The Maryland Senate gave preliminary approval to a bill that would modify the state’s stormwater management fee moved forward on Thursday. If passed, it could end a long-simmering controversy over the so-called “rain tax.”
Gov. Larry Hogan made repealing a requirement that Baltimore City and the nine biggest counties charge a fee to fund efforts to stop dirty stormwater from running into the bay a lynchpin of his campaign. But the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs committee killed his effort.
A bill that gets rid of the fee requirement, put forward by Senate President Mike Miller, faced no opposition from the committee or when it was offered up for preliminary approval on the Senate floor. Miller called his bill a compromise between conservatives and environmentalists.
Miller’s bill requires jurisdictions to tell the state how they plan to pay for the projects, and imposes penalties if counties don’t meet their obligations. It also limits the amount non-profits can be charged.
Although his own bill failed, a Hogan spokeswoman said in a statement, “We are pleased to have the Senate's support on the repeal of the rain tax and look forward to the same outcome in the House.”
Miller says he’s happy to share the credit with the governor. “This is team Maryland. It’s not about any one individual,” he said after the unanimous vote.
Final approval is expected in the Senate Friday. The bill moves to the House of Delegates for approval there.
