Maryland 2022 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1242 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb1242
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1242
8	8	C8 2lr2659
9	9	CF SB 826
10	10	By: Delegates Mautz, Adams, Arentz, Hornberger, Jacobs, and McComas
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 11, 2022
12	12	Assigned to: Environment and Transportation and Ways and Means
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Economic Development – Maryland Watermen’s Microloan Program – 2
19	19	Establishment 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of establishing the Maryland Watermen’s Microloan Program and Fund 4
22	22	in the Maryland Agricultural and Resource –Based Industry Development 5
23	23	Corporation; providing for certain loans to eligible watermen and seafood processing 6
24	24	businesses under the Program; and generally relating to the Maryland Watermen’s 7
25	25	Microloan Program. 8
26	26
27	27	BY renumbering 9
28	28	Article – Economic Development 10
29	29	Section 10–526 and 10–527, respectively 11
30	30	to be Section 10–527 and 10–528, respectively 12
31	31	Annotated Code of Maryland 13
32	32	(2018 Replacement Volume and 2021 Supplement) 14
33	33
34	34	BY adding to 15
35	35	Article – Economic Development 16
36	36	Section 10–526 17
37	37	Annotated Code of Maryland 18
38	38	(2018 Replacement Volume and 2021 Supplement) 19
39	39
40	40	Preamble 20
41	41
42	42	WHEREAS, For generations Maryland watermen have labored to harvest delicious 21
43	43	fish and shellfish products from the Chesapeake Bay for the benefit of consumers in this 22
44	44	State and beyond; and 23
45	45
46	46	WHEREAS, Maryland’s iconic seafood industry has contributed greatly to 24
47	47	Maryland’s economy and stature as a wonderful tourist destination and a great place to 25
48	48	live; and 26 2 HOUSE BILL 1242
49	49
50	50
51	51
52	52	WHEREAS, Maryland watermen have historically had a difficult time accessing 1
53	53	affordable commercial capital and credit; and 2
54	54
55	55	WHEREAS, Maryland’s generational watermen have faced many challenges in 3
56	56	recent years and were especially hard–hit during the COVID–19 pandemic due to loss of 4
57	57	markets; now, therefore, 5
58	58
59	59	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 6
60	60	That Section(s) 10–526 and 10–527, respectively, of Article – Economic Development of the 7
61	61	Annotated Code of Maryland be renumbered to be Section(s) 10–527 and 10–528, 8
62	62	respectively. 9
63	63
64	64	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the Laws of Maryland read 10
65	65	as follows: 11
66	66
67	67	Article – Economic Development 12
68	68
69	69	10–526. 13
70	70
71	71	(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 14
72	72	INDICATED. 15
73	73
74	74	(2) “BEGINNER WATERMAN ” MEANS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS: 16
75	75
76	76	(I) A TIDAL FISH LICENSE UNDER § 4–701 OF THE NATURAL 17
77	77	RESOURCES ARTICLE; AND 18
78	78
79	79	(II) AT LEAST 2 YEARS AND NOT MORE T HAN 10 YEARS OF 19
80	80	EXPERIENCE IN COMMER CIAL SEAFOOD HARVEST ING. 20
81	81
82	82	(3) “GENERATIONAL WATERMAN ” MEANS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO: 21
83	83
