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Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
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amendment.
*hb1228*
HOUSE BILL 1228
L1, C8 5lr1227
By: Montgomery County Delegation
Introduced and read first time: February 7, 2025
Assigned to: Environment and Transportation
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 2, 2025
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Department of Commerce – Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve Study 2
MC 15–25 3
FOR the purpose of requiring the Department of Commerce, in coordination with certain 4
county agencies and organizations, to study economic development in and the tourist 5
and visitor economy of the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve and, on or 6
before a certain date, report its findings to the members of the Montgomery County 7
Delegation to the General Assembly; and generally relating to the Montgomery 8
County Agricultural Reserve. 9
Preamble 10
WHEREAS, There has been a consensus for decades in Montgomery County in 11
support of preserving the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve, a large segment of 12
which is located in western Montgomery County; and 13
WHEREAS, The Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve was founded with the 14
principal goal of preserving open space and land for agriculture; and 15
WHEREAS, Farming remains the foundation of the Montgomery County 16
Agricultural Reserve and Montgomery County has established a Department of Agriculture 17
to help promote, support, and preserve farming and farmland; and 18
2 HOUSE BILL 1228
WHEREAS, The farming economy is a key focus of Montgomery County and its 1
Department of Agriculture and the farming economy is monitored and studied 2
continuously; and 3
WHEREAS, Outside of farming, a significant part of the land in the Montgomery 4
County Agricultural Reserve exists in the form of woodlands, open spaces, parks, historic 5
sites, and recreation areas of various kinds; and 6
WHEREAS, Small nonprofit organizations and businesses are a major part of the 7
Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve and these organizations and businesses are 8
reliant on tourists and visitors, both locally and from throughout the Washington 9
metropolitan area, to support their operations; now, therefore, 10
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 11
That: 12
(a) The Department of Commerce, in coordination with the Montgomery County 13
Planning Board, the Montgomery County Office of Agricultural Services, the University of 14
Maryland Extension – Montgomery County, and Visit Montgomery, shall study economic 15
development in and the tourist and visitor economy of the Montgomery County Agricultural 16
Reserve to develop: 17
(1) a deeper understanding of the tourist and visitor sector of impact on the 18
Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve due to these sectors impacts being not as well 19
understood as the agricultural sector impact of the reserve; and 20
(2) policies and recommendations to help the Montgomery County 21
Agricultural Reserve thrive. 22
(b) In conducting the study required under subsection (a) of this section, the 23
Department of Commerce, the Montgomery County Planning Board, the Montgomery 24
County Office of Agricultural Services, the University of Maryland Extension – 25
Montgomery County, and Visit Montgomery shall: 26
(1) examine how tourists and visitors view the Montgomery County 27
Agricultural Reserve, including why they visit, where they come from, and what attractions 28
they find most compelling and why; 29
(2) (i) identify the small businesses, recreation sites, and historic sites 30
that are located in the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve; and 31
(ii) 1. analyze how tourism and visitors contribute to these 32
operations and their success; 33
2. assess and evaluate the barriers that may deter visitors 34
from coming to the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve; and 35
HOUSE BILL 1228 3
3. develop an overall assessment of economic development 1
and the economic impact of tourism in the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve; and 2
(3) make recommendations regarding policies and programs that can help 3
promote and preserve the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve and better support the 4
small businesses, recreation sites, and historic sites that depend on the visitor and tourist 5
economy. 6
(c) In meeting the requirements of subsections (a) and (b) of this section, the 7
Department of Commerce, the Montgomery County Planning Board, the Montgomery 8
County Office of Agricultural Services, the University of Maryland Extension – 9
Montgomery County, and Visit Montgomery shall, if data is available or the action required 10
is necessary: 11
(1) work with relevant local organizations to gather information on visitor 12
volume at the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve and other key attractions in the 13
area and how those visitors interact with other parts of the regional economy; 14
(2) engage with visitors, including by surveying visitors, to gather 15
information about visitor behavior and attitudes; 16
(3) consider whether in–depth interviews with residents, businesses, and 17
other stakeholders are necessary; and 18
(4) review existing data models to gather information on the upstream and 19
downstream impacts of visitation to the region. 20
(b) In conducting the study required under subsection (a) of this section, the 21
Department of Commerce shall: 22
(1) (i) establish a geofence around the Montgomery County 23
Agricultural Reserve and other key attractions in the area; and 24
(ii) use geolocation technology to gather information on visitor 25
volume and how those visitors interact with other parts of the regional economy; 26
(2) engage with visitors, including by surveying visitors, to gather 27
information about visitor behavior and attitudes; 28
(3) consider whether in–depth interviews with residents, businesses, and 29
other stakeholders are necessary; and 30
(4) review existing data models to gather information on the upstream and 31
downstream impacts of visitation to the region. 32
(c) (d) The Department of Commerce: 33
4 HOUSE BILL 1228
(1) shall coordinate the preparation of, synthesize, and analyze the data 1
made available for the study required under subsection (a) of this section; and 2
(2) may consult with government agencies, academic institutions, and 3
stakeholders to complete the study required under this section. 4
(d) (1) (e) On or before June 30, 2026, the Department of Commerce shall report 5
the findings of the study required under subsection (a) of this section, in accordance with § 6
2–1257 of the State Government Article, to the members of the Montgomery County 7
Delegation to the General Assembly. 8
(2) In considering the data and its findings, the Department shall: 9
(i) examine how tourists and visitors view the Montgomery County 10
Agricultural Reserve, including why they visit, where they came from, and what attractions 11
they found most compelling and why; 12
(ii) 1. identify the small businesses, recreation sites, and historic 13
sites that are located in the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve; and 14
2. A. analyze how tourism and visitors contribute to 15
these operations and their success; 16
B. assess and evaluate the barriers that may deter visitors 17
from coming to the reserve; and 18
C. develop an overall assessment of the economic impact of 19
tourism in the reserve; and 20
(iii) make recommendations regarding policies and programs that 21
can help promote and preserve the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve and better 22
support the small businesses, recreation sites, and historic sites that depend on the visitor 23
and tourist economy. 24
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENA CTED, That this Act shall take effect July 25
1, 2025. 26