Maryland 2023 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB734 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	sb0734
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 734
8	8	R1 3lr1612
9	9	CF 3lr1450
10	10	By: Senator Zucker
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 6, 2023
12	12	Assigned to: Finance
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Transportation – Highways – Tourist Area and Corridor Signage Program 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of establishing the Tourist Area and Corridor Signage Program; requiring 3
21	21	the State Highway Administration, in collaboration with the Department of 4
22	22	Commerce, to administer the program and establish an Eligibility Committee to 5
23	23	review attraction applications; requiring the Administration to conduct a certain 6
24	24	investigation on signing feasibility and prepare a signing plan if the Eligibility 7
25	25	Committee approves an attraction’s application; requiring the Department of 8
26	26	Commerce to review a signing plan for approval; requiring the Administration to 9
27	27	install each sign included in an approved signing plan; and generally relating to the 10
28	28	Tourist Area and Corridor Signage Program. 11
29	29
30	30	BY adding to 12
31	31	Article – Transportation 13
32	32	Section 8–755 to be under the new part “Part VIII. Tourist Area and Corridor 14
33	33	Signage Program” 15
34	34	Annotated Code of Maryland 16
35	35	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2022 Supplement) 17
36	36
37	37	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 18
38	38	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 19
39	39
40	40	Article – Transportation 20
41	41
42	42	8–753. RESERVED. 21
43	43
44	44	8–754. RESERVED. 22
45	45
46	46	PART VIII. TOURIST AREA AND CORRIDOR SIGNAGE PROGRAM. 23
47	47	2 SENATE BILL 734
48	48
49	49
50	50	8–755. 1
51	51
52	52	(A) THERE IS A MARYLAND TOURIST AREA AND CORRIDOR SIGNAGE 2
53	53	PROGRAM. 3
54	54
55	55	(B) THE PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM IS TO CREATE A SYSTEM OF 4
56	56	SUPPLEMENTAL GUIDE S IGNS TO DIRECT MOTOR ISTS TO ELIGIBLE IND IVIDUAL 5
57	57	ATTRACTIONS BY DIREC TING THE MOTORISTS F IRST TO GROUPS OF AT TRACTIONS. 6
58	58
59	59	(C) THE ADMINISTRATION , IN COLLABORATION WIT H THE DEPARTMENT 7
60	60	OF COMMERCE, SHALL: 8
61	61
62	62	(1) ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM; AND 9
63	63
64	64	(2) ESTABLISH AN ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE TO REVIEW A TTRACTION 10
65	65	APPLICATIONS. 11
66	66
67	67	(D) (1) (I) THE ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE SHALL DEVEL OP 12
68	68	STANDARDS AND PROCED URES FOR DETERMINING THE ELIGIBILITY OF A N 13
69	69	ATTRACTION FOR SIGNI NG. 14
70	70
71	71	(II) IF THE ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE APPROVES AN 15
72	72	ATTRACTION’S APPLICATION, THE ADMINISTRATION SHALL INVESTIGATE WHETHER 16
73	73	THERE IS SPACE AVAILABLE TO SIGN FOR THE ATTRACT ION. 17
74	74
75	75	(III) SIGNING IS SUBJECT TO SPACE AVAILABILITY B ASED ON 18
76	76	ADMINISTRATION REGULA TIONS AND REQUIREMEN TS. 19
77	77
78	78	(2) (I) IF THE ADMINISTRATION DETERM INES THAT SIGNING IS 20
79	79	FEASIBLE, THE ADMINISTRATION SHALL PREPARE A SIGNING PLAN FOR T HE 21
80	80	DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE TO REVIEW . 22
81	81
82	82	(II) IN REVIEWING A SIGNIN G PLAN, THE DEPARTMENT OF 23
83	83	COMMERCE MAY CONSULT WITH OTHER STATE AGENCIES AND OF FICES. 24
84	84
85	85	(3) (I) IF THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE APPROVES A S IGNING 25
86	86	PLAN, THE ADMINISTRAT ION SHALL INSTALL EA CH SIGN INCLUDED IN THE SIGNING 26
87	87	PLAN. 27
88	88
89	89	(II) AN APPLICANT AND THE PROGRAM SHALL SHARE E QUALLY 28
90	90	THE COSTS OF CONSTRU CTING AND INSTALLING EACH SIGN INCLUDED I N A SIGNING 29
91	91	PLAN. 30
92	92	SENATE BILL 734 3
93	93
94	94
95	95	(E) (1) EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSE CTION, 1
96	96	TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR S IGNING, AN ATTRACTION SHALL , AT A MINIMUM: 2
97	97
98	98	(I) PROVIDE RECREATIONAL , HISTORICAL, CULTURAL, OR 3
