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The 2009 Session of the Maryland General Assembly ended at midnight on April 13. Here is a brief summary of a few bills that impact the independent colleges:
- House Bill 85 / Senate Bill 183 attempts to lower the costs of textbooks. Several provisions of the bill will directly impact independent higher education. A separate report about this bill will be sent to the Chief Academic Officers and bookstore staff. The bill is effective July 1, 2009.
- House Bill 200 passed as emergency legislation and was signed into law by Governor O’Malley. The bill will allow colleges and universities to prudently manage endowments funds. The legislation eliminates the concept of “Historical Dollar Value”.
- House Bill 710 / Senate Bill 802 authorizes eligible institutions of higher education to determine eligibility for and award Edward T. Conroy Memorial Scholarships. Eligible awardees include students whose parents were members of the military or public safety officers killed in the line of duty.
- House Bill 1081 allows Sojourner-Douglass College to utilize “in-kind contributions” to meet the State match for a grant provided for the renovation of the allied health and science facility.
- House Bill 1192 / Senate Bill 556 requires entities to report on how State aid is being utilized, the number of jobs created, and how the aid benefits the citizens of Maryland. At MICUA’s request, the bill was amended to allow MICUA to report to the Department of Budget and Management using existing reports.
- Senate Bill 562 prohibits employers from negatively impacting an employee for using leave with pay to care for an immediate family member.
The following bills failed:
- Legislation to reauthorize the Maryland Heritage Structure Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program;
- Legislation to expand the current law prohibiting firearms, knives, and deadly weapons to all institutions of higher education;
- Several bills to impose mandates on contracts issued by MICUA institutions for capital construction and procurement, including mandates on prevailing wages, living wages, and minority business enterprise requirements;
- Legislation to prohibit the Maryland Health and Higher Educational Facilities Authority from providing assistance to an institution until the institution enters into a Payment in Lieu of Taxes agreement with a local jurisdiction;
- Legislation to revise the standards for determining academic program duplication; and
- Legislation to reregulate the utility industry for small commercial and residential rates.
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