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Maryland’s 90-day Legislative Session ended at midnight on April 10, 2017 (Sine Die). Wins - HB 587 Bill Signing Photo. The session was influenced by a new U.S. presidential administration, and the fact that it fell in the third year, traditionally the busiest, of a four-year term for both state legislators and the Governor. Next year (2018) is a gubernatorial election year in Maryland which means the Governor, State Legislators, Montgomery County Executive and all nine County Council members are up for election. MCCC secured several strategic wins and laid the groundwork for next year’s session. MCCC WINS: • ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS Marriott International secured $20 million to relocate to Downtown Bethesda R&D Tax Credits: Passed a modest increase from $9 million to $12 million (Sen. Nancy King) Biotechnology Tax Credit: Extends the eligibility for this credit (Sen. Manno) MOVE: matching grant from State for businesses relocating into offices in Montgomery County (Del. Jeff Waldstreicher and Del. Charlie Barkley) Spirits available in beer and wine stores: Agency store model allows beer and wine stores to apply for license to sell liquor. Expand craft brewing in Montgomery County: Allowing a Class 7 licensee to operate in more than one location. Defeated: A series of employment bills that would harm Maryland’s competitiveness including $15 minimum wage, pay stub transparency, job salary disclosure, fair scheduling, and overtime pay. These will likely return next year with many members of the Montgomery County Delegation leading the way. • TRANSPORTATION Washington Metrorail Safety Commission Act (Sen Brian Feldman and Del. Marc Korman) • EDUCATION Montgomery College: Funding for new Math & Science Building, Takoma Park Campus U@SG Campus: Funding for Biomedical & Engineering program (Sen. Nancy King) • TAX RELIEF Exempted from Transfer/Recordation Tax: transfer of property from sole proprietor to LLC (Del. Aruna Miller) Extended tax credits for SCIF’s and Security Clearances (Sen. Roger Manno) Estate Tax Recoupled to Federal Rate: Defeated effort to repeal. Combined Reporting: Defeated. • VETERAN OWNED BUSINESSES Removed obstacles for Veteran owned businesses to compete for state procurement (Del Kirill Reznick) $150,000 for MCCCF’s FY 2018 Veteran Institute for Procurement (VIP) training program (Sen. Nancy King) MCCC: ONGOING CHALLENGE • ONE MARYLAND/ ONE LAW: EMPLOYMENT Mandatory Paid Leave: Passed. MCCC was disappointed that the state’s bill passed without preempting counties. The Governor has said this bill is ‘dead on arrival’ but with enough votes to override a veto, it is still unclear what the Governor will do. The bill that passed does not preempt counties, nor is it consistent with Montgomery County’s law, and therefore poses compliance challenges for all employers. More guidance to come on how to manage these inconsistent and sometimes contradictory requirements. MCCC supported a bill introduced by House Economic Matters Chair Dereck Davis to create a state-wide preemption of employment rules: One state, one law. His bill failed. A good summary of major issues that were not directly related to business climate appeared in today’s Washington Post. MCCC thanks our Legislative Chairs Leslie Ford Weber, Johns Hopkins and Joshua Bokee, Comcast for their incredible dedication of time and attention on dozens of conference calls and emails to provide well-informed guidance on navigating through our state and county legislative session. We also would like to thank MCCC Board Member John Stierhoff and the Venable Team for their work in Annapolis. We also appreciate the teamwork of our partners at the Maryland Chamber as well as the Greater Bethesda, Greater Silver Spring, Gaithersburg and Germantown and Rockville Chambers of Commerce and the Maryland Tech Council.