Maryland 2023 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1038 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	hb1038
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1038
8	8	R1 3lr1450
9	9	CF SB 734
10	10	By: Delegates Solomon, Foley, Fraser–Hidalgo, Kaiser, Kaufman, Mireku–North,
11	11	Qi, Queen, Shetty, and Wells
12	12	Introduced and read first time: February 10, 2023
13	13	Assigned to: Environment and Transportation
14	14
15	15	A BILL ENTITLED
16	16
17	17	AN ACT concerning 1
18	18
19	19	Transportation – Highways – Tourist Area and Corridor Signage Program 2
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of establishing the Tourist Area and Corridor Signage Program; requiring 3
22	22	the State Highway Administration, in collaboration with the Department of 4
23	23	Commerce, to administer the program and establish an Eligibility Committee to 5
24	24	review attraction applications; requiring the Administration to conduct a certain 6
25	25	investigation on signing feasibility and prepare a signing plan if the Eligibility 7
26	26	Committee approves an attraction’s application; requiring the Department of 8
27	27	Commerce to review a signing plan for approval; requiring the Administration to 9
28	28	install each sign included in an approved signing plan; and generally relating to the 10
29	29	Tourist Area and Corridor Signage Program. 11
30	30
31	31	BY adding to 12
32	32	Article – Transportation 13
33	33	Section 8–755 to be under the new part “Part VIII. Tourist Area and Corridor 14
34	34	Signage Program” 15
35	35	Annotated Code of Maryland 16
36	36	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2022 Supplement) 17
37	37
38	38	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 18
39	39	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 19
40	40
41	41	Article – Transportation 20
42	42
43	43	8–753. RESERVED. 21
44	44
45	45	8–754. RESERVED. 22
46	46
47	47	PART VIII. TOURIST AREA AND CORRIDOR SIGNAGE PROGRAM. 23 2 HOUSE BILL 1038
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51	8–755. 1
52	52
53	53	(A) THERE IS A MARYLAND TOURIST AREA AND CORRIDOR SIGNAGE 2
54	54	PROGRAM. 3
55	55
56	56	(B) THE PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM IS TO CREATE A SYSTEM OF 4
57	57	SUPPLEMENTAL GUIDE S IGNS TO DIRECT MOTOR ISTS TO ELIGIBLE IND IVIDUAL 5
58	58	ATTRACTIONS BY DIREC TING THE MOTORISTS F IRST TO GROUPS OF AT TRACTIONS. 6
59	59
60	60	(C) THE ADMINISTRATION , IN COLLABORATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT 7
61	61	OF COMMERCE, SHALL: 8
62	62
63	63	(1) ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM; AND 9
64	64
65	65	(2) ESTABLISH AN ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE TO REVIEW A TTRACTION 10
66	66	APPLICATIONS. 11
67	67
68	68	(D) (1) (I) THE ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE SHALL DEVELOP 12
69	69	STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES FOR DETER MINING THE ELIGIBILI TY OF AN 13
70	70	ATTRACTION FOR SIGNI NG. 14
71	71
72	72	(II) IF THE ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE APPROVES AN 15
73	73	ATTRACTION’S APPLICATION, THE ADMINISTRATION SHALL INVESTIGATE WHETHER 16
74	74	THERE IS SPACE AVAIL ABLE TO SIGN FOR THE ATTR ACTION. 17
75	75
76	76	(III) SIGNING IS SUBJECT TO SPACE AVAILABILITY B ASED ON 18
77	77	ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS AND REQU IREMENTS. 19
78	78
79	79	(2) (I) IF THE ADMINISTRATION DETERM INES THAT SIGNING IS 20
80	80	FEASIBLE, THE ADMINISTRATION SHALL PREPARE A SIGNING PL AN FOR THE 21
81	81	DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE TO REVIEW. 22
82	82
83	83	(II) IN REVIEWING A SIGNIN G PLAN, THE DEPARTMENT OF 23
84	84	COMMERCE MAY CONSULT WITH OTH ER STATE AGENCIES AND OF FICES. 24
85	85
86	86	(3) (I) IF THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE APPROVES A SIGNING 25
87	87	PLAN, THE ADMINISTRATION SHALL INSTALL EACH SIGN INCLUDED I N THE SIGNING 26
88	88	PLAN. 27
89	89
90	90	(II) AN APPLICANT AND THE PROGRAM SHALL SHARE E QUALLY 28
91	91	THE COSTS OF CONSTRUCTING AND INSTALLING EACH SIGN INCLUDED IN A SIGNING 29
92	92	PLAN. 30 HOUSE BILL 1038 3
93	93
94	94
95	95
96	96	(E) (1) EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION , 1
97	97	TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR S IGNING, AN ATTRACTION SHALL , AT A MINIMUM: 2
