Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB695 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	hb0695
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 695
8	8	Q5, R6, R2 5lr1775
9	9	HB 1025/24 – W&M & ENT
10	10	By: Delegates M. Morgan, Arentz, Arikan, Chisholm, Fisher, Grammer, Howard,
11	11	Hutchinson, Jacobs, Kipke, T. Morgan, Nawrocki, Otto, Pippy, Rose,
12	12	Schmidt, Szeliga, and Valentine
13	13	Introduced and read first time: January 24, 2025
14	14	Assigned to: Ways and Means and Environment and Transportation
15	15
16	16	A BILL ENTITLED
17	17
18	18	AN ACT concerning 1
19	19
20	20	Repair the Transportation Trust Fund Act 2
21	21
22	22	FOR the purpose of repealing a requirement that certain motor fuel tax rates be adjusted 3
23	23	in future years based on growth in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban 4
24	24	Consumers; prohibiting the State or a local jurisdiction from imposing or levying a 5
25	25	vehicle–miles–traveled tax or certain other similar fees, tolls, or taxes; requiring that 6
26	26	the Maryland Transit Administration achieve a certain farebox recovery 7
27	27	requirement for certain transit services; requiring that the Administration increase 8
28	28	fares for certain transit services under certain circumstances; providing that the 9
29	29	Administration is not required to conduct certain public hearings before 10
30	30	implementing certain fare increases; prohibiting the State or a local jurisdiction from 11
31	31	requiring the installation of a device in or on a privately owned vehicle to facilitate 12
32	32	the reporting of vehicle miles traveled; and generally relating to fares, fees, and taxes 13
33	33	related to transportation. 14
34	34
35	35	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 15
36	36	Article – Tax – General 16
37	37	Section 9–205 17
38	38	Annotated Code of Maryland 18
39	39	(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 19
40	40
41	41	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 20
42	42	Article – Tax – General 21
43	43	Section 9–305 22
44	44	Annotated Code of Maryland 23
45	45	(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 24
46	46
47	47	BY adding to 25
48	48	Article – Tax – General 26 2 HOUSE BILL 695
49	49
50	50
51	51	Section 9–401 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 4. Vehicle–Miles–Traveled 1
52	52	Tax – Prohibited” 2
53	53	Annotated Code of Maryland 3
54	54	(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 4
55	55
56	56	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 5
57	57	Article – Transportation 6
58	58	Section 7–208(b–1) and 7–506(a)(1) 7
59	59	Annotated Code of Maryland 8
60	60	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 9
61	61
62	62	BY adding to 10
63	63	Article – Transportation 11
64	64	Section 22–107 12
65	65	Annotated Code of Maryland 13
66	66	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 14
67	67
68	68	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 15
69	69	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 16
70	70
71	71	Article – Tax – General 17
72	72
73	73	9–205. 18
74	74
75	75	(a) (1) The Comptroller may enter into reciprocal agreements on behalf of this 19
76	76	State, with the duly authorized representatives of any other state, that provide for: 20
77	77
78	78	(i) fuel tax registration of vehicles by motor carriers; 21
79	79
80	80	(ii) establishment of periodic fuel use reporting and fuel use tax 22
81	81	payment requirements by motor carriers; and 23
82	82
83	83	(iii) disbursement of money that is collected by the Comptroller and 24
84	84	is due to other states based on: 25
85	85
86	86	1. mileage travelled and fuel used in those states; and 26
87	87
88	88	2. the respective registration fees of those states. 27
89	89
90	90	(2) The Comptroller may not enter into any reciprocal agreement that 28
91	91	would affect: 29
92	92
93	93	(i) this State’s motor carrier tax rate; or 30
94	94
95	95	(ii) this State’s registration fee for motor carriers. 31
96	96	HOUSE BILL 695 3
97	97
98	98
99	99	(b) In exercising the authority granted under subsection (a) of this section, the 1
100	100	Comptroller is expressly authorized to: 2
101	101
102	102	(1) enter into regional or national fuel use tax agreements; 3
103	103
104	104	(2) become a member of any regional or national conference, group, 4
105	105	compact, or similar organization of motor carrier fuel use tax administrators; and 5
106	106
