HB 1374
Department of Legislative Services
Maryland General Assembly
2021 Session
FISCAL AND POLICY NOTE
Enrolled - Revised
House Bill 1374 (Delegate B. Barnes)
Appropriations Budget and Taxation
Prior Authorizations of State Debt - Alterations
This bill (1) repeals matching fund certification requirements for legislative bond initiative
grants authorized in the 2019 and 2020 capital budget bills and (2) makes various other
modifications to authorizations of State debt in prior year capital budgets by extending
matching fund deadlines, removing matching fund requirements, extending deadlines for
expending or encumbering funds, renaming grant recipients, altering project locations, or
altering the purpose for which funds may be used. In some cases, altering the purpose of
grant funds merely adds greater specification for how the funds may be used; in other cases,
grant funds may be reassigned to an entirely different purpose. The bill takes effect
June 1, 2021.
Fiscal Summary
State Effect: The bill modifies the conditions under which State grant funds may be used.
These changes do not materially affect State finances, as discussed below.
Local Effect: None, unless the grantee is a local government. To the extent that local
government grantees are no longer subject to matching fund certification requirements, the
disbursement of grant funds to these grantees may be accelerated.
Small Business Effect: None.
Analysis
Bill Summary: Several prior authorizations of State debt are consolidated into an omnibus
bill. The types of modifications to prior authorizations of State debt that have been
consolidated into the bill are shown in Appendix 1, by current project name, jurisdiction
for the current project, and the year of the initial authorization. Appendix 1 does not,
however, include legislative bond initiative grants authorized in the 2019 and 2020 capital
budget bills for which the bill repeals matching fund certification requirements, except for
those grants that are otherwise modified by the bill.
Current Law: In general, a grantee must present evidence of a matching fund to the
Board of Public Works within two years of the authorization for State debt. The matching
fund must be certified prior to the grantee’s expending or encumbering State funds. The
2019 and 2020 capital budget bills require that specified grantees provide evidence of
matching funds by June 1, 2021, and June 1, 2022, respectively.
Chapter 153 of 2003 established a seven-year limitation on the authority to spend an
appropriation for a capital expenditure and a seven-year limitation on the authorization for
State debt unless otherwise provided in an enabling act. The Act applies to all debt
authorized on or after June 1, 1997.
State Fiscal Effect: Under the bill’s repeal of matching fund certification requirements
for legislative bond initiative grants authorized in the 2019 and 2020 capital budget bills,
the Department of General Services is responsible for directly handling disbursements for
affected grants and likely must process grant approvals more quickly. However, it is
assumed that the bill’s changes can be handled with existing budgeted resources. The
Comptroller’s Office, on the other hand, likely benefits from operational efficiencies as a
result of the bill’s repeal of matching fund certification requirements.
Additional Information
Prior Introductions: None.
Designated Cross File: None.
Information Source(s): Department of General Services; Board of Public Works;
Department of Legislative Services
Fiscal Note History: First Reader - March 15, 2021
rh/ljm Third Reader - March 25, 2021
Enrolled - May 3, 2021
Revised - Amendment(s) - May 3, 2021
Analysis by: Elizabeth J. Allison Direct Inquiries to:
(410) 946-5510
(301) 970-5510
HB 1374/ Page 2
Appendix 1 – Modifications to Prior Authorizations Consolidated into the Bill
Year of Initial
Current Project Name Current Jurisdiction Authorization Change(s)
Tactical Service Facility – Garage Howard County 2008 Deadline1
Hamilton Street Parking Prince George’s County 2012 Deadline1
Catonsville Clubhouse Renovations Baltimore County 2013 Grantee
Deadline1,2
Central Baltimore Partnership (2013) Baltimore City 2013 Deadline1
Central Baltimore Partnership (2014) Baltimore City 2014 Deadline1
Creative Alliance Baltimore City 2014 Deadline1,2
Doctors Hospital Prince George’s County 2014 Deadline1
MedStar Montgomery Medical Center Montgomery County 2014 Deadline1
Camp Whippoorwill Living Shoreline Project Statewide 2014 Purpose
Deadline1,2
Towson High School Stadium (2014) Baltimore County 2014 Deadline1,2
Rockville Science Center Montgomery County 2014 Deadline1
Historic Tome School Cecil County 2014 Deadline1,2
Cedar Lane Senior Living Community Project St. Mary’s County 2014 Deadline1,2
Governor Thomas Johnson High School Stadium Frederick County 2014 Deadline1
Program Open Space – Stateside – Prior Funds Statewide 2014 Grantee
Replacement
Community Action Council Food Bank Facility (2014) Howard County 2014 Deadline1,2
The Writer’s Center Montgomery County 2015 Removal of match3
Deadline1
Community Action Council Food Bank Facility (2016) Howard County 2016 Deadline1,2
James Mosher Baseball League Field Enhancement Baltimore City 2016 Purpose
Grantee
Deadline2
HB 1374/ Page 3
Year of Initial
Current Project Name Current Jurisdiction Authorization Change(s)
American Legion Post 381 Annex Prince George’s County 2016 Purpose
Grantee
Robert W. Johnson Community Center Washington County 2016 Removal of match3
Friendsville Veterans Memorial Garrett County 2016 Removal of match3
Towson High School Stadium (2017) Baltimore County 2017 Deadline2
KID Museum – New Facility Montgomery County 2019 Purpose
Girl Scouts Program Center Refresh Prince George’s County 2019 Location4
East Baltimore Library Baltimore City 2019 Purpose
Bay Sox Stadium Prince George’s County 2020 Purpose
Grantee
Bladensburg Waterfront Dock Prince George’s County 2020 Purpose
Grantee
Hands on Patterson Park Public Baltimore City 2020 Purpose
Hagerstown Minor League Baseball Stadium Washington County 2020 Grantee
Beacon Heights – East Pines Redevelopment Prince George’s County 2020 Purpose
Lakeshore Volunteer Fire Department Anne Arundel County 2020 Purpose
Blight Reduction and Home Ownership Initiative Baltimore City 2020 Purpose
Harlem Park Community Center Baltimore City 2020 Grantee
Removal of Match3
Central Baltimore Partnership Baltimore City 2020 Purpose
Removal of Match3
1
Extends the deadline to expend or encumber funds.
2
Extends the deadline to present evidence that a matching fund will be provided.
3
Removes the requirement that the grantee raise matching funds; makes technical changes to certification requirements as appropriate.
4
Alters the location of the project to be within Baltimore City.
Note: This appendix does not reflect the many grants affected by the bill’s blanket repeal, in the 2019 and 2020 capital budget bills, of the
requirements for grantees to present evidence of any matching fund (as may be required) or to receive certification of the matching fund before the
grant proceeds may be expended for the purposes specified in the project. However, two of the 2020 projects are specifically modified to remove
the matching fund requirement altogether.
HB 1374/ Page 4
Statutes affected: Text - First - Prior Authorizations of State Debt - Alterations: 2-023 [], 2-023 [], 2-023 [], 2-022 [], 8-129 []
Text - Third - Prior Authorizations of State Debt - Alterations: 2-023 [], 2-023 [], 2-023 [], 2-022 [], 8-129 []
Text - Enrolled - Prior Authorizations of State Debt - Alterations: 2-023 [], 2-023 [], 2-023 [], 2-022 [], 5-905 [], 8-129 []