Several Montgomery County Council committees will meet Monday, October 19, to review proposed legislation and discuss transportation, housing and public safety issues. Agenda items include a bill that would prohibit housing discrimination based on citizenship or immigration status, proposed changes to forest conservation requirements for agricultural land, and the Community Trust in County Employees Act, which would restrict County employment for certain former federal immigration enforcement workers.
Committees will also review recommendations from the New Hampshire Avenue Bus Rapid Transit Study, covering an 8.5-mile corridor between Randolph Road and the Fort Totten Metro station in Washington, D.C., discuss progress toward local housing development targets and receive an update on the Police Accountability Board’s annual report. Meetings are scheduled for 9:30am and 1:30pm. Full agenda below courtesy Montgomery County Government:
“Committees will review legislation which would clarify forest conservation requirements, prohibit discrimination based on citizenship or immigration status in the sale or rental of housing, and The Community Trust in County Employees Act, New Hampshire Avenue Bus Rapid Transit Study and local housing targets
The Transportation and Environment (TE) Committee will meet on Monday, Oct. 19 at 9:30 a.m. to review Bill 35-26, Forest Conservation – Trees – Applicability – Brush Management, and review the findings and recommendations of the New Hampshire Avenue Bus Rapid Transit Study.
The members of the TE Committee include Chair Evan Glass, Council Vice President Marilyn Balcombe and Councilmember Kate Stewart.
The Public Safety (PS) Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. to receive an update on the Police Accountability Board (PAB) Annual Report.
The members of the PS Committee include Chair Sidney Katz and Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke and Kristin Mink.
The Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. to review Bill 38-26, Discriminatory Housing Practices and Early Lease Termination – Amendments. In addition, the committee will hold a discussion on local housing targets.
The members of the PHP Committee include Chair Andrew Friedson, Council President Natali Fani-González and Councilmember Will Jawando.
The joint PS and Government Operation and Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. to review Expedited Bill 29-26, Personnel and Human Resources – Eligibility for County Employment, also known as the Community Trust in County Employees Act.
The members of the GO Committee include Chair Stewart and Councilmembers Shebra Evans and Katz.
More detail on each agenda item is provided below.
Bill 35-26, Forest Conservation – Trees – Applicability – Brush Management
Review: The TE Committee will review Bill 35-26, Forest Conservation – Trees – Applicability – Brush Management, which would clarify that the forest conservation requirements do not apply to routine vegetation maintenance in conformance with certain federal standards on agricultural land. Under current law, any person who expects to cut, clear or grade more than 5,000 square feet of forest or any champion tree must request an exemption from the forest conservation law’s requirements from the Planning Department. Bill 35-26 provides that routine vegetation maintenance performed on land used or intended for use as agriculture need not obtain a written exemption from the Planning Director if the work is performed in accordance with certain guidelines and standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The lead sponsor of Bill 35-26 are Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles and Council Vice President Balcombe. Councilmember Luedtke is a cosponsor.
Facility Planning Review: New Hampshire Avenue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
Review: The TE Committee will review the findings and recommendations of the New Hampshire Avenue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Study, which include five alternatives for enhancing transit service along an 8.5-mile portion of New Hampshire Avenue between Randolph Road and the Fort Totten Metrorail Station in Washington, D.C. The study includes an analysis of bus ridership, current roadway conditions, equity considerations and land use along the corridor.
Police Accountability Board Annual Report
Update: The PS Committee will receive an update on the PAB Annual Report. The report identifies trends in the disciplinary process of police officers in the County, makes recommendations on changes to policy that would improve police accountability and describes the activities of the PAB and the numbers of complaints received. The Maryland General Assembly passed the Maryland Police Accountability Act of 2021, which repealed and replaced the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights. The act required each county and Baltimore City to establish a PAB and an Administrative Charging Committee (ACC).
In 2022, the County created its PAB and ACC. These two entities provide complementary accountability and oversight for policing in Montgomery County. The PAB appoints civilian members to the ACC and trial boards, receives complaints of police misconduct filed by a member of the public, reviews the outcomes of disciplinary matters on a quarterly basis and advises the County Executive and Council on policing matters.
Bill 38-26, Discriminatory Housing Practices and Early Lease Termination – Amendments
Review: The PHP Committee will review Bill 38-26, Discriminatory Housing Practices and Early Lease Termination – Amendments, which would prohibit discrimination based on citizenship or immigration status in the sale or rental of housing. In addition, Bill 38-26 would permit the landlord to allow early termination of a residential lease under certain circumstances. The purpose of Bill 38-26 is to expand the protected class under the County’s fair housing law to include citizenship and immigration status. A landlord or realtor would be prohibited from discriminating against an individual because the individual or their family is from another country, in an active immigration proceeding, undocumented or has an immigrant visa.
The lead sponsor of Bill 38-26 is Councilmember Mink. Councilmembers Stewart, Jawando, Evans, Luedtke and Sayles are cosponsors.
Review: The PHP Committee will hold a discussion on local housing targets. In 2018, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government’s (COG) Board of Directors passed a resolution resulting in a goal to add at least 320,000 housing units to the region between 2020 and 2030. In 2019, the Montgomery County Council signed on to COG’s housing goals through a resolution that called on the County to produce 10,000 units beyond the forecasted amount of 31,000 units by 2030. In March of 2023, the PHP Committee and Montgomery Planning began work on translating the County’s 2030 housing target into local housing targets for the County’s 22 planning areas. At this meeting, the committee will receive an update on progress toward meeting these targets using data from 2024-2025.
Review: The joint PS and GO Committee will hold its second meeting to review Expedited Bill 29-26, Personnel and Human Resources – Eligibility for County Employment (Community Trust in County Employees Act), which would alter eligibility requirements for County employment and restrict the hiring of individuals who carried out certain activities during federal employment. The purpose of Expedited Bill 29-26 would be to increase community trust in County government by restricting the County from hiring individuals who were employed by the federal government after 2025 to enforce federal immigration laws. The committee previously met to review Expedited Bill 29-26 at a meeting held on Oct. 1.
The lead sponsor of Expedited Bill 29-26 is Councilmember Mink. Councilmember Jawando is a cosponsor.”
