EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
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*sb0070*
SENATE BILL 70
R2 (4lr0586)
ENROLLED BILL
— Finance/Environment and Transportation —
Introduced by Senator McCray
Read and Examined by Proofreaders:
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
Sealed with the Great Seal and presented to the Governor, for his approval this
_______ day of _______________ at _________________ _______ o’clock, ________M.
______________________________________________
President.
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Transportation – Major Change in Bus Service – Impacts Report Publication on 2
Website 3
FOR the purpose of requiring the Maryland Transit Administration, before announcing any 4
reduction or cancellation of an existing bus route or line, to compile a report on the 5
impacts of the proposed service reduction or cancellation; requiring the 6
Administration to publish the report on its website at least a certain number of days 7
before the required public hearing on the proposed service change altering the 8
information that the Maryland Transit Administration is required to publish on its 9
website before holding a public hearing on a major service change; requiring the 10
Administration to distribute the report a certain report on proposed major service 11
changes to certain officials and entities; and generally relating to service reductions 12
or cancellations of major service changes for existing bus routes. 13
BY adding to 14 2 SENATE BILL 70
Article – Transportation 1
Section 7–508 2
Annotated Code of Maryland 3
(2020 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 4
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 5
Article – Transportation 6
Section 7–715 7–716 7
Annotated Code of Maryland 8
(2020 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 9
(As enacted by Chapters 583 and 584 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2023) 10
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 11
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 12
Article – Transportation 13
7–508. 7–715. 14
(A) The Administration shall develop transit equity analysis policies and 15
guidelines, including thresholds for when a reduction or cancellation of a capital expansion 16
project in the construction program of the Consolidated Transportation Program requires 17
analysis. 18
(A) (B) (1) IN THIS SECTION SUBSECTION, “ROUTE” MEANS A BUS 19
ROUTE OR BUS LINE, OR THE CORRESPONDING PARATRANSIT SERVICE AREA. 20
(B) (2) BEFORE ANNOUNCING ANY SERVICE REDUCTION OR 21
CANCELLATION OF AN E XISTING ROUTE, THE ADMINISTRATION SHALL COMPILE A 22
REPORT ON THE IMPACT S OF THE PROPOSED SE RVICE REDUCTION OR 23
CANCELLATION THAT IN CLUDES: 24
(1) (I) INFORMATION ON THE RO UTE, INCLUDING A DESCRIPT ION 25
OF: 26
(I) 1. THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF : 27
1. A. THE RIDERS ON THE ROUTE; AND 28
2. B. THE SERVICE AREA ; 29
(II) 2. THE SCHOOLS IN THE SE RVICE AREA; 30
(III) 3. THE TYPES OF BUSINESS ES IN THE SERVICE AR EA; 31
SENATE BILL 70 3
(IV) 4. THE MONTHLY RIDERSHIP ON THE ROUTE ; AND 1
(V) 5. THE EFFECT THAT THE S ERVICE REDUCTION OR 2
CANCELLATION WOULD H AVE ON THE: 3
A. THE COMMUTES OF RIDERS O N THE ROUTE; 4
B. THE CORRESPONDING PAR ATRANSIT SERVICE ARE A; 5
AND 6
C. THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF PARATRANSIT RIDER S 7
IMPACTED; 8
(2) (II) A DESCRIPTION OF THE C ONTENTS OF ANY MINUT ES, 9
RECORDS, OR DOCUMENTS RELATED TO THE SERVICE REDUC TION OR 10
CANCELLATION ; AND 11
(3) (III) A BRIEF STATEMENT EXPL AINING THE REASON FO R THE 12
SERVICE REDUCTION OR CANCELLATION . 13
(C) (3) AT LEAST 30 DAYS BEFORE THE PUBL IC HEARING REQUIRED 14
UNDER § 7–506 OF THIS SUBTITLE, THE ADMINISTRATION SHALL : 15
(1) (I) PUBLISH THE REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION ’S 16
WEBSITE WITH A VISIB LE LINK IDENTIFYING THE IMPACTED ROUTE O N THE 17
PRIMARY PAGE ; AND 18
(2) (II) DISTRIBUTE THE REPORT TO: 19
(I) 1. THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION ; AND 20
(II) 2. IN ACCORDANCE WITH § 2–1257 OF THE STATE 21
GOVERNMENT ARTICLE: 22
1. A. THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE; 23
2. B. THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE; 24
3. C. THE SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE; 25
4. D. THE HOUSE ENVIRONMENT AND TRANSPORTATION 26
COMMITTEE; AND 27
4 SENATE BILL 70
5. E. EACH MEMBER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY WHOSE 1
DISTRICT WOULD BE IM PACTED BY THE PROPOS ED SERVICE REDUCTION OR 2
CANCELLATION OF THE ROUTE. 3
7–716. 4
(a) Before announcing any service change that would constitute a major service 5
change under the Federal Transit Administration’s Title VI Requirements and Guidelines 6
for Federal Transit Administration Recipients, the Department, in collaboration with the 7
Administration, shall: 8
(1) Conduct a transit equity analysis in accordance with the federal 9
Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act and the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 10
as amended to determine whether the change will create a disparate impact on persons with 11
disabilities; 12
(2) Conduct a transit equity analysis in accordance with the Title VI 13
Requirements and Guidelines for Federal Transit Administration Recipients to determine 14
whether the change will create a disparate impact or a disproportionate burden; 15
(3) Perform a cost–benefit analysis, including an analysis of impacts on: 16
(i) Economic development; 17
(ii) Employment; 18
(iii) Education; 19
(iv) Health; and 20
(v) Environmental justice; and 21
(4) Consult with members and leaders of affected communities, including 22
through community outreach to: 23
(i) Racial minority communities; 24
(ii) Low–income communities; 25
(iii) Disabled riders; 26
(iv) Riders with limited English proficiency; 27
(v) Transit–reliant riders; and 28
(vi) Senior riders. 29 SENATE BILL 70 5
(b) (1) If a transit equity analysis reveals disparate impact or disproportionate 1
burden, the Administration shall: 2
(i) Develop alternatives that would meet the goals of the proposed 3
service change; and 4
(ii) Conduct a transit equity analysis on the alternatives. 5
(2) If a disparate impact can be avoided through use of one of the 6
alternatives analyzed, the Administration shall proceed with that alternative as the primary 7
proposed service change. 8
(3) If there is no alternative that would avoid a disparate impact or 9
disproportionate burden, the Administration: 10
(i) May not implement the proposed service change unless a 11
substantial justification exists that necessitates the change; and 12
(ii) Shall implement the alternative that causes the least disparate 13
impact or disproportionate burden. 14
(c) Before holding a public hearing on a proposed service change, the 15
Administration shall publish on the Administration’s website WITH A VISIBLE LINK 16
IDENTIFYING THE PROP OSED SERVICE CHANGE ON THE PRIMARY PAGE , for the routes 17
[or lines], LINES, OR ANY CORRESPONDING PARATRANSIT SERVICE AREA impacted by 18
the service change[, an evaluation on the demographics of: 19
(1) The riders of the routes or lines; and 20
(2) The service area]: 21
(1) A DESCRIPTION OF : 22
(I) THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF : 23
1. THE RIDERS ON THE AFF ECTED ROUTE, LINE, OR 24
PARATRANSIT SERVICE AREA; AND 25
2. THE AFFECTED SERVICE AREA; 26
(II) THE SCHOOLS IN THE AF FECTED SERVICE AREA ; 27
(III) THE TYPES OF BUSINESS ES IN THE AFFECTED S ERVICE 28
AREA; 29
6 SENATE BILL 70
(IV) THE MONTHLY RIDERSHIP FOR THE ROUTE , LINE, OR 1
SERVICE AREA; AND 2
(V) THE EFFECT THAT THE P ROPOSED SERVICE CHAN GE WOULD 3
HAVE ON: 4
1. THE COMMUTES OF RIDER S ON THE ROUTE , LINE, OR 5
SERVICE AREA; 6
2. THE CORRESPONDING PAR ATRANSIT SERVICE ARE A; 7
AND 8
3. THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF PARATRANSIT RIDER S 9
IMPACTED; 10
(2) A SUMMARY OF ANY PUBLI CLY AVAILABLE MINUTE S, RECORDS, OR 11
DOCUMENTS RELATED TO THE PROPOSED SERVICE CHANGE; AND 12
(3) A BRIEF STATEMENT EXPL AINING THE REASON FO R THE 13
PROPOSED SERVICE CHA NGE. 14
(d) (1) After completing the public hearings, the Administration shall: 15
(i) Publish the transit equity analysis and cost–benefit analysis on 16
the Administration’s website; and 17
(ii) Compile a report on the impacts of the proposed service change. 18
(2) The report shall include: 19
(i) The transit equity analysis; 20
(ii) The cost–benefit analysis; 21
(iii) A community outreach report; 22
(iv) Any alternatives analyzed; and 23
(v) If applicable, the final alternative selected. 24
(3) If a disparate impact or disproportionate burden exists in the final 25
alternative selected, the report shall include a substantial justification statement. 26
(4) The report shall be: 27
SENATE BILL 70 7
(i) Made available to the public on the Administration’s website, 1
with a visible link from the primary information page relating to the proposed service 2
change; and 3
(ii) Distributed to: 4
1. The members of the Board of Public Works; 5
2. The Attorney General; 6
3. The Secretary of Transportation; 7
4. Any elected officials whose districts would be impacted by 8
the proposed service change; 9
5. Any community leaders consulted during the community 10
outreach process; and 11
6. In accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government 12
Article: 13
A. The President of the Senate; 14
B. The Speaker of the House; 15
C. The Senate Finance Committee; [and] 16
D. The House Environment and Transportation Committee; 17
AND 18
E. EACH MEMBER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY WHOSE 19
DISTRICT WOULD BE IM PACTED BY THE PROPOS ED SERVICE CHANGE . 20
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 21
October 1, 2024. 22
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.