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Legislation

2010 – Primary Sponsor

Disability Retirement Reform: Total and Partial Incapacity - Bill 45-10 – Introduced
Creates a two-tiered service-connected disability retirement system with benefits for partial incapacity and total incapacity.

Development Oversight – Bill 1-10 – Introduced
Creates a new County position to oversee future development projects and ensures that plans are followed as envisioned.

Pregnancy Center Services Disclosure - Board of Health Regulation
Requires all County pregnancy centers that do not have a licensed medical professional on staff to notify clients by posting at least one sign in their waiting room in English and Spanish; and requires the signs to say that the Montgomery County Health Officer encourages women who are or may be pregnant to consult with a licensed health car provider.

Telecommunications Facilities – ZTA 10-05
Requires a special exception petition for a telecommunications facility to include an approved preliminary forest conservation plan and photographic simulation; and increases certain requirements for a special exception petition.

Enhanced Accessibility for the Disabled – Amendment to ZTA 09-08: Commercial/Residential (CR) Zones
Adds an additional public benefit in the “Diversity of Activities and Uses” category to the new Commercial/Residential (CR) Zone providing incentives to developers who opt to provide dwelling unit modifications for disabled persons, which will exceed County requirements and satisfy the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A117.1 Residential Type A standards—specifically established for wheelchair-bound individuals; and incorporates larger kitchens and bathrooms for wheelchair turns and lower counter heights to accommodate wheelchair heights.

2010 – Co-sponsor

Excise Tax on Major Emitters of Carbon Dioxide – Bill 29-10
Establishes an annual excise tax of $5 per ton for major emitters of carbon dioxide in the County. A “major emitter” is defined as any entity that owns or operates a stationary source of carbon dioxide located in the County that emits more than 1 million tons of carbon dioxide in any calendar year. At least 50% ofthe revenue from this tax must be used to fund the annual operating budget that supports the County’s greenhouse gas reduction programs, including mass transit.

Employee Retaliation – Bill 2-10
Prohibits retaliation against a County employee or an employee of a County contractor or subcontractor for disclosing information about illegal or improper action in a County government to a County official or employee.

Biotechnology Credit - Bill 5-10
Commits the County to supplement 50% of the biotechnology investment incentive tax credit in a qualified Montgomery County biotechnology company.

Imputed Compensation – Bill 18-10
Amends the definition of regular earnings in the retirement laws to include imputed income not received due to a furlough; and ensures that a furlough does not reduce the employer and the employee contributions to the plan or any pension benefit and prevents a furlough from resulting in a reduced disability benefit for a member of the Retirement Savings Plan or the Guaranteed Retirement Income Plan.

Montgomery Business Development Corporation – Bill 28-10 – Introduced
Authorizes and encourages County government to support a Montgomery Business Development Corporation and specify the members of, and the process to appoint and ‘confirm members of, the Corporation Board of Directors.

Equal Benefits Bill – Bill 37-09
Requires County contractors and subcontractors to provide equal benefits for employees working on County contracts and regulates the benefits provided to employees of contractors and subcontractors on County contracts.

Hiring Preference for People With Disabilities - Bill 46-09
Establishes a “hiring preference” for the initial appointment of a person with a disability to a vacant County merit system position if the candidate is among the highest rated candidates in a normal competitive process.

Agricultural Vending – ZTA 09-11
Allows the sale of farm produce by Certified Agricultural Producers in residential zones.

2009 – Primary Sponsor

Drug Enforcement Forfeitures Fund – Bill 35-09
Allows monies seized in drug forfeiture cases to be used for drug enforcement administration and drug treatment and prevention programs.

Health Impact Assessment – Resolution for a Board of Health Regulation – Introduced
Requires the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a Health Impact Assessment of all major County road projects as a part of the facilities planning process.

2009 – Co-sponsor

Home Energy Loan Program – Bill 6-09
Establishes a Home Energy Loan Program to help single-family homeowners make energy- efficiency improvements.

