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*hb1176*
HOUSE BILL 1176
F3 6lr0972
By: Howard County Delegation
Introduced and read first time: February 11, 2026
Assigned to: Ways and Means
Reassigned: Appropriations, February 16, 2026
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 8, 2026
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Howard County – Board of Education Budget – Minimum Funding Percentage 2
of County General Fund Revenue 3
Ho. Co. 10–26 4
FOR the purpose of prohibiting the County Executive of Howard County from submitting 5
and the Howard County Council from approving a budget that appropriates less than 6
a certain amount of funding to the Howard County Board of Education, subject to a 7
certain contingency requiring, in the submission of the annual budget to the Howard 8
County Council, the Howard County Executive to include the percentage of the 9
county’s general fund revenue, excluding one–time expenses, that is allocated to the 10
operating budget of the Howard County Board of Education and operating costs 11
associated with the Howard County public school system; requiring a copy of the 12
budget of the Howard County Board of Education as approved by the Howard County 13
Council to include the percentage of the county’s general fund revenue, excluding 14
one–time expenses, that is appropriated to the operating budget of the county board 15
and operating costs associated with the school system; and generally relating to the 16
Howard County Board of Education budget. 17
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 18
Article – Education 19
Section 1–101(a) and (d) 20
Annotated Code of Maryland 21
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 22
2 HOUSE BILL 1176
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 1
Article – Education 2
Section 5–103 5–102 3
Annotated Code of Maryland 4
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 5
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 6
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 7
Article – Education 8
1–101. 9
(a) In this article, unless the context requires otherwise, the following words have 10
the meanings indicated. 11
(d) “County board” means the board of education of a county and includes the 12
Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners. 13
5–103. 14
(a) The amount requested in the annual budget of each county board for current 15
expenses for the next school year and that is to be raised by revenue from local sources may 16
not be less than the minimum amount required to be levied under § 5 –202(d)(1)(i) of this 17
title. 18
(b) The county commissioners or county council may provide funds that are more 19
than the amount required by § 5–202(d)(1)(i) of this title to support improved and additional 20
programs. 21
(c) If a county council or board of county commissioners does not approve the 22
amount requested in the budget that is more than the amount required by § 5–202(d)(1)(i) 23
of this title: 24
(1) The county council or board of county commissioners: 25
(i) May not reduce the amount requested in the budget that is 26
dedicated to satisfying a final court judgment; and 27
(ii) Shall indicate in writing, within 15 days after the adoption of the 28
budget, which major categories of the annual budget have been reduced and the reason for 29
the reduction; and 30
(2) The county board shall submit to the county governing body, within 30 31
days after the adoption of the budget, a report indicating how the alterations to the budget 32
will be implemented, accompanied by reasonable supporting detail and analysis. 33
HOUSE BILL 1176 3
(D) (1) EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION , 1
THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE OF HOWARD COUNTY MAY NOT SUBMIT AND THE HOWARD 2
COUNTY COUNCIL MAY NOT APPRO VE AN ANNUAL BUDGET THAT APPROPRIATES 3
FUNDING TO THE HOWARD COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION IN AN AMOUNT THAT IS 4
LESS THAN 58% OF THE GENERAL FUND REVENUE OF THE COUNTY FOR THE FISCAL 5
YEAR. 6
(2) IF THE HOWARD COUNTY BOARD REQUESTS AN AMOUNT IN THE 7
ANNUAL BUDGET THAT IS LESS THAN 58% OF THE GENERAL FUND REVENUE OF THE 8
COUNTY FOR THE FISCA L YEAR , THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE OF HOWARD COUNTY 9
SHALL SUBMIT AND THE HOWARD COUNTY COUNCIL SHALL APPROVE AN ANNUAL 10
