Read the full stored bill text
EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0058*
HOUSE BILL 58
R2, O2, O3 6lr1681
(PRE–FILED)
By: Delegate Healey
Requested: November 1, 2025
Introduced and read first time: January 14, 2026
Assigned to: Environment and Transportation
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Transportation – Paratransit Services – Interjurisdictional Routes 2
FOR the purpose of requiring a county that submits an application to the Secretary of 3
Transportation for funding for certain transportation services to identify certain 4
interjurisdictional paratransit service routes in the application; requiring the 5
Secretary to adopt procedures to ensure counties cooperate in establishing certain 6
interjurisdictional paratransit service routes; requiring a county that receives 7
funding for certain transportation services to establish certain interjurisdictional 8
paratransit service routes; and generally relating to interjurisdictional paratransit 9
service routes. 10
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 11
Article – Transportation 12
Section 2–103.3(a) and (b)(1)(i) and (2) 13
Annotated Code of Maryland 14
(2020 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 15
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 16
Article – Transportation 17
Section 2–103.3(c), (e), and (g) 18
Annotated Code of Maryland 19
(2020 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 20
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 21
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 22
Article – Transportation 23
2–103.3. 24
2 HOUSE BILL 58
(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 1
(2) “County” includes Baltimore City. 2
(3) “Elderly and handicapped person” means any person who, by reason of 3
illness, injury, age, congenital malfunction, or other permanent or temporary incapacity or 4
disability, is unable to use mass transit facilities and services as effectively as a person who 5
is not so affected. 6
(4) “Transportation service” means any transportation option or mix of 7
options that may i nclude paratransit or fixed route service, established or employed by a 8
county to accommodate the transportation needs of its elderly and handicapped residents. 9
(b) (1) (i) Subject to subparagraphs (ii) through (iv) of this paragraph, the 10
Secretary shall identify separately within the Department’s annual budget an amount to 11
be used for elderly and handicapped transportation service in each county. 12
(2) The amount the Secretary identifies, or such other amount as may be 13
appropriated by the General Assemb ly for the provision of elderly and handicapped 14
transportation service in each county, shall be distributed as provided in subsections (c), 15
(d), and (e) of this section. 16
(c) (1) Of the amount separately identified or otherwise appropriated under 17
subsection (b) of this section, the Secretary shall: 18
(i) Allocate 60 percent equally among the counties; and 19
(ii) Allocate the remaining amount among the counties in proportion 20
to their respective percentages of the State’s combined elderly and handicapped population. 21
(2) Subject to the limitations provided in subsection (f) of this section, the 22
Secretary shall distribute all such allocated amounts to those counties which file a written 23
application with the Department in such form and detail as the Secretary requires. 24
(3) A written application submitted by a county under this subsection may 25
not be accepted or considered by the Secretary unless [the]: 26
(I) THE APPLICATION IDENT IFIES A COUNTY –ADMINISTERED 27
PARATRANSIT SERVICE THAT PROVIDES TRANSP ORTATION FOR ELDERLY AND 28
HANDICAPPED RESIDENT S WITHIN DESIGNATED SERVICE AREAS , INCLUDING 29
INTERJURISDICTIONAL ROUTES BETWEEN COUNTIES AND THE FACILITIES W ITHIN 30
THOSE COUNTIES IN THE FOLLOWING NETWORKS OF PROVIDERS: 31
1. ADVENTIST HEALTHCARE; 32
2. JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE; 33
HOUSE BILL 58 3
3. LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH; 1
4. LUMINIS HEALTH MARYLAND; 2
5. MEDSTAR HEALTH; AND 3
6. UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND MEDICAL SYSTEM; AND 4
(II) THE local area agency on aging certifies its approval of the 5
