Monday was the final day of the Maryland General Assembly, a day called Sine Die, which is Latin for “holy cow, this is a big stack of bills to get through by midnight!”
Here’s the progress that CSG and the state made in the 2026 session with your help:
- Maryland Transit & Housing Opportunity Act (HB894) – removes barriers to providing transit-oriented new homes and businesses near Metro, Purple Line, MARC Penn Line, and Baltimore area light rail and subway stations.
- Housing Certainty Act (HB548/SB325) – addresses the problem of shifting regulations that make preparing a housing development application too risky, or excessively costly.
- Maryland Transit Administration Reform Act (HB1081/SB947) – establishes a Commuter Services Advisory Board for MARC and MTA Commuter Bus services, and creates a Board of Directors to provide governance and authority of Baltimore Core Transit Service.
- Multiple pedestrian, bicycle and driver safety bills – allowing automated enforcement on designated safety corridors, prioritizing new sidewalks for Vision Zero and complete street corridors, and new programs for dangerous drivers.
Good bills that didn’t make it through the House & Senate in time:
- Transportation and Climate Alignment Act (HB437) – Passed the House for the third year in a row and got a favorable Senate committee report, but did not make it to a final floor vote.
- Several street safety bills – prohibiting parking in bike lanes, authorizing automated enforcement of illegal parking in bus stops, allowing the bicycle safety start, and other bills that passed the House or Senate before crossover.
Good bills that got stuck in committees
- Transportation Investment Priorities Act (HB230/SB62) – would create a more data-driven, transparent and cost-effective way to fund projects while ensuring they address state goals, like equitable job access and multimodal choices.
- Metro Funding Modification Act (HB386/SB281) – passed by the House, but stalled in the Senate. This would ensure that critical tri-state capital funding for WMATA is adjusted for inflation and scaled to meet increased state-of-good repair and rail modernization needs starting in Fiscal Year (FY) 2029. Note that the state budget includes Maryland’s FY27 share of Metro operating and capital funding for next year.
- Silver and Starter Homes (HB239/SB36) – would allow more communities to build smaller homes and townhomes.
Flawed bills that did not advance:
- Regional Transportation Funding Authorities (HB916/SB674) – sought to create three taxing authorities covering Maryland’s metro areas, with criteria favoring highway expansion, and with no requirements to address maintenance, safety, or land use.
- Autonomous Vehicles (HB1295/SB909) – creates a framework to allow robotaxis and AVs statewide but would prohibit localities and the state from addressing needs like mobility data, curbside management, and added congestion.
We’ll update you again after Governor Moore takes action on the bills that passed.
We could not have done this without you and our partner orgs!
Together, CSG supporters like you sent over 780 emails to elected officials, made phone calls, and submitted testimony at committee hearings.
We look forward to continuing the work in the legislative off-season, setting the stage to take care of unfinished business in the 2027 session.