BUDGET THAT APPROPRIATES FUNDING TO THE HOWARD COUNTY BOARD IN THE 11
AMOUNT REQUESTED. 12
5–102. 13
(a) In this subtitle, “county council” means, in Baltimore City, the Mayor and City 14
Council of Baltimore. 15
(b) (1) Each county board shall submit an annual school budget in writing to 16
the county commissioners, county council, or county executive. 17
(2) The budget shall be submitted not less than 45 days before the date for 18
levying local taxes or o n an earlier date on or after March 1 as may be requested by the 19
county fiscal authority. 20
(c) (1) This subsection applies only to a county that has a county governing 21
body that consists of a county executive and county council. 22
(2) (I) The county exec utive shall indicate in writing which major 23
categories of the annual budget of the county board have been denied in whole or reduced 24
in part and the reason for the denial or reduction. 25
(II) IN HOWARD COUNTY, IN ADDITION TO THE I NFORMATION 26
REQUIRED UNDER SUBPARAGRAPH (I) OF THIS PARAGRAPH, IN THE SUBMISSION OF 27
THE ANNUAL BUDGET TO THE COUNTY COUNCIL, THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE SHALL 28
INDICATE IN WRITING THE PERCENTAGE OF TH E COUNTY ’S GENERAL FUND 29
REVENUE, EXCLUDING ONE –TIME EXPENSES , THAT IS ALLOCATED TO THE 30
OPERATING BUDGET OF TH E BOARD OF EDUCATION AND OPERATI NG COSTS 31
ASSOCIATED WITH THE HOWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM, INCLUDING: 32
1. PENSION OBLIGATIONS; 33
2. EMPLOYEE AND RETIREE BENEFITS; 34
4 HOUSE BILL 1176
3. DEBT SERVICE; 1
4. SCHOOL AND STUDENT SAFETY; AND 2
5. TRANSPORTATION. 3
(3) The county council may restore any denial or reduction made by the 4
county executive in the annual budget submitted by the county board. 5
(4) In Baltimore County, the County Council may not restore any denial or 6
reduction made by the County Executive. 7
(5) This paragraph applies to Baltimore County and supersedes paragraph 8
(4) of this subsection only if the voters of Baltimore County approve an amendment to the 9
Baltimore County Charter that grants the County Council the au thority to restore any 10
denial or reduction made by the County Executive in the budget submitted by the county 11
board. The Baltimore County Council may restore any denial or reduction made by the 12
County Executive if it publicly states the amount the restorat ion represents in the county 13
tax rate. 14
(d) (1) In Baltimore City, the City Council may not restore any denial or 15
reduction made by the Mayor. 16
(2) (i) This paragraph applies to Baltimore City and supersedes 17
paragraph (1) of this subsection only if the voters of Baltimore City approve an amendment 18
to the Baltimore City Charter that grants the City Council the authority to restore any 19
denial or reduction made by the Mayor in the budget submitted by the county board. 20
(ii) The Baltimore City Council may restore any denial or reduction 21
made by the Mayor if it publicly states the amount the restoration represents in the city 22
tax rate. 23
(e) (1) Copies of the budget shall be made available to the public, on request, 24
at the time it is submitted by the county board. 25
(2) (I) A copy of the budget as approved by the county commissioners or 26
county council shall be sent to the State Superintendent within 30 days after approval and 27
posted on the county board’s public–facing website, in an easily identifiable location. 28
(II) IN HOWARD COUNTY, A COPY OF THE BUDGET AS 29
APPROVED BY THE COUNTY COUNCIL SHALL INCLUDE , IN WRITING , THE 30
PERCENTAGE OF THE CO UNTY’S GENERAL FUND REVEN UE, EXCLUDING ONE–TIME 31
EXPENSES, THAT IS APPROPRIATED TO THE OPERATING BUDGET OF THE HOWARD 32
COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION AND OPERATI NG COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE 33
HOWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM, INCLUDING: 34
HOUSE BILL 1176 5
1. PENSION OBLIGATIONS; 1
2. EMPLOYEE AND RETIREE BENEFITS; 2
3. DEBT SERVICE; 3
4. SCHOOL AND STUDENT SAFETY; AND 4
5. TRANSPORTATION. 5
(3) A copy of the budget submitted under subsection (b)(1) of this section 6
shall be placed on the county board’s public –facing website, in an easily identifiable 7
location. 8
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 9
1, 2026. 10
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.