Mel Noland Woodland Incentives and Fellowship Fund - Reporting

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*sb0257*

SENATE BILL 257
M1 6lr0619
CF HB 533
By: Senator Simonaire
Introduced and read first time: January 19, 2026
Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
Committee Report: Favorable
Senate action: Adopted
Read second time: February 15, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Mel Noland Woodland Incentives and Fellowship Fund – Reporting 2

FOR the purpose of requiring the Department of Natural Resources to include in a certain 3
annual report to the Senate Committee on Education, Energy, and the Environment 4
and the House Environment and Transportation Committee the amount of proceeds 5
from a certain agricultural land transfer tax that were distributed to the Mel Noland 6
Woodland Incentives and Fellowship Fund during the immediately preceding fiscal 7
year and any uncertainties regarding the amount distributed; and generally relating 8
to the Mel Noland Woodland Incentives and Fellowship Fund. 9

BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 10
Article – Natural Resources 11
Section 5–307(a), (b), (c), and (f)(1)(i) 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 14

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 15
Article – Natural Resources 16
Section 5–307(j) 17
Annotated Code of Maryland 18
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 19

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 20
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 21

2 SENATE BILL 257

Article – Natural Resources 1

5–307. 2

(a) In this section, “Fund” means the Mel Noland Woodland Incentives and 3
Fellowship Fund. 4

(b) There is a Mel Noland Woodland Incentives and Fellowship Fund in the 5
Department. 6

(c) The purpose of the Fund is to finance: 7

(1) The Woodland Incentives Program and the cost –share assistance 8
established under this subtitle; and 9

(2) The Mel Noland Fellowship Program established under this subtitle. 10

(f) (1) The Fund consists of: 11

(i) As provided in § 13 –306 of the T ax – Property Article, up to 12
$200,000 annually of the proceeds of the tax imposed by § 13 –302 of the Tax – Property 13
Article that are attributable to the taxation of instruments of writing that transfer title to 14
parcels of land that are entirely woodland; 15

(j) On or before September 30 of each year, the Department shall report to the 16
Senate Committee on Education, Energy, and the Environment and the House 17
Environment and Transportation Committee, in accordance with § 2 –1257 of the State 18
Government Article, on [the]: 19

(1) THE use of funds credited to the Fund, including an identification of 20
and the reasons for those revenues derived from forestry practices on designated lands 21
owned and managed by the Department that were not credited to the Fund; 22

(2) THE AMOUNT OF PROCEEDS FROM THE TAX IMPOSED BY § 13–302 23
OF THE TAX – PROPERTY ARTICLE THAT ARE ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE TAXATION OF 24
INSTRUMENTS OF WRITING THAT TRANSFER TITLE TO PARCELS OF LAND THAT ARE 25
ENTIRELY WOODLAND THAT WERE DISTRIBUTED TO THE FUND UNDER § 13–306 OF 26
THE TAX – PROPERTY ARTICLE DURING THE IMMEDIATELY PREC EDING FISCAL 27
YEAR; AND 28

(3) IF THE DEPARTMENT IS UNCERTAIN ABOUT THE TOTAL AMOUNT 29
OF PROCEEDS FOR THE TAX IMPOSED UNDER § 13–302 OF THE TAX – PROPERTY 30
ARTICLE THAT ARE REQU IRED TO B E DISTRIBUTED TO THE FUND, THE 31
UNCERTAINTIES AND THE ACTIONS REQUIRED TO RESOLVE THE UNCERTAINTIES. 32

SENATE BILL 257 3

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 1
1, 2026. 2

Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.