107	107	(3) enforce the provisions set forth in any regional or national fuel use tax 6
108	108	agreements. 7
109	109
110	110	(c) The agreement provisions shall apply to the fuel use taxation, registration, 8
111	111	and reporting requirements of motor carriers subject to the provisions of the agreement 9
112	112	without reference to or application of any other statutes of this State. 10
113	113
114	114	9–305. 11
115	115
116	116	(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, the motor fuel tax rate is: 12
117	117
118	118	(1) 7 cents for each gallon of aviation gasoline; 13
119	119
120	120	(2) 23.5 cents for each gallon of gasoline other than aviation gasoline; 14
121	121
122	122	(3) 24.25 cents for each gallon of special fuel other than clean–burning fuel 15
123	123	or turbine fuel; 16
124	124
125	125	(4) 7 cents for each gallon of turbine fuel; and 17
126	126
127	127	(5) 23.5 cents for each gasoline–equivalent gallon of clean–burning fuel 18
128	128	except electricity. 19
129	129
130	130	(b) (1) The motor fuel tax rates specified in subsection (a)(2), (3), and (5) of this 20
131	131	section shall be increased on July 1, 2013, [and] July 1 [of each subsequent year], 2014, 21
132	132	JULY 1, 2015, JULY 1, 2016, JULY 1, 2017, JULY 1, 2018, JULY 1, 2019, JULY 1, 2020, 22
133	133	JULY 1, 2021, JULY 1, 2022, JULY 1, 2023, AND JULY 1, 2024, in accordance with this 23
134	134	subsection. 24
135	135
136	136	(2) On or before June 1 [of each year], 2013, JUNE 1, 2014, JUNE 1, 25
137	137	2015, JUNE 1, 2016, JUNE 1, 2017, JUNE 1, 2018, JUNE 1, 2019, JUNE 1, 2020, JUNE 26
138	138	1, 2021, JUNE 1, 2022, JUNE 1, 2023, AND JUNE 1, 2024, the Comptroller shall 27
139	139	determine and announce: 28
140	140
141	141	(i) the growth in the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers 29
142	142	as determined by the Comptroller under paragraph (3) of this subsection; and 30
143	143	4 HOUSE BILL 695
144	144
145	145
146	146	(ii) the motor fuel tax rates effective for the fiscal year beginning on 1
147	147	the following July 1 as determined by the Comptroller under paragraph (4) of this 2
148	148	subsection. 3
149	149
150	150	(3) (i) In this paragraph, “Consumer Price Index for all urban 4
151	151	consumers” means the index published monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the 5
152	152	U.S. Department of Labor that is the U.S. city average of all items in a basket of consumer 6
153	153	goods and services. 7
154	154
155	155	(ii) The percentage growth in the Consumer Price Index for all urban 8
156	156	consumers shall be determined by comparing the average of the index for the 12 months 9
157	157	ending on the preceding April 30 to the average of the index for the prior 12 months. 10
158	158
159	159	(4) Subject to paragraph (5) of this subsection, on July 1 [of each year], 11
160	160	2013, JULY 1, 2014, JULY 1, 2015, JULY 1, 2016, JULY 1, 2017, JULY 1, 2018, JULY 12
161	161	1, 2019, JULY 1, 2020, JULY 1, 2021, JULY 1, 2022, JULY 1, 2023, AND JULY 1, 2024, 13
162	162	each motor fuel tax rate specified in subsection (a)(2), (3), and (5) of this section shall be 14
163	163	increased by the amount, rounded to the nearest one–tenth of a cent, that equals the 15
164	164	product of multiplying: 16
165	165
166	166	(i) the motor fuel tax rate in effect on the date of the Comptroller’s 17
167	167	announcement under paragraph (2) of this subsection; and 18
168	168
169	169	(ii) the percentage growth in the Consumer Price Index for all urban 19
170	170	consumers. 20
171	171
172	172	(5) (i) If there is a decline or no growth in the Consumer Price Index for 21
173	173	all urban consumers, the motor fuel tax rates shall remain unchanged. 22
174	174
175	175	(ii) Any increase in the motor fuel tax rates under paragraph (4) of 23
176	176	this subsection may not be greater than 8% of the motor fuel tax rate effective in the 24
177	177	previous year. 25
178	178
179	179	(6) The Comptroller shall require any person possessing tax–paid motor 26
180	180	fuel for sale at the start of business on the date of an increase in the motor fuel tax under 27
181	181	this subsection to compile and file an inventory of the motor fuel held at the close of 28
182	182	business on the immediately preceding date and remit within 30 days any additional motor 29
183	183	fuel tax that is due on the motor fuel. 30
184	184
185	185	SUBTITLE 4. VEHICLE–MILES–TRAVELED TAX – PROHIBITED. 31
186	186
187	187	9–401. 32
188	188