84	84	(I) HAS A TIDAL FISH LIC ENSE UNDER § 4–701 OF THE 22
85	85	NATURAL RESOURCES ARTICLE; AND 23
86	86
87	87	(II) CAN DEMONSTRATE , THROUGH THE SUBMISSI ON OF THE 24
88	88	TWO MOST RECENT FEDE RAL INCOME TAX RETUR NS AND OTHER SUPPORTING 25
89	89	DOCUMENTS , THAT AT LEAST 50% OF THE INDIVIDUAL ’S ANNUAL INCOME IS 26
90	90	DERIVED FROM COMMERC IAL SEAFOOD HARVESTI NG. 27
91	91
92	92	(4) “PROGRAM” MEANS THE MARYLAND WATERMEN’S MICROLOAN 28
93	93	PROGRAM. 29
94	94
95	95	(5) “QUALIFIED COMMERCIAL FISHERMAN” INCLUDES: 30 HOUSE BILL 1242 3
96	96
97	97
98	98
99	99	(I) A BEGINNER WATERMAN ; AND 1
100	100
101	101	(II) A GENERATIONAL WATER MAN. 2
102	102
103	103	(B) THERE IS A MARYLAND WATERMEN’S MICROLOAN PROGRAM IN THE 3
104	104	CORPORATION . 4
105	105
106	106	(C) THE PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM IS TO PROVIDE LOANS TO QUALIFIED 5
107	107	COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN TO CONTINUE COMMERCI AL OPERATIONS IN THE STATE, 6
108	108	INCLUDING FOR PURCHA SING: 7
109	109
110	110	(1) BOATS; 8
111	111
112	112	(2) MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT ; 9
113	113
114	114	(3) FISHING GEAR; 10
115	115
116	116	(4) FISHING QUOTA ; AND 11
117	117
118	118	(5) ANY OTHER ITEM USED IN COMMERCIAL SEAFOO D HARVESTING . 12
119	119
120	120	(D) THE CORPORATION SHALL IMP LEMENT AND ADMINISTE R THE 13
121	121	PROGRAM IN ACCO RDANCE WITH THIS SEC TION. 14
122	122
123	123	(E) (1) THROUGH JUNE 30, 2025, ONLY GENERATIONAL WA TERMEN ARE 15
124	124	ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE A LOAN UNDER THE PROGRAM. 16
125	125
126	126	(2) STARTING JULY 1, 2025, THE FOLLOWING PERSON S ARE 17
127	127	ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE A LOAN UNDER THE PROGRAM: 18
128	128
129	129	(I) GENERATION AL WATERMEN ; 19
130	130
131	131	(II) BEGINNER WATERMEN ; AND 20
132	132
133	133	(III) SEAFOOD PROCESSING B USINESSES. 21
134	134
135	135	(F) (1) FOR LOANS MADE UNDER THE PROGRAM, THE CORPORATION 22
136	136	SHALL DETERMINE : 23
137	137
138	138	(I) THE ELIGIBILITY OF A N APPLICANT; 24
139	139
140	140	(II) THE AMOUNT OF LOAN T O BE GIVEN TO A BORROWER ; 25 4 HOUSE BILL 1242
141	141
142	142
143	143
144	144	(III) THE TERMS AND CONDIT IONS OF A LOAN CONTR ACT; AND 1
145	145
146	146	(IV) THE AMOUNT OF DEBT F ORGIVENESS THAT MAY BE 2
147	147	PROVIDED TO A BORROW ER FOR LOAN REPAYMEN T PERFORMANCE . 3
148	148
149	149	(2) A LOAN MADE UNDER THE PROGRAM SHALL BE AT L EAST $7,000 4
150	150	AND NOT MORE THAN $15,000. 5
151	151
152	152	(3) A BORROWER UNDER THE PROGRAM MAY NOT HAVE MORE THAN 6
153	153	ONE OUTSTANDING LOAN FROM THE PROGRAM DURING ANY PE RIOD OF TIME. 7
154	154
155	155	(G) (1) FOR FISCAL YEARS 2024 AND 2025, THE GOVERNOR SHALL 8
156	156	INCLUDE IN THE ANNUA L STATE BUDGET BILL AN APPROPRIATION OF $750,000 TO 9
157	157	THE PROGRAM. 10
158	158
159	159	(2) THE APPROPRIATION IN PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION 11
160	160	SHALL BE DISTRIBUTED TO A SPECIAL FUND , TO BE USED ONLY TO : 12
161	161
162	162	(I) MAKE LOANS UNDER THE PROGRAM; AND 13
163	163
164	164	(II) PAY THE COSTS NECESS ARY TO ADMINISTER AN D OPERATE 14
165	165	THE PROGRAM. 15
166	166
167	167	SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 16
168	168	October 1, 2022. 17
169	169