Report of the Conference Committee on HB 255
April 9, 2001
Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the General Assembly of Maryland: The report of the Conference Committee on HB 255 -- the Maryland Consolidated Capital Bond Loan of 2001 is submitted for your review. The Senate adopted 7 amendments to HB 255. The House rejected all of the Senate amendments and the Senate refused to recede. The committee has worked to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. The Conference Committee recommends the authorization of $470,231,000 in new State debt. 1. The adoption of the following Senate amendments: 3-5 2. The rejection of the following Senate amendments: 2,7 3. The action indicated on the following Senate amendments and the adoption of Conference Committee amendments as indicated: Conference Committee Amendment 1 2
Adopt
Reject ................ 1 ................ 6
.............. ..............
4. The Conference Committee also adopted Conference Committee amendments: 3-5 Attached is a listing of the approved projects.
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Respectfully submitted,
Senator Thomas M. Middleton, Chairman
Delegate Norman H. Conway, Chairman
Senator Barbara A. Hoffman
Delegate Howard P. Rawlings
Senator Ulysses Currie
Delegate Joan Cadden
Senator Patrick J. Hogan
Delegate George C. Edwards
Senator Donald F. Munson
Delegate Richard A. Palumbo
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HB0255/249234/2
BY:
Budget and Taxation Committee AMENDMENTS TO HOUSE BILL NO. 255 (Third Reading File Bill)
AMENDMENT NO. 1 On page 1, strike beginning with “Four” in line 7 down through “($437,791,000)” in line 8 and substitute “Four Hundred Forty-Six Million, Two Hundred Sixteen Thousand Dollars ($446,216,000)”. On page 2, in line 25, strike “$437,791,000” and substitute “$446,216,000”. On page 19, in line 20, strike “$474,987,227” and substitute “$475,000,000”; in line 22, strike “437,791,000” and substitute “446,216,000”; in line 30, strike “26,996,227” and substitute “18,584,000”; and in line 32, strike “474,987,227” and substitute “475,000,000”. On page 20, in line 1, strike “$474,987,227” and substitute “$475,000,000”. AMENDMENT NO. 2 On page 4, in line 11, strike “16,000,000” and substitute “20,000,000”. AMENDMENT NO. 3 On page 4, in line 29, after “system” insert “, provided that no funds may be expended until the department has submitted a plan on the installation of the new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, and the budget committees have had 45 days to review and comment on the plan. The plan shall include the following: (1) (2) (3) (4) an estimate of the total cost of installing an all air system; a time line for installing the HVAC system; an evaluation of the level of risk of patient contamination with the new HVAC system; an assessment of the work that may proceed in fiscal 2002 given that full funding for the HVAC system has not been appropriated; and an assessment of alternative plans to installing a new HVAC system, including constructing a new building or an addition to the existing building. The assessment should include cost estimates, an evaluation of the need for maintaining or increasing capacity, and an evaluation of the structural and programmatic issues that could be addressed with a new building or addition”.
(5)
AMENDMENT NO. 4 On page 8, after line 21, insert: “(C) Harford Community College - Amoss Performing Arts Center. Provide a grant to the County Executive and County Council of Harford County for the Amoss Performing Arts Center. Expenditure of these funds is not subject to Section 11105(i) of the Education Article . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
400,000”.
AMENDMENT NO. 5 On page 8, in line 31, after “library” insert “, provided that funds may only be expended for geotechnical surveys, test borings, and design services through the schematic phase until: 1. a cost estimate based on the schematic design and an analysis of additional costs attributable to building on the selected site versus conventional construction on a site with no water table problems have been submitted to the budget committees; and the budget committees have reviewed and commented on the cost estimate and analysis or 45 days have elapsed from the date the budget committees received the estimate”.
2.
AMENDMENT NO. 6 On page 10, in line 7, strike “$9,750,000” and substitute “$13,750,000”; and in line 18, strike “14,554,000” and substitute “18,554,000”. AMENDMENT NO. 7 On page 11, in line 37, strike “-0-” and substitute “25,000”.
Conference Committee Amendments to House Bill 255 (Third Reading File Bill) Conference Committee Amendment No. 1
One page 1, strike beginning with “Four” in line 7 down through “($437,791,000)” in line 8 and substitute “Four Hundred Seventy Million, Two Hundred Thirty-one Thousand Dollars ($470,231,000)”. On page 2, in line 25, strike “$437,791,000" and substitute “$470,231,000". On page 19, in line 20, strike “$474,987,227" and substitute “$504,979,500"; in line 22, strike “437,791,000" and substitute “470,231,000"; in line 30, strike “26,996,227" and substitute “24,548,500"; and in line 32, strike “474,987,227" and substitute “504,979,500". On page 20, in line 1, strike “$474,987,227" and substitute “$504,979,500".
Conference Committee Amendment No. 2
On page 10, in line 7, strike “$9,750,000" and substitute “$12,550,000"; and in line 18, strike “14,554,000" and substitute “17,354,000".
Conference Committee Amendment No. 3
On page 3, in line 14, strike “1,000,000" and substitute “200,000".
Conference Committee Amendment No. 4
On page 4, after line 11, insert the following: “(B) GreenPrint Program. Provide funds for the purchase of conservation easements and the acquisition of land (Statewide), provided that these funds shall be expended in a manner consistent with House Bill 1379 if the bill is enacted. If this legislation is not enacted, the funds shall be restricted as follows: (a) (1) funds may only be used to acquire real property interests in the green infrastructure network identified and included on maps created by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR); and
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(2)
funds may not be expended on the acquisition of a real property interest by use of State or local condemnation authority.
(b) A land owner who participates in the GreenPrint program may reserve the ability to engage in silvicultural practices in accordance with a forest management plan approved by the Secretary and the terms of the easement, provided that these practices do not conflict with the goals of the program. (c) DNR may not use GreenPrint program funds to purchase a property interest on property unless each affected local government approves the acquisition. (d) Twenty-five percent of the funds provided in the budgets for the GreenPrint program may only be spent on the acquisition of easements on agricultural land within Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) approved districts that contain land within the green infrastructure network. Funds used to purchase easements within MALPF-approved districts shall be encumbered annually in accordance with the MALPF procedures. An easement on agricultural land within MALPF-approved districts is perpetual and may not be extinguished or released. (e) Plans for any purchases under the GreenPrint program of a real property interest that involve amounts over $2,000,000 shall be submitted by DNR to the budget committees for review and comment at least 45 days before the transaction is to be brought before the Board of Public Works. The budget committees shall have 45 days to review and comment on the proposed transaction. (f) It is the intent of the General Assembly that DNR should give priority in expending funds for the GreenPrint program to acquisitions in counties with a high degree of threat from development or where DNR holds a real property interest on less than 9 percent of land in a county. (g) It is the intent of the General Assembly that DNR should give priority for expending funds for the GreenPrint program to land acquisitions over easement acquisitions.
(h) DNR shall create an annual report on expenditures made 4
through the GreenPrint program to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2-1246 of the State Government Article, to the General Assembly. The report should be submitted by July 1 of each year 30,000,000".
Conference Committee Amendment No. 5
On page 8, in line 15, strike “11,755,000" and substitute “11,795,000".
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