99	99	LEISURE ACTIVITIES T O THE PUBLIC; 4
100	100
101	101	(II) BE PRIMARILY A NONRET AIL ATTRACTION , WITH NOT MORE 5
102	102	THAN 20% OF THE INTERIOR SQUA RE FOOTAGE OF THE ATTRACTIO N DEVOTED TO 6
103	103	RETAIL SALES; 7
104	104
105	105	(III) BE OPEN TO RANDOM DAI LY VISITATION WITHOU T 8
106	106	ADVANCED RESERVATION S OR A REQUIRED EXTE NDED ATTENDANCE ; 9
107	107
108	108	(IV) IN DESIGNATED URBAN A REAS, MEET MINIMUM VISITOR 10
109	109	ATTENDANCE MEASURES ESTABLISHED BY THE ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE; 11
110	110
111	111	(V) BE OPEN AT LEAST: 12
112	112
113	113	1. 5 HOURS PER DAY ; 13
114	114
115	115	2. 4 DAYS PER WEEK , INCLUDING SATURDAY OR 14
116	116	SUNDAY; 15
117	117
118	118	3. 25 HOURS PER WEEK ; AND 16
119	119
120	120	4. 8 MONTHS EACH YEAR ; 17
121	121
122	122	(VI) 1. PUBLISH A BROCHURE OR HOST A WEBSITE THAT 18
123	123	PROVIDES THE ATTRACT ION’S HOURS OF OPERATION ; AND 19
124	124
125	125	2. POST THE HOURS OF OPE RATION AT THE 20
126	126	ATTRACTION LOCATION , CONSISTENT WITH THE HOURS OF OPERATION P UBLISHED 21
127	127	IN ITS BROCHURE OR A PPEARING ON ITS WEBS ITE; 22
128	128
129	129	(VII) PROVIDE PUBLIC ACCESS TO ONSITE RESTROOMS , WATER, 23
130	130	TELEPHONES , AND PARKING; 24
131	131
132	132	(VIII) PROVIDE AN INTERPRETE R OR GUIDE , PRINTED 25
133	133	SELF–GUIDED TOUR , OR INTERPRETATIVE SI GNING DURING ALL HOU RS OF 26
134	134	OPERATION; AND 27
135	135
136	136	(IX) MEET FEDERAL AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT 28
137	137	REQUIREMENTS FOR ACC ESSIBILITY. 29 4 SENATE BILL 734
138	138
139	139
140	140
141	141	(2) (I) THE ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE MAY APPROVE AN 1
142	142	ATTRACTION THAT DOES NOT MEET ALL OF THE REQUIREMENTS UNDER 2
143	143	PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION I F THE ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE 3
144	144	DETERMINES THAT THE ATTRACTION IS IMPORTANT TO THE STATE OR LOCAL 4
145	145	ECONOMY. 5
146	146
147	147	(II) A DESTINATION APPROVED IN ACCORDANCE WITH 6
148	148	SUBPARAGRAPH (I) OF THIS PARAGRAPH SH ALL BE LISTED ON THE PROGRAM’S 7
149	149	WEBSITE. 8
150	150
151	151	(III) THE ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE MAY WAIVE T HE 9
152	152	REQUIREMENT THAT AN ATTRACTION BE OPEN AT LEAST 8 MONTHS EACH YEAR FOR 10
153	153	SEASONAL ATTRACTIONS . 11
154	154
155	155	(F) (1) TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR SI GNING, AN ATTRACTION MAY NO T, BASED 12
156	156	ON A DETERMINATION B Y THE ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE, ALREADY BE 13
157	157	WELL–SIGNED ON A TOURIST AREA CORRIDOR. 14
158	158
159	159	(2) THE FOLLOWING CATEGOR IES OF ATTRACTIONS A RE ELIGIBLE 15
160	160	FOR SIGNING WITH GEN ERIC SYMBOLS APPROVE D FOR USE: 16
161	161
162	162	(I) VISITOR CENTERS ; 17
163	163
164	164	(II) GOLF COURSES; 18
165	165
166	166	(III) ANTIQUES ROWS ; 19
167	167
168	168	(IV) MARINAS; 20
169	169
170	170	(V) WINERIES; 21
171	171
172	172	(VI) SUBJECT TO PARAGRAPH (3) OF THIS SUBSECTION , 22
173	173	BREWERIES; AND 23
174	174
175	175	(VII) ANY ADDITIONAL CATEGO RY IDENTIFIED BY THE 24
176	176	ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE. 25
177	177
178	178	(3) THE ADMINISTRATION AND TH E DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 26
179	179	SHALL DETERMINE THE GENERIC SYMBOL AND C RITERIA FOR BREWERY 27
180	180	ELIGIBILITY IN CONSU LTATION WITH A GEOGRAPHICALLY DIVER SE SET OF 28
181	181	COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDE RS, INCLUDING: 29
182	182	SENATE BILL 734 5
183	183
184	184
185	185	(I) STATE LEADERS IN THE BREWING INDUSTRY ; 1
186	186
187	187	(II) LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIA LS; 2
188	188
189	189	(III) LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELO PMENT OFFICIALS ; AND 3
190	190
191	191	(IV) LEADERS IN THE TOURIS M INDUSTRY. 4
192	192
193	193	(G) FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025, THE GOVERNOR SHALL INCLUD E IN THE 5
194	194	ANNUAL BUDGET BILL A N APPROPRIATION OF $350,000 TO THE PROGRAM. 6
195	195
196	196	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 7
197	197	October 1, 2023. 8
198	198