98	98
99	99	(I) PROVIDE RECREATIONAL , HISTORICAL, CULTURAL, OR 3
100	100	LEISURE ACTIVITIES T O THE PUBLIC; 4
101	101
102	102	(II) BE PRIMARILY A NONRET AIL ATTRACTION , WITH NOT MORE 5
103	103	THAN 20% OF THE INTERIOR SQUA RE FOOTAGE OF THE ATTRACTION DEVOTED TO 6
104	104	RETAIL SALES; 7
105	105
106	106	(III) BE OPEN TO RANDOM DAI LY VISITATION WITHOU T 8
107	107	ADVANCED RESERVATIONS OR A REQUIRED EXTENDED ATTENDANCE ; 9
108	108
109	109	(IV) IN DESIGNATED URBAN A REAS, MEET MINIMUM VISITOR 10
110	110	ATTENDANCE MEASURES ESTABLISHED BY THE ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE; 11
111	111
112	112	(V) BE OPEN AT LEAST: 12
113	113
114	114	1. 5 HOURS PER DAY ; 13
115	115
116	116	2. 4 DAYS PER WEEK , INCLUDING SATURDAY OR 14
117	117	SUNDAY; 15
118	118
119	119	3. 25 HOURS PER WEEK ; AND 16
120	120
121	121	4. 8 MONTHS EACH YEAR ; 17
122	122
123	123	(VI) 1. PUBLISH A BROCHURE OR HOST A WEBSITE THAT 18
124	124	PROVIDES THE ATTRACTION ’S HOURS OF OPERATION ; AND 19
125	125
126	126	2. POST THE HOURS OF OPERATI ON AT THE 20
127	127	ATTRACTION LOCATION , CONSISTENT WITH THE HOURS OF OPERATION P UBLISHED 21
128	128	IN ITS BROCHURE OR APPEARIN G ON ITS WEBSITE; 22
129	129
130	130	(VII) PROVIDE PUBLIC ACCESS TO ONSITE RESTROOMS , WATER, 23
131	131	TELEPHONES , AND PARKING; 24
132	132
133	133	(VIII) PROVIDE AN INTERPRETE R OR GUIDE , PRINTED 25
134	134	SELF–GUIDED TOUR , OR INTERPRETATIVE SI GNING DURING ALL HOU RS OF 26
135	135	OPERATION; AND 27
136	136	4 HOUSE BILL 1038
137	137
138	138
139	139	(IX) MEET FEDERAL AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT 1
140	140	REQUIREMENTS FOR ACC ESSIBILITY. 2
141	141
142	142	(2) (I) THE ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE MAY APPROVE AN 3
143	143	ATTRACTION THAT DOES NOT MEET A LL OF THE REQUIREMEN TS UNDER 4
144	144	PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION IF THE ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE 5
145	145	DETERMINES THAT THE ATTRACTION IS IMPORTANT TO THE STATE OR LOCAL 6
146	146	ECONOMY. 7
147	147
148	148	(II) A DESTINATION APPROVED IN ACCORDANCE WITH 8
149	149	SUBPARAGRAPH (I) OF THIS PARAGRAPH SH ALL BE LISTED ON THE PROGRAM’S 9
150	150	WEBSITE. 10
151	151
152	152	(III) THE ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE MAY WAIVE T HE 11
153	153	REQUIREMENT THAT AN ATTRACTION BE OPEN AT LEAST 8 MONTHS EACH YEAR FOR 12
154	154	SEASONAL ATTRACTIONS . 13
155	155
156	156	(F) (1) TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR SIGNING, AN ATTRACTION MAY NO T, BASED 14
157	157	ON A DETERMINATION B Y THE ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE, ALREADY BE 15
158	158	WELL–SIGNED ON A TOURIST AREA CORRIDOR. 16
159	159
160	160	(2) THE FOLLOWING CATEGOR IES OF ATTRACTIONS A RE ELIGIBLE 17
161	161	FOR SIGNING WITH GEN ERIC SYMBOLS APPROVE D FOR USE: 18
162	162
163	163	(I) VISITOR CENTERS ; 19
164	164
165	165	(II) GOLF COURSES; 20
166	166
167	167	(III) ANTIQUES ROWS; 21
168	168
169	169	(IV) MARINAS; 22
170	170
171	171	(V) WINERIES; 23
172	172
173	173	(VI) SUBJECT TO PARAGRAPH (3) OF THIS SUBSECTION, 24
174	174	BREWERIES AND DISTILLERIES ; AND 25
175	175
176	176	(VII) ANY ADDITIONAL CATEGO RY IDENTIFIED BY THE 26
177	177	ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE. 27
178	178
179	179	(3) THE ADMINISTRATION AND THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 28
180	180	SHALL DETERMINE THE GENERIC SYMBOL S AND CRITERIA FOR BRE WERY AND 29 HOUSE BILL 1038 5
181	181
182	182
183	183	DISTILLERY ELIGIBILITY IN CONSULTATION WITH A GEOGRAPHICALL Y DIVERSE SET 1
184	184	OF COMMUNITY STAKEHO LDERS, INCLUDING: 2
185	185
186	186	(I) STATE LEADERS IN THE BREWING AND DISTILLING 3
187	187	INDUSTRIES; 4
188	188
189	189	(II) LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS; 5
190	190
191	191	(III) LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPM ENT OFFICIALS; AND 6
192	192
193	193	(IV) LEADERS IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY . 7
194	194
195	195	(G) FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025, THE GOVERNOR SHALL INCLUD E IN THE 8
196	196	ANNUAL BUDGET BILL A N APPROPRIATION OF $350,000 TO THE PROGRAM. 9
197	197
198	198	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 10
199	199	October 1, 2023. 11