project for the funding for which the application is made. 6
(4) The Secretary shall consult with the Department of Aging and the 7
Department of Disabilities in distributing the funds available under this section. 8
(e) (1) If any of the allocated funds described in subsection (c) of this section 9
are not applied for by the counties within 6 months after the beginning of the fiscal year, 10
the Secretary shall make those funds available to counti es pursuant to application 11
procedures and criteria developed by the Secretary, in consultation with the Department 12
of Aging and the Department of Disabilities. The criteria shall provide that: 13
(i) Such funds may be made available to counties in which t he 14
Secretary determines that additional funds for transportation service to the elderly and 15
handicapped are most needed; and 16
(ii) Local match requirements described in subsection (f) of this 17
section shall apply to all disbursements. 18
(2) A written application submitted by a county under this subsection may 19
not be accepted or considered by the Secretary unless [the]: 20
(I) THE APPLICATION IDENT IFIES A COUNTY –ADMINISTERED 21
PARATRANSIT SERVICE THAT PROVIDES TRANSP ORTATION FOR ELDERLY AND 22
HANDICAPPED RESIDENTS WITHIN DES IGNATED SERVICE AREA S, INCLUDING 23
INTERJURISDICTIONAL ROUTES BETWEEN COUNTIES AND THE FACILITIES W ITHIN 24
THOSE COUNTIES IN THE FOLLOWING NETWORKS OF PROVIDERS: 25
1. ADVENTIST HEALTHCARE; 26
2. JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE; 27
3. LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH; 28
4. LUMINIS HEALTH MARYLAND; 29
4 HOUSE BILL 58
5. MEDSTAR HEALTH; AND 1
6. UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND MEDICAL SYSTEM; AND 2
(II) THE local area agency on aging certifies its approval of the 3
project for the funding for which the application is made. 4
(g) The Secretary, in consultation with the Department of Aging and the 5
Department of Disabilities, shall develop procedures for the proper enforcement of this 6
section. The procedures shall provide that: 7
(1) A county shall use all amounts distributed to it under this section only 8
for the acquisition or replacement of equipment or for the operating costs of the county’s 9
transportation service; 10
(2) A county, in consultation with the local area agency on aging, shall 11
determine the most effective means of serving the transportation needs of its elderly and 12
handicapped residents; 13
(3) Each county shall cooperate with the [others] OTHER COUNTIES to 14
best serve the transportation needs of the State’s elderly and handicapped residents , 15
INCLUDING BY ESTABLISHI NG INTERJURISDICTIONAL PARATRANSIT SERVICE 16
ROUTES BETWEEN COUNTIES AND THE FACILITIES WITHIN THOSE COUNTIES IN THE 17
FOLLOWING NETWORKS OF PROVIDERS: 18
(I) ADVENTIST HEALTHCARE; 19
(II) JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE; 20
(III) LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH; 21
(IV) LUMINIS HEALTH MARYLAND; 22
(V) MEDSTAR HEALTH; AND 23
(VI) UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND MEDICAL SYSTEM; and 24
(4) A county administering a transportation service that receives funds 25
under this section: 26
(i) Shall provide trips for any purpose; 27
(ii) Shall serve the elderly and handicapped citizens within the 28
service areas identified in its application , INCLUDING THROUGH 29
INTERJURISDICTIONAL PARATRANSIT SERVICE ROUTES BETWEEN COUNT IES AND 30
HOUSE BILL 58 5
THE FACILITIES WITHI N THOSE COUNTIES IN THE FOLLOWING NETWOR KS OF 1
PROVIDERS: 2
1. ADVENTIST HEALTHCARE; 3
2. JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE; 4
3. LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH; 5
4. LUMINIS HEALTH MARYLAND; 6
5. MEDSTAR HEALTH; AND 7
6. UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND MEDICAL SYSTEM; 8
(iii) May not restrict its transportation service to clients of social 9
service agencies; 10
(iv) May establish reasonable fares; and 11
(v) May permit persons other than the elderly and handicapped to 12
use or benefit from its transportation service to the extent capacity is available. 13
SECTION 2. AND B E IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 14
October 1, 2026. 15