competitive, maintain a strong, skilled workforce and drive the economy.”
The litany of funding items was approved alongside 139 other bills Monday, including measures that will force insurers to cap insulin prices in the state, fund a new position at the Maryland Department of Health to work on dementia services, improve open meetings laws and strengthen the state’s 911 system.
One new law was developed in response to issues with drivers receiving an influx of outstanding vehicle toll bills. The Maryland Transportation Authority paused sending drivers such bills while transitioning to a new vendor, and also postponed collecting payments for much of the pandemic. But when customers suddenly saw hundreds or thousands of dollars in late fees, the authority decided in February to suspend the mounting fees to allow customers time to pay their original bills without the penalties by Nov. 30.
The law will ensure the authority waives any financial penalties on bills paid during that “customer assistance plan” period.
A few other transportation-focused bills signed Monday include allowing Baltimore to use video camera enforcement to keep drivers out of the city’s bus-only lanes and fining motorists who inappropriately park in a spot designated for electric vehicles.
The automated camera system — which will result in a maximum $75 fine for each instance — is expected to “significantly” increase the number of citations issued, according to a bill analysis. Citations would be treated like parking tickets, rather than moving violations that come with points assessed on a driver’s license.
The fine for nonelectric vehicles in spaces designated with electric-vehicle charging equipment would be $100.
Hogan described the insulin initiative as one driven by the federal government’s failure to act. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill in March to cap monthly insulin prices at $35, but its chances in the Senate remain unclear. One in four Americans with diabetes reported rationing insulin during the pandemic, and 20 states in addition to the District of Columbia have set price limits, according to the American Diabetes Association.
Maryland’s law will set the monthly cap at $30 regardless how much is needed to fill each month’s prescription and apply to all insurance policies issued or renewed in the state on or after Jan. 1, 2023.
Hogan, now finishing his second and final term, has until May 28 to review the remaining bills passed by the General Assembly during its 90-day session that ended last month, according to a spokesman. A fifth and final bill-signing ceremony is scheduled for May 26.