Personnel Disability Retirement Reform – Bill 37-08
Makes disability retirement procedures consistent for all employees; requires an independent medical examination of each disability applicant; and strengthens review of existing disability retirements by requiring an annual medical exam or a certificate from a medical doctor.

Sligo Creek Golf Course Task Force – Resolution 16-1134
Establishes a task force to make recommendations to the County Council that will lead to the future self-sustainability of Sligo Creek Golf Course.

Ad Hoc Water Quality Working Group – Resolution 16-1149
Establishes a working group to evaluate water quality in the Clarksburg area and directs the group to issue a report and recommendations by February 1, 2010 on overall stormwater management and water quality.

Attorney for the Inspector General – Bill 33-09
Authorizes the Inspector General to employ or retain an independent attorney.

Nutrition Labeling – Bill 19-07
Requires Montgomery County restaurants with at least 20 locations to post caloric information on menu boards and menus and to make available other nutrition information upon request by clients.

Hearing Examiner – Report Dissemination - Amends the dissemination requirements for reports and recommendations from the Hearing Examiner.

2008 – Primary Sponsor

County Personnel Retirement Contributions – Bill 26-08
Requires the County to make retirement contributions for any employee who leaves for military service, increases the percentage of employee contributions to the Retirement Savings Plan for Group I members, and raises the amount of employer contributions to Group I members.

Spending Affordability – Bill 28-08
Revises the criteria and process for adopting spending affordability guidelines for the annual operating budget.

Development Districts Disclosures – Bill 36-07
Amends the County Code to require rigorous public disclosure of any proposed special assessment, tax, fee or other charge. Such disclosure is mandated in all contracts to sell property located in development districts, as well as in all advertisements, sales brochures, signs or other sales materials.

2008 – Co-sponsor

Prevailing Wages for Contractor and Subcontractor Employees – Bill 21-08
Requires contractors and subcontractors on County construction projects to pay their workers prevailing wages.

Renewable Energy Action Plan – Bill 33-07
Requires the Sustainability Working Group to develop a renewable energy action plan.

Montgomery County Care Advisory Board – Bill 29-08
Extends the term of members of the Montgomery County Care Advisory Board from two to three years and extends the Board’s service to June 30, 2015.

Assessment of Greenhouse Gas Emissions – Bill 34-07
Requires the Montgomery County Planning Board to assess the potential impact of a plan on greenhouse gas emissions and to consider ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as reducing vehicle miles traveled in the County.

Review of Grants – Bill 31-08
Requires the Chief Administrative Officer to notify the Council before submitting applications for federal, state, or private funds; requires Council approval before the County government applies for federal, state, or private funds.

Accessory Structures – Solar Panels – ZTA 04-08
Allows for the placement of solar panels in residential side yards.

Standards for Residential Zones – ZTA 11-08
“Mansionization” measure which helps protect from overbuilding on small lots; lowers the maximum height for certain lots in the R-200 zone; reduces the maximum building coverage for certain lots in certain one-family residential zone; and amends provisions concerning an established building line by specifying the buildings to be included, the buildings to be excluded, and alternative method to determine the setback required.

2007 – Primary Sponsor

Gender Identity Non-Discrimination – Bill 23-07
Prohibits discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations, cable television service, and taxicab service on the basis of gender identity.

Restriction of Trans Fat Use – Board of Health Resolution 16-134
Bans the use of artificial trans fats for cooking in Montgomery County restaurants.

2007 – Co-sponsor

Real Property Tax – Bill 24-07
Requires sellers of homes to provide potential homebuyers with an estimate of what their actual property tax bill will be for the first full year after the purchase of the home.

Upper Paint Branch Special Protection Area – Bill 11-07
Establishes the Upper Branch Watershed as a Special Protection Area; protects the water quality and quantity of the Upper Paint Branch Watershed by regulating the amount and location of impervious surfaces.

Road Code – Bill 48-06
Comprehensively revises, updates, clarifies, and reorganizes County law governing street and road design, construction, regulation, acceptance, abandonment, and funding and repeals obsolete provisions in County law regarding streets and roads.