189	189	(A) SUBJECT TO SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION, THE STATE OR A LOCAL 33
190	190	JURISDICTION MAY NOT DIRECTLY OR INDIRECT LY, INCLUDING THROUGH A 34 HOUSE BILL 695 5
191	191
192	192
193	193	THIRD–PARTY AGREEMENT OR A S PART OF A PILOT PR OGRAM OR STUDY , IMPOSE OR 1
194	194	LEVY: 2
195	195
196	196	(1) A VEHICLE–MILES–TRAVELED TAX ; 3
197	197
198	198	(2) A MILEAGE–BASED USER FEE ; 4
199	199
200	200	(3) A TOLL BASED ON GLOB AL POSITIONING SATEL LITE TRACKING ; 5
201	201	OR 6
202	202
203	203	(4) ANY OTHER SIMILAR FO RM OF TAX. 7
204	204
205	205	(B) NOTHING IN THIS SECTI ON SHALL BE CONSTRUE D TO PROHIBIT THE 8
206	206	COMPTROLLER FROM ENTE RING INTO AND THE STATE FROM ENFORCING AN 9
207	207	AGREEMENT IN ACCORDA NCE WITH § 9–205 OF THIS TITLE. 10
208	208
209	209	Article – Transportation 11
210	210
211	211	7–208. 12
212	212
213	213	(b–1) (1) Subject to § 7–506 of this title and paragraph (2) of this subsection, ON 13
214	214	OR BEFORE JULY 1 EACH YEAR, the Administration shall set the fare prices and collect 14
215	215	other operating revenues IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICI ENT TO ACHIEVE THE F AREBOX 15
216	216	RECOVERY REQUIREMENT ESTABLISHED IN PARAG RAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION . 16
217	217
218	218	(2) (I) SUBJECT TO SUBPARAGRA PH (II) OF THIS PARAGRAPH , FOR 17
219	219	EACH FISCAL YEAR , THE ADMINISTRATION SHALL SEPARATELY RECOVER FROM 18
220	220	FARES AND OTHER OPER ATING REVENUES AT LE AST 35% OF THE TOTAL OPERATI NG 19
221	221	COSTS FOR: 20
222	222
223	223	1. THE ADMINISTRATION ’S BUS, LIGHT RAIL, AND 21
224	224	METRO SUBWAY SERVICES IN THE BALTIMORE REGION ; AND 22
225	225
226	226	2. ALL PASSENGER RAILROA D SERVICES UNDER THE 23
227	227	ADMINISTRATION’S CONTROL. 24
228	228
229	229	(II) THE PERCENTAGE OF TOT AL OPERATING COSTS R EQUIRED 25
230	230	TO BE RECOVERED UNDE R SUBPARAGRAPH (I) OF THIS PARAGRAPH IS EQUAL TO: 26
231	231
232	232	1. FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026, 15%; 27
233	233
234	234	2. FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027, 20%; 28
235	235
236	236	3. FOR FISCAL YEAR 2028, 25%; 29 6 HOUSE BILL 695
237	237
238	238
239	239
240	240	4. FOR FISCAL YEAR 2029, 30%; AND 1
241	241
242	242	5. FOR FISCAL YEAR 2030 AND EACH FISCAL YEAR 2
243	243	THEREAFTER , THE PERCENTAGE SPECI FIED IN SUBPARAGRAPH (I) OF THIS 3
244	244	PARAGRAPH . 4
245	245
246	246	[(2)] (3) The Administration may not reduce the level of services provided 5
247	247	by the Administration for the purpose of achieving a specific farebox recovery requirement. 6
248	248
249	249	(4) AN INCREASE IN THE ADMINISTRATION ’S FARE PRICES BY THE 7
250	250	MINIMUM AMOUNT REQUI RED UNDER THIS SUBSE CTION IS NOT SUB JECT TO THE 8
251	251	REQUIREMENTS OF § 7–506 OF THIS TITLE. 9
252	252
253	253	7–506. 10
254	254
255	255	(a) (1) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section OR § 7–208(B–1)(4) 11
256	256	OF THIS TITLE, until a public hearing is held on the matter, the Administration may not: 12
257	257
258	258	(i) Fix or revise any fare or rate charged the general public; 13
259	259
260	260	(ii) Establish or abandon any bus or rail route listed on a published 14
261	261	timetable; 15
262	262
263	263	(iii) Change a bus or rail route alignment listed on a published 16
264	264	timetable, unless the change is needed because of temporary construction or changes in the 17
265	265	road network; 18
266	266
267	267	(iv) Reduce the frequency, number of days, or days of service for a 19
268	268	commuter bus or commuter rail route without substituting a comparable level of service, 20
269	269	unless the reduction is temporary or a result of: 21
270	270
271	271	1. A natural disaster; 22
272	272
273	273	2. Weather or other emergency conditions; 23
274	274
275	275	3. Schedule adjustments required by a third party that 24
276	276	operates service on the same right–of–way; or 25
277	277
278	278	4. Other circumstances beyond the control of the 26
279	279	Administration; or 27
280	280
281	281	(v) Establish or abandon a rail transit station. 28
282	282
283	283	22–107. 29
284	284	HOUSE BILL 695 7
285	285
286	286
287	287	THE STATE OR A LOCAL JURI SDICTION MAY NOT REQ UIRE THE INSTALLATIO N 1
288	288	OF A DEVICE IN OR ON A PRIVATELY OWNED VE HICLE TO FACILITATE THE 2
289	289	REPORTING OF THE NUM BER OF VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED. 3
290	290
291	291	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect June 4
292	292	1, 2025. 5
293	293