Governor Larry Hogan To Sign Bills Driving Economic Development And Job Creation

Bills Will Become Law At Next Signing Ceremony

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today announced that he will sign into law 10 bills directly related to encouraging economic development and job growth in the state of Maryland. He will sign the bills into law during the first half of the next bill signing ceremony, to be held tomorrow, May 12, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. These bills were previously scheduled to be signed on April 28.

“The primary focus of my administration is to get Maryland open for business once again and create jobs for our citizens,” said Governor Hogan. “The bills we are signing into law tomorrow address ways to improve the state’s business climate and make it easier for the hardworking men and women of our state to thrive and succeed.”

The economic development bills include:

HB 939: Proposed Regulations – Determination of Impact on Small Businesses, which would establish the Advisory Council on the Impact of Regulations on Small Business in the Department of Business and Economic Development.

HB 940: Office of the Business Ombudsman – State Customer Service and Business Development Efforts Training Program, which would establish the State Customer Service and Business Development Efforts Training Program to improve customer service provided by state agencies to businesses and customers in the state.

HB 941: Task Force to Study Exemptions from Higher Education Ethics Requirements and Procurement Rules to Facilitate Technology Transfer, which would establish the aforementioned task force to review, study, and make recommendations regarding economic development activities, the purchase of research equipment and supplies, and the hiring of research personnel.

HB 942: Apprenticeship Pilot Program – Apprenticeship Maryland, which would establish a two-year pilot program to prepare students to enter the workforce.

HB 943: Economic Competitiveness and Commerce — Restructuring, which would rename the Department of Business and Economic Development to the Department of Economic Competitiveness and Commerce and establish an Office of the Secretary of Commerce in the Office of the Governor.

**The bills above are considered the “Augustine Commission bills.”

SB 816: Maryland Higher Education Outreach and College Access Pilot Program, which would establish the aforementioned program, targeting low-income Maryland high school students to determine if the program can lead to an increase in such students attending and succeeding in college.

SB 868: Public Utilities – Transportation Network Services and For-Hire Transportation, also known as the “Uber bill,” which would authorize the establishment of transportation network services in the state.

HB 235: Vehicle Laws – Manufacturers and Distributors – Sale of Electric or Nonfossil-Fuel-Burning Vehicles, also known as the “Tesla bill,” which would authorize a manufacturer or distributor to be licensed as a vehicle dealer if the manufacturer or distributor deals only in electric or nonfossil-fuel-burning vehicles.

HB 846: Motor Vehicle Administration – Commercial Driver’s License – Program for Veterans and Service Members (Troops to Trucks), which would require the Motor Vehicle Administration to establish a program to assist veterans and members of the military transitioning out of military service to obtain a commercial driver’s license, and would require the MVA to waive a skills test for participants.

HB 164: Judgments – Appeals, a pro-business bill that would limit the amount of a bond that a business would have to post to proceed with an appeal or verdict.