Maryland 2024 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB953 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	sb0953
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 953
8	8	C9 4lr3063
9	9	SB 643/23 – B&T CF 4lr3055
10	10	By: Senator Sydnor
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 2, 2024
12	12	Assigned to: Budget and Taxation
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Housing – Community Development Program Act – Funding 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of requiring the Comptroller to distribute certain funds to the Community 3
21	21	Development Program Fund under certain circumstances; repealing a cert ain 4
22	22	provision providing for the construction of the Community Development Program 5
23	23	Act; and generally relating to the Community Development Program Act. 6
24	24
25	25	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 7
26	26	Article – Commercial Law 8
27	27	Section 17–101(a) and (c) 9
28	28	Annotated Code of Maryland 10
29	29	(2013 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 11
30	30
31	31	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 12
32	32	Article – Commercial Law 13
33	33	Section 17–317 14
34	34	Annotated Code of Maryland 15
35	35	(2013 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 16
36	36	(As enacted by Chapters 495, 496, and 641 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 17
37	37	2023) 18
38	38
39	39	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 19
40	40	Article – Housing and Community Development 20
41	41	Section 6–606 21
42	42	Annotated Code of Maryland 22
43	43	(2019 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 23
44	44
45	45	BY repealing 24
46	46	Chapter 801 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2018 25
47	47	Section 2 26
48	48	2 SENATE BILL 953
49	49
50	50
51	51	BY repealing 1
52	52	Chapter 802 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2018 2
53	53	Section 2 3
54	54
55	55	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 4
56	56	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 5
57	57
58	58	Article – Commercial Law 6
59	59
60	60	17–101. 7
61	61
62	62	(a) In this title the following words have the meanings indicated. 8
63	63
64	64	(c) “Administrator” means the State Comptroller. 9
65	65
66	66	17–317. 10
67	67
68	68	(a) (1) (i) All funds received under this title, including the proceeds of the 11
69	69	sale of abandoned property under § 17–316 of this subtitle, shall be credited by the 12
70	70	Administrator to a special fund. 13
71	71
72	72	(ii) The Administrator shall retain in the special fund at the end of 14
73	73	each fiscal year, from the proceeds received, an amount not to exceed $50,000, from which 15
74	74	sum the Administrator shall pay any claim allowed under this title. 16
75	75
76	76	(2) After deducting all costs incurred in administering this title from the 17
77	77	remaining net funds the Administrator shall distribute: 18
78	78
79	79	(I) $8,000,000 to the Maryland Legal Services Corporation Fund 19
80	80	established under § 11–402 of the Human Services Article; AND 20
81	81
82	82	(II) $5,000,000 TO THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM 21
83	83	FUND ESTABLISHED UNDE R § 6–606 OF THE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY 22
84	84	DEVELOPMENT ARTICLE. 23
85	85
86	86	(3) (i) Subject to subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph, the Administrator 24
87	87	shall distribute all unclaimed money from judgments of restitution under Title 11, Subtitle 25
88	88	6 of the Criminal Procedure Article to the State Victims of Crime Fund established under 26
89	89	§ 11–916 of the Criminal Procedure Article to assist victims of crimes and delinquent acts 27
90	90	to protect the victims’ rights as provided by law. 28
91	91
92	92	(ii) If a victim entitled to restitution that has been treated as 29
93	93	abandoned property under § 11–614 of the Criminal Procedure Article is located after the 30
94	94	money has been distributed under this paragraph, the Administrator shall reduce the next 31
95	95	distribution to the State Victims of Crime Fund by the amount recovered by the victim. 32
96	96	SENATE BILL 953 3
97	97
98	98
99	99	(4) For each of fiscal years 2024 through 2027, after making the 1
100	100	distributions required under paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection, the Administrator 2
101	101	shall distribute $14,000,000 from the remaining net funds to the Access to Counsel in 3
102	102	Evictions Special Fund under § 8–909 of the Real Property Article. 4
103	103
104	104	(5) After making the distributions required under paragraphs (2), (3), and 5
105	105	(4) of this subsection, the Administrator shall distribute the remaining net funds not 6
106	106	retained under paragraph (1) of this subsection to the General Fund of the State. 7
107	107
108	108	(b) (1) Before making the distribution, the Administrator shall record the 8
109	109	name and last known address, if any, of the owners of funds so distributed and the type of 9
110	110	property which the funds distributed represent. 10
111	111
112	112	(2) The record shall be available for public inspection during reasonable 11
113	113	business hours by any person who claims a legal interest in any property held by the 12
114	114	Administrator, provided that the person gives prior notice to the Administrator. 13
115	115
116	116	Article – Housing and Community Development 14
117	117
118	118	6–606. 15
119	119
120	120	(a) There is a Community Development Fund. 16
121	121
122	122	(b) The purpose of the Fund is to provide financial assistance for community 17
123	123	development projects and community development organizations around the State. 18
124	124
125	125	(c) The Department shall administer the Fund with the assistance of the Board. 19
126	126
127	127	(d) (1) The Fund is a special, nonlapsing fund that is not subject to § 7–302 of 20
128	128	the State Finance and Procurement Article. 21
129	129
130	130	(2) The State Treasurer shall hold the Fund separately, and the 22
131	131	Comptroller shall account for the Fund. 23
132	132
133	133	(e) The Fund consists of: 24
134	134
135	135	(1) money appropriated in the State budget to the Fund; 25
136	136
137	137	(2) ANY MONEY DISTRIBUTE D TO THE FUND UNDER § 17–317 OF THE 26
138	138	COMMERCIAL LAW ARTICLE; and 27
139	139
140	140	[(2)] (3) any other money from any other source accepted for the benefit 28
141	141	of the Fund. 29
142	142
143	143	(f) The Fund may be used only for: 30
144	144	4 SENATE BILL 953
145	145
146	146
147	147	(1) administrative expenses of the Department in administering the 1
148	148	Program; and 2
149	149
150	150	(2) financial assistance for community development projects and 3
151	151	community development organizations as provided under § 6–607 of this subtitle. 4
152	152
153	153	(g) (1) The State Treasurer shall invest the money of the Fund in the same 5
154	154	manner as other State money may be invested. 6
155	155
156	156	(2) Any interest earnings of the Fund shall be credited to the General Fund 7
157	157	of the State. 8
158	158
159	159	(h) Expenditures from the Fund may be made only in accordance with the State 9
160	160	budget. 10
161	161
162	162	(i) Money expended from the Fund for the Program is supplemental to and is not 11
163	163	intended to take the place of funding that otherwise would be appropriated for the Program. 12
164	164
165	165	Chapter 801 of the Acts of 2018 13
166	166
167	167	[SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act may not be 14
168	168	construed to require the Department of Housing and Community Development to provide 15
169	169	staff or operating expenses for the administration of the Community Development Program 16
170	170	established under Section 1 of this Act until money is appropriated in the State budget for 17
171	171	the Community Development Fund.] 18
172	172
173	173	Chapter 802 of the Acts of 2018 19
174	174
175	175	[SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act may not be 20
176	176	construed to require the Department of Housing and Community Development to provide 21
177	177	staff or operating expenses for the administration of the Community Development Program 22
178	178	established under Section 1 of this Act until money is appropriated in the State budget for 23
179	179	the Community Development Fund.] 24
180	180
181	181	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect June 25
182	182	1, 2024. 26