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*sb0280*
SENATE BILL 280
M1 6lr2310
CF HB 404
By: Senators Augustine and Zucker
Introduced and read first time: January 20, 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
Natural Resources – State Parks – Terminology 2
FOR the purpose of altering certain terminology relating to State parks that preserve and 3
interpret the history of certain populations; and generally relating to State parks. 4
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 5
Article – Natural Resources 6
Section 5–2A–04(f)(3), 5–2A–05(b)(2), and 5–1012 7
Annotated Code of Maryland 8
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 9
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 10
Article – Natural Resources 11
Section 5–2A–05(b)(7) and (8) 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 14
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 15
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 16
Article – Natural Resources 17
5–2A–04. 18
2 SENATE BILL 280
(f) (3) The Department’s decisions related to the establishment of State 1
[historical] parks or other units that preserve and interpret the history of African 2
American, Asian, Indigenous or Native American, and Hispanic or Latino populations in 3
the State shall be made: 4
(i) In coordination with the Commission; and 5
(ii) With input fro m groups active in the preservation of historical 6
sites of underrepresented communities, including: 7
1. The Commission on Environmental Justice and 8
Sustainable Communities; 9
2. The Commission on African American History and 10
Culture; 11
3. The Gov ernor’s Commission on Asian Pacific American 12
Affairs; 13
4. The Commission on Indian Affairs; and 14
5. The Office of Immigrant Affairs. 15
5–2A–05. 16
(b) The Comprehensive Long–Range Strategic Plan shall include: 17
(2) New State [historical] parks or other units that preserve and interpret 18
the history of African American, Asian, Indigenous or Native American, and Hispanic or 19
Latino populations in the State; 20
(7) Details and updates on the creation and implementation of workforce 21
development programs, including: 22
(i) Programs in collaboration with the State’s historically Black 23
colleges and universities; 24
(ii) Programs modeled on the National Park Service’s diversity 25
strategy under Director’s Order #16B; and 26
(iii) Programs focused on creating a pipeline of new rangers and other 27
full–time staff from among volunteers, the State foster youth system, and historically 28
underserved communities; and 29
(8) The results of: 30
SENATE BILL 280 3
(i) Implementing a volunteer management program under § 1
5–2A–02(e) of this subtitle; 2
(ii) Leveraging charitable funding for park enhancements under § 3
5–2A–02(f) of this subtitle; and 4
(iii) Any collaboration between the Department and the Department 5
of Transportation and local transportation agencies to improve bicycle, sidewalk, and trail 6
access to State parks. 7
5–1012. 8
(a) In this section, “partnership park” means a unit of the State park system 9
managed by the Department in partnership with a local government, a bicounty agency, or 10
a nonprofit organization. 11
(b) The Department may enter into: 12
(1) A memorandum of understanding with a local government, bicounty 13
agency, or nonprofit organization to establish a partnership park in the State; or 14
(2) A partnership agreement with a local government, bicounty agency, or 15
nonprofit organization to manage a partnership park in the State. 16
(c) (1) The Department shall establish the Freedman’s State [Historical] Park 17
as a partnership park that seeks to educate the public about and preserve and interpret 18
the lives and experiences of Black Americans both before and after the abolition of slavery. 19
(2) Freedman’s State [Historical] Park shall be held by the State as a State 20
park under the protection and administration of the Department. 21
(d) Freedman’s State [Historical] Park shall consist of properties in northeastern 22
Montgomery County in or near the communities of Brookeville, Olney, Sandy Spring, Zion, 23
and Laytonsville that are: 24
(1) Owned by the State and designated by the Department as part of the 25
park; and 26
(2) (i) Owned by a local government, a bicounty agency, or a nonprofit 27
organization; and 28
(ii) Designated as part of the park by a partnership agreement 29
between the owner of the property and the State. 30
(e) (1) The Department shall establish a stakeholder advisory committee to 31
advise the Department on the scope and management of Freedman’s State [Historical] 32
Park. 33
4 SENATE BILL 280
(2) The stakeholder advisory committee shall consist of the following 1
members: 2
(i) A representative of Montgomery Parks, designated by 3
Montgomery Parks’ Director of Parks; 4
(ii) A representative of the Heritage Tourism Alliance of 5
Montgomery County, designated by the Alliance’s Executive Director; 6
(iii) A representative of the Sandy Spring Slave Museum, designated 7
by the Museum’s Director; 8
(iv) A representative of the Sandy Spring Museum, designated by the 9
Museum’s President; and 10
(v) Any other members as determined by the Department. 11
(3) To the extent practicable, the stakeholder advisory committee shall 12
reflect the diversity of northeastern Montgomery County. 13
(f) On or before January 1, 2023, the Department shall submit a report to the 14
General Assembly, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, on: 15
(1) Property owned by the State in northeastern Montgomery County that 16
is suitable for inclusion in Freedman’s State [Historical] Park; 17
(2) Property owned by a local government, a bicounty agency, or a nonprofit 18
organization in northeastern Montgomery Count y that is suitable for inclusion in 19
Freedman’s State [Historical] Park and for which the landowners are willing to enter into 20
a partnership agreement; and 21
(3) The funding needed to establish and promote Freedman’s State 22
[Historical] Park. 23
(f–1) (1) The Department and Baltimore City shall: 24
(i) Convene focus group meetings on the establishment of the 25
Gwynns Falls State Park with community members and stakeholders that reside or operate 26
in the vicinity of the proposed State park; 27
(ii) Develop a list of priority needs and associated cost assessments 28
for park operations and improvements, including: 29
1. Capital improvements; 30
2. Critical maintenance; 31
SENATE BILL 280 5
3. Enhanced natural resource management and restoration, 1
including implementation of a biohabitats study; 2
4. Historic site restoration; 3
5. Enhanced outdoor recreation amenities, including trail 4
improvements; 5
6. Adding park staff and procuring equipment and supplies; 6
and 7
7. Law enforcement and public safety; and 8
(iii) Establish a stakeholder advisory committee to advise the 9
Department and Baltimore City on the scope and management of Gwynns Falls State Park 10
that consists of: 11
1. At least one member of the Friends of Gwynns 12
Falls/Leakin Park; 13
2. At least six mem bers representing local park advocacy 14
organizations, local environmental organizations, local historic preservation organizations, 15
neighborhood organizations from neighborhoods that border the future Gwynns Falls State 16
Park site; and 17
3. Any additional members as determined by the 18
Department and Baltimore City. 19
(2) On or before December 1, 2025, the Department shall submit a report 20
to the General Assembly, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, on: 21
(i) Property owned by the State in Baltimore City that is suitable 22
for inclusion in Gwynns Falls State Park; 23
(ii) Property owned by Baltimore City or a nonprofit organization in 24
Baltimore City that is suitable for inclusion in Gwynns Falls State Park and for which the 25
landowners are willing to enter into a partnership agreement; and 26
(iii) The funding needed to establish and promote Gwynns Falls State 27
Park. 28
(g) (1) (i) The Department shall establish the Port [of] Deposit State 29
[Historical] Park as a partnership park that seeks to educate the public about and preserve 30
and interpret the lives and experiences of Black Americans both before and after the 31
abolition of slavery. 32
6 SENATE BILL 280
(ii) Port [of] Deposit State [Historical] Park shall be held by the 1
State as a State park under the protection and administration of the Department. 2
(2) Port [of] Deposit State [Historical] Park shall consist of a portion of the 3
Bainbridge Naval Training Center site, measuring not less than 120 acres and not more 4
than 150 acres, that the Bainbridