Maryland 2022 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB522 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	sb0522
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 522
8	8	M1 2lr2390
9	9	CF 2lr2391
10	10	By: Senators Hettleman and Elfreth
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 28, 2022
12	12	Assigned to: Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	State and Local Parks – Child Safe Zone Program – Establishment 2
19	19	(Equitable Access to Safe Parks Act) 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of establishing the Child Safe Zone Program in the Department of Natural 4
22	22	Resources; establishing the Child Safe Zone Fund as a special, nonlapsing fund, to 5
23	23	provide funding for capital and operating expenses associated with enhancing public 6
24	24	safety in State and local parks; and generally relating to public safety at State and 7
25	25	local parks. 8
26	26
27	27	BY adding to 9
28	28	Article – Natural Resources 10
29	29	Section 5–2001 through 5–2003 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 20. Child Safe 11
30	30	Zone Program” 12
31	31	Annotated Code of Maryland 13
32	32	(2018 Replacement Volume and 2021 Supplement) 14
33	33
34	34	Preamble 15
35	35
36	36	WHEREAS, Enhancing access to public parks improves the physical and mental 16
37	37	health of children and families; and 17
38	38
39	39	WHEREAS, Children who witness violence are more likely to suffer adverse health 18
40	40	and social impacts; and 19
41	41
42	42	WHEREAS, Children and families are entitled to an expectation of safety in public 20
43	43	spaces such as parks; and 21
44	44
45	45	WHEREAS, It is in the interest of children, their families, and all Marylanders for 22
46	46	the State to encourage the safe and healthy utilization of parks on a regular basis; and 23
47	47	2 SENATE BILL 522
48	48
49	49
50	50	WHEREAS, The designation of State and local parks as Child Safe Zones will 1
51	51	communicate to the public that parks are intended to serve as safe community gathering 2
52	52	spaces and thereby provide safe havens for children; now, therefore, 3
53	53
54	54	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY TH E GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 4
55	55	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 5
56	56
57	57	Article – Natural Resources 6
58	58
59	59	SUBTITLE 20. CHILD SAFE ZONE PROGRAM. 7
60	60
61	61	5–2001. 8
62	62
63	63	(A) IN THIS SUBTITLE THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 9
64	64	INDICATED. 10
65	65
66	66	(B) “CHILD SAFE ZONE” MEANS A DESIGNATION THAT COM MUNICATES THE 11
67	67	EXPECTATION THAT AN AREA IS SAFE FOR CHI LDREN AND THEIR FAMI LIES. 12
68	68
69	69	(C) “FUND” MEANS THE CHILD SAFE ZONE FUND ESTABLISHED UNDE R § 13
70	70	5–2003 OF THIS SUBTITLE . 14
71	71
72	72	(D) “PROGRAM” MEANS THE CHILD SAFE ZONE PROGRAM ESTABLISHED 15
73	73	UNDER § 5–2002 OF THIS SUBTITLE. 16
74	74
75	75	5–2002. 17
76	76
77	77	(A) THERE IS A CHILD SAFE ZONE PROGRAM IN THE DEPARTMENT . 18
78	78
79	79	(B) THE PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM IS TO: 19
80	80
81	81	(1) IMPROVE AND ENHANCE P UBLIC SAFETY AT STATE AND LOCAL 20
82	82	PARKS THROUGH MEASUR ES FUNDED UNDER § 5–2003 OF THIS SUBTITLE; 21
83	83
84	84	(2) INSTALL SIGNAGE IN PR OMINENT AREAS OF EAC H STATE PARK 22
85	85	IDENTIFYING THE PARKS AS CHILD SAFE ZONES; AND 23
86	86
