County Council Committees to Review Anti-Rent Gouging Legislation and a Bill That Would Repeal the Policing Advisory Commission on June 26

Per Montgomery County: The Economic Development (ECON) Committee will meet on Monday, June 26 at 9:30 a.m. and will receive an update on the Economic Development Fund. The members of the ECON Committee include Chair Natali Fani-González, Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe, Council President Evan Glass and Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles.

The joint ECON and Public Safety (PS) Committee will meet at 11 a.m. to review Executive Regulation 04-23: Police-Private Security Camera Incentive Program.

The members of the PS Committee include Chair Sidney Katz and Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke and Kristin Mink.

The PS Committee will meet at 1 p.m. to review Expedited Bill 27-23, Police – Policing Advisory Commission – Repeal, and review Executive Regulation 1-23, Updated Position Description for Assistant Chief of Police (Civilian).

The Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee will meet at 2 p.m. to review Bill 15-23, Landlord-Tenant Relations – Anti Rent Gouging Protections, and Bill 16-23, Landlord-Tenant Relations – Rent Stabilization (The Home Act).

The members of the PHP Committee include Chair Andrew Friedson and Councilmembers Fani-González and Will Jawando.

More detail on each agenda item is provided below.

Economic Development Fund

Update: The ECON Committee will receive an update on the Economic Development Fund which provides resources to assist private employers who are located, plan to locate or substantially expand operations in the County. There are several programs used to disburse funding. The ECON Committee requested a post budget follow-up discussion on the different programs and how the County tracks the impact of the Economic Development Fund’s expenditures.

Executive Regulation 04-23: Police-Private Security Camera Incentive Program

Review: The joint ECON/PS Committee will review Executive Regulation 04-23, Police-Private Security Camera Incentive Program. The proposed regulation implements the private security camera rebate program established by Bill 14-22, which the Council enacted last year. Bill 14-22 establishes a private security camera incentive program within the Montgomery County Police Department. The purpose of the program is to deter crime by incentivizing the installation of security cameras in geographic areas experiencing relatively high incidences of crime. The proposed regulation specifies the methodology used to identify a priority area; the permissible collection, dissemination, use and disposal of the images recorded by a security camera purchased under the program; and the minimum standards for security cameras purchased as part of the program.

Expedited Bill 27-23, Police – Policing Advisory Commission – Repeal

Review: The PS Committee will review Expedited Bill 27-23, Police – Policing Advisory Commission – Repeal. Expedited Bill 27-23, Police – Policing Advisory Commission – Repeal, introduced by which would repeal the law regarding the Policing Advisory Commission. According to the sponsors of the expedited bill, the establishment of the Police Accountability Board and the Administrative Charging Committee is duplicative of the Policing Advisory Commission and the latter is no longer required. The lead sponsors of Bill 27-23 are Councilmembers Luedtke and Katz.

The Policing Advisory Commission was established by Bill 14-19, which was enacted on Dec. 3, 2019, and took effect on March 13, 2020. Subsequently, on April 10, 2021, the Maryland General Assembly amended the Maryland Public Safety Article to require that each County have a Police Accountability Board. The County, pursuant to this state mandate, enacted Bill 49-21, which took effect on May 2, 2022, to establish a Police Accountability Board for the County. Members of the Police Accountability Board were appointed on June 28, 2022, by Resolution 19-1313 to terms that begin on July 1, 2023.

Executive Regulation 1-23, Updated Position Description for Assistant Chief of Police (Civilian)

Review: The PS Committee will review Executive Regulation 1-23, Updated Position Description for Assistant Chief of Police (Civilian). In 2020, the Council enacted Bill 24-20, which created a civilian assistant chief of police position within the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD).

The proposed regulation explicitly states in the position description for the assistant chief of police (civilian) that this position is a civilian position. The employee in this position is not a sworn law enforcement officer and is not in the chain of command of the sworn police officers within the department. The Executive advises that this change is being proposed to clarify the appropriate authorities of this position and ensure that the assistant chief of police (civilian) does not direct the use of police powers provided to sworn officers under Maryland Law.

Bill 15-23, Landlord-Tenant Relations – Anti Rent Gouging Protections

Review: The PHP Committee will review Bill 15-23, Landlord-Tenant Relations – Anti Rent Gouging Protections. The legislation would establish protections against rent increases above a threshold for certain rental units, set the base rental amount for certain rental units, and generally amend County law concerning rents and landlord-tenant relations. The purpose of the legislation would be to prevent rent gouging in the County. The legislation would require the Department of Housing and Community Affairs to publish a “rent increase allowance” that would consist of eight percent of existing rent, plus the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Area, which is published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Annual rent increases would be limited to the “rent increase allowance,” with exceptions for certain rental units.

The lead sponsors of Bill 15-23 are Councilmember Fani-González, Council Vice President Friedson and Councilmembers Gabe Albornoz, Balcombe, Katz and Luedtke.

Bill 16-23, Landlord-Tenant Relations – Rent Stabilization (The Home Act)

Review: The PHP Committee will review Bill 16-23, Landlord-Tenant Relations – Rent Stabilization, also known as the HOME Act. Bill 16-23 would establish an annual maximum rent increase for rental housing in Montgomery County, provide exemptions for certain buildings from rent stabilization requirements, and generally amend County law concerning rent increase, landlord-tenant relations, and taxation. Under Bill 16-23, the maximum allowance for a rent increase would be up to three percent or the rental component of the CPI percentage, whichever is lower. The increase could only occur once in a 12-month period and the landlord must provide at least a 90-day notice before increasing the rent.

The lead sponsors of Bill 16-23 are Councilmembers Jawando and Mink.

The Committee meeting schedule may change from time to time. The current Council and Committee agendas, Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for Council review can be viewed at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html.

Council and committee meetings are streamed live on the Council’s web page via YouTube and on Facebook Live and can be watched on County Cable Montgomery on Xfinity/RCN 6 HD 996/1056, Fios 30, and on the CCM live stream.

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Media Contact: Sonya Healy 240-777-7926, Benjamin Sky Brandt 240-777-7884