Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB701 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	hb0701
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 701
8	8	M3 5lr1157
9	9
10	10	By: Delegates Foley, Guyton, Lehman, Ruth, Spiegel, and Terrasa
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 24, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Economic Matters and Health and Government Operations
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Gasoline–Powered Leaf Blowers – Purchase, Use, and Sale – Prohibitions 2
19	19	(Clean Air Quiet Communities Act) 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of prohibiting the State from purchasing gasoline–powered leaf blowers 4
22	22	beginning on a certain date; establishing a certain process to phase out the use of 5
23	23	gasoline–powered leaf blowers by the State or any contractor or subcontractor 6
24	24	employed by the State beginning on a certain date; requiring a person that sells or 7
25	25	offers for sale a gasoline–powered leaf blower in the State to provide certain notice 8
26	26	to the purchaser or potential purchaser; prohibiting the sale of gasoline–powered leaf 9
27	27	blowers beginning on a certain date; requiring the State or any contractor or 10
28	28	subcontractor employed by the State to comply with certain local government 11
29	29	standards; and generally relating to gasoline–powered leaf blowers. 12
30	30
31	31	BY adding to 13
32	32	Article – Environment 14
33	33	Section 3–601 through 3–605 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 6. 15
34	34	Gasoline–Powered Leaf Blowers” 16
35	35	Annotated Code of Maryland 17
36	36	(2013 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 18
37	37
38	38	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 19
39	39	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 20
40	40
41	41	Article – Environment 21
42	42
43	43	SUBTITLE 6. GASOLINE–POWERED LEAF BLOWERS. 22
44	44
45	45	3–601. 23
46	46
47	47	IN THIS SUBTITLE, “GASOLINE–POWERED LEAF BLOWER ”: 24 2 HOUSE BILL 701
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51	(1) MEANS A COMBUSTION ENGINE –POWERED HANDHELD , 1
52	52	BACKPACK, OR WALK–BEHIND LEAF OR GRASS BLOWER , VACUUM, OR LEAF DEBRIS 2
53	53	REMOVAL DEVICE ; 3
54	54
55	55	(2) INCLUDES AN ELECTRIC LEAF BLOWER CONNECTE D TO A 4
56	56	GENERATOR POWERED BY GASOLINE OR OTHER FOSSIL FUEL S; AND 5
57	57
58	58	(3) DOES NOT INCLUDE A ST ATIONARY OR TOW –BEHIND LEAF 6
59	59	VACUUM, MULCHER, DEBRIS LOADER DEV ICE, OR SNOW BLOWER . 7
60	60
61	61	3–602. 8
62	62
63	63	THIS SUBTITLE DOES NO T APPLY TO: 9
64	64
65	65	(1) WILDLAND FIRE SUPPRES SION ACTIVITIES; 10
66	66
67	67	(2) PRESCRIBED BURN MANAG EMENT ACTIVITIES ; 11
68	68
69	69	(3) FIRE–FIGHTING ACTIVITIES CARRIED O UT BY AUTHORIZED 12
70	70	PERSONNEL ; OR 13
71	71
72	72	(4) EMERGENCY RESPONSE ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING ACTIVITIES TO 14
73	73	CLEAR SURFACES FOLLO WING A CRASH, CARRIED OUT BY AUTHO RIZED PERSONNEL 15
74	74	AT A TRANSPORTATION FAC ILITY AS DEFINED IN § 3–101 OF THE TRANSPORTATION 16
75	75	ARTICLE. 17
76	76
77	77	3–603. 18
78	78
79	79	(A) BEGINNING JULY 1, 2025, THE STATE MAY NOT PURCHAS E A 19
80	80	GASOLINE–POWERED LEAF BLOWER . 20
81	81
82	82	(B) THE STATE, OR ANY CONTRACTOR OR SUBCONTRACTOR EMPLOY ED BY 21
83	83	THE STATE, MAY NOT USE A GASOLINE–POWERED LEAF BLOWER : 22
84	84
85	85	(1) BEGINNING MAY 1, 2027, AND ENDING OCTOBER 1, 2027; 23
86	86
87	87	(2) BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2028, AND ENDING OCTOBER 1, 2028; 24
88	88
89	89	(3) BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2029, AND ENDING OCTOBER 1, 2029; 25
90	90	AND 26
91	91
92	92	(4) BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2030. 27 HOUSE BILL 701 3
93	93
94	94
95	95
96	96	3–604. 1
97	97
98	98	(A) BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 1, 2025, ANY PERSON THAT SELL S OR OFFERS 2
99	99	FOR SALE A GASOLINE–POWERED LEAF BLOWER IN THE STATE SHALL NOTIFY THE 3
100	100	PURCHASER OR POTENTI AL PURCHASER THAT: 4
101	101
102	102	(1) BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2027, A PERSON MAY NOT PURCHASE A 5
103	103	GASOLINE–POWERED LEAF BLOWER IN THE STATE; AND 6
104	104
105	105	(2) SEVERAL JURISDICTIONS IN THE STATE HAVE ESTABLISHED 7
106	106	RESTRICTIONS AND PRO HIBITIONS ON THE USE OF GASOLINE –POWERED LEAF 8
107	107	BLOWERS. 9
108	108
109	109	(B) BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2027, A PERSON MAY NOT SEL L OR OFFER FOR 10
110	110	SALE A GASOLINE–POWERED LEAF BLOWER IN THE STATE. 11
111	111
112	112	3–605. 12
113	113
114	114	(A) THIS SUBTITLE DOES NO T AFFECT THE AUTHORI TY OF A COUNTY , A 13
115	115	MUNICIPALITY, OR ANY OTHER LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO ENACT STANDARDS THAT 14
116	116	ARE AT LEAST AS STRI NGENT AS THE STANDAR DS ESTABLISHED IN TH IS SUBTITLE 15
117	117	OR THAT BEGIN ON AN EARLIER DATE THAN TH E DATES ESTABLISHED IN THIS 16
118	118	SUBTITLE. 17
119	119
120	120	(B) THE STATE, OR ANY CONTRACTOR OR SUBCONTRACTOR EMPLOY ED BY 18
121	121	THE STATE, SHALL COMPLY WITH LO CAL GOVERNMENT STANDARDS THAT ARE AT 19
122	122	LEAST AS STRINGENT A S THE STANDARDS ESTA BLISHED IN THIS SUBT ITLE WHEN 20
123	123	MANAGING STATE PROPERTY . 21
124	124
125	125	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 22
126	126	1, 2025. 23