87	87	(3) FACILITATE COLLABORAT ION WITH LOCAL JURIS DICTIONS TO 24
88	88	DESIGNATE LOCAL PARKS AS CHILD SAFE ZONES. 25
89	89
90	90	(C) A CHILD SAFE ZONE DESIGNATED UNDER THIS SECTION S HALL 26
91	91	INCLUDE THE AREA SURROUNDING THE PARK, WITHIN 50 FEET OF THE PARK ’S 27
92	92	BOUNDARIES . 28
93	93	SENATE BILL 522 3
94	94
95	95
96	96	(D) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL COMM UNICATE THE IDENTIFI CATION OF 1
97	97	STATE PARKS AS CHILD SAFE ZONES TO THE PUBLIC I N ITS MARKETING 2
98	98	MATERIALS. 3
99	99
100	100	5–2003. 4
101	101
102	102	(A) THERE IS A CHILD SAFE ZONE FUND. 5
103	103
104	104	(B) THE PURPOSE OF THE FUND IS TO PROVIDE FUNDING F OR CAPITAL AND 6
105	105	OPERATING EXPENSES A SSOCIATED WITH ENHAN CING PUBLIC SAFETY I N STATE 7
106	106	AND LOCAL PARKS . 8
107	107
108	108	(C) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ADMINISTER THE FUND. 9
109	109
110	110	(D) (1) THE FUND IS A SPECIAL, NONLAPSING FUND THAT IS NOT 10
111	111	SUBJECT TO § 7–302 OF THE STATE FINANCE AND PROCUREMENT ARTICLE. 11
112	112
113	113	(2) THE STATE TREASURER SHALL HOLD THE FUND SEPARATELY , 12
114	114	AND THE COMPTROLLER SHALL ACC OUNT FOR THE FUND. 13
115	115
116	116	(E) THE FUND CONSISTS OF : 14
117	117
118	118	(1) MONEY APPROPRIATED IN THE STATE BUDGET TO THE FUND; 15
119	119	AND 16
120	120
121	121	(2) ANY OTHER MONEY FROM ANY OTHER SOURCE ACC EPTED FOR 17
122	122	THE BENEFIT OF THE FUND. 18
123	123
124	124	(F) (1) THE FUND MAY BE USED ONLY FOR: 19
125	125
126	126	(I) CAPITAL AND OPERATING EXPENSES OF THE DEPARTMENT 20
127	127	ASSOCIATED WITH ENHA NCING PUBLIC SAFETY IN STATE PARKS; AND 21
128	128
129	129	(II) GRANTS TO LOCAL GOVER NMENTS FOR CAPITAL AND 22
130	130	OPERATING EXPENSES A SSOCIATED WITH ENHAN CING PUBLIC SAFETY I N LOCAL 23
131	131	PARKS. 24
132	132
133	133	(2) PUBLIC SAFETY MEASURES ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING UNDER THIS 25
134	134	SECTION INCLUDE : 26
135	135
136	136	(I) INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROV EMENTS THAT ENHANCE PUBLIC 27
137	137	SAFETY, SUCH AS ENHANCED LIG HTING, SECURITY AND SURVEIL LANCE CAMERAS , 28
138	138	LANDSCAPING , IMPROVED ACCESS , TRASH RECEPTACLES , AND OTHER 29 4 SENATE BILL 522
139	139
140	140
141	141	IMPROVEMENTS IDENTIF IED BY THE DEPARTMENT BASED ON N ATIONAL INDUSTRY 1
142	142	BEST PRACTICES ; AND 2
143	143
144	144	(II) INCREASED STAFFING FOR GENERAL OPERATIONS, 3
145	145	INCLUDING APPROPRIAT E SECURITY AND LAW E NFORCEMENT PERSONNEL . 4
146	146
147	147	(G) (1) THE STATE TREASURER SHALL INVES T THE MONEY OF THE FUND 5
148	148	IN THE SAME MANNER A S OTHER STATE MONEY MAY BE IN VESTED. 6
149	149
150	150	(2) ANY INTEREST EARNINGS OF THE FUND SHALL BE CREDITE D TO 7
151	151	THE GENERAL FUND OF THE STATE. 8
152	152
153	153	(H) EXPENDITURES FROM THE FUND MAY BE MADE ONLY IN ACCORDANCE 9
154	154	WITH THE STATE BUDGET . 10
155	155
156	156	(I) MONEY EXPENDED FROM T HE FUND IS SUPPLEMENTAL TO AND IS NOT 11
157	157	INTENDED TO TAKE THE PLACE OF FUNDING THA T OTHERWISE WOULD BE 12
158	158	APPROPRIATED FOR PUBLIC SAFETY MEASUR ES IN STATE AND LOCAL PARKS . 13
159	159
160	160	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That for fiscal year 2024, the 14
161	161	Governor shall include in the annual budget bill an appropriation of at least $1,000,000 to 15
162	162	the Child Safe Zone Fund. 16
163	163
164	164	SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 17
165	165	October 1, 2022. 18