Maryland 2024 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1375 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	hb1375
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1375
8	8	M3 4lr0440
9	9
10	10	By: Delegate Rosenberg
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 9, 2024
12	12	Assigned to: Environment and Transportation
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Environmental Justice – Identification of and Investment in Overburdened and 2
19	19	Underserved Communities – Report 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of requiring the Department of the Environment to submit an annual 4
22	22	report to the Governor and General Assembly beginning on or before a certain date 5
23	23	relating to the identification of certain communities, the percentage of spending for 6
24	24	certain investments that benefited certain communities during the prior fiscal year 7
25	25	within certain governmental entities, and certain recommendations on improving 8
26	26	the identification of and provision of assistance to certain communities; and 9
27	27	generally relating to overburdened and underserved communities. 10
28	28
29	29	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 11
30	30	Article – Environment 12
31	31	Section 1–701(a)(1) 13
32	32	Annotated Code of Maryland 14
33	33	(2013 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 15
34	34
35	35	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 16
36	36	Article – Environment 17
37	37	Section 1–701(a)(7) and (8) 18
38	38	Annotated Code of Maryland 19
39	39	(2013 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 20
40	40
41	41	BY adding to 21
42	42	Article – Environment 22
43	43	Section 1–703 23
44	44	Annotated Code of Maryland 24
45	45	(2013 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 25
46	46
47	47	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 26
48	48	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 27 2 HOUSE BILL 1375
49	49
50	50
51	51
52	52	Article – Environment 1
53	53
54	54	1–701. 2
55	55
56	56	(a) (1) In this [section] SUBTITLE the following words have the meanings 3
57	57	indicated. 4
58	58
59	59	(7) “Overburdened community” means any census tract for which three or 5
60	60	more of the following environmental health indicators are above the 75th percentile 6
61	61	statewide: 7
62	62
63	63	(i) Particulate matter (PM) 2.5; 8
64	64
65	65	(ii) Ozone; 9
66	66
67	67	(iii) National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) diesel PM; 10
68	68
69	69	(iv) NATA cancer risk; 11
70	70
71	71	(v) NATA respiratory hazard index; 12
72	72
73	73	(vi) Traffic proximity; 13
74	74
75	75	(vii) Lead paint indicator; 14
76	76
77	77	(viii) National Priorities List Superfund site proximity; 15
78	78
79	79	(ix) Risk Management Plan facility proximity; 16
80	80
81	81	(x) Hazardous waste proximity; 17
82	82
83	83	(xi) Wastewater discharge indicator; 18
84	84
85	85	(xii) Proximity to a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO); 19
86	86
87	87	(xiii) Percent of the population lacking broadband coverage; 20
88	88
89	89	(xiv) Asthma emergency room discharges; 21
90	90
91	91	(xv) Myocardial infarction discharges; 22
92	92
93	93	(xvi) Low–birth–weight infants; 23
94	94
95	95	(xvii) Proximity to emitting power plants; 24
96	96
97	97	(xviii) Proximity to a Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) facility; 25 HOUSE BILL 1375 3
98	98
99	99
100	100
101	101	(xix) Proximity to a brownfields site; 1
102	102
103	103	(xx) Proximity to mining operations; and 2
104	104
105	105	(xxi) Proximity to a hazardous waste landfill. 3
106	106
107	107	(8) “Underserved community” means any census tract in which, according 4
108	108	to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau Survey: 5
109	109
110	110	(i) At least 25% of the residents qualify as low–income; 6
111	111
112	112	(ii) At least 50% of the residents identify as nonwhite; or 7
113	113
114	114	(iii) At least 15% of the residents have limited English proficiency. 8
115	115
116	116	1–703. 9
117	117
118	118	ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 31, 2024, AND EACH DECEMBER 31 THEREAFTER , 10
119	119	THE DEPARTMENT SHALL SUBM IT A REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR AND , IN 11
120	120	ACCORDANCE WITH § 2–1257 OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE, THE GENERAL 12
121	121	ASSEMBLY ON: 13
122	122
123	123	(1) THE IDENTIFICATION OF OVERBURDENED COMMUNI TIES AND 14
124	124	UNDERSERVED COMMUNIT IES IN THE STATE; 15
125	125
126	126	(2) THE PERCENTAGE OF OVERAL L SPENDING FOR PROGRAMS , 16
127	127	PROJECTS, AND INVESTMENTS THAT BENEFITED OVERBURDEN ED AND 17
128	128	UNDERSERVED COMMUNIT IES DURING THE PR IOR FISCAL YEAR WITHIN THE 18
129	129	FOLLOWING GOVERNMENT AL ENTITIES: 19
130	130
131	131	(I) THE DEPARTMENT ; 20
132	132
133	133	(II) THE MARYLAND ENERGY ADMINISTRATION ; 21
134	134
135	135	(III) THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF LABOR; 22
136	136
137	137	(IV) THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES; 23
138	138
139	139	(V) THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ; 24
140	140
141	141	(VI) THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE; 25
142	142
143	143	(VII) THE MILITARY DEPARTMENT ; 26
144	144	4 HOUSE BILL 1375
145	145
146	146
147	147	(VIII) THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES; 1
148	148
149	149	(IX) THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ; 2
150	150
151	151	(X) THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH; AND 3
152	152
153	153	(XI) ANY OTHER RELEVANT AG ENCIES OR PROGRAMS ; AND 4
154	154
155	155	(3) SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATI ONS TO IMPROVE THE IDENTIFI CATION 5
156	156	OF AND PROVISION OF ASSISTANCE TO OVERBU RDENED AND UNDERSERVED 6
157	157	COMMUNITIES , INCLUDING LEGISLATIV E AND REGULATORY CHA NGES. 7
158	158
159	159	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 8
160	160	1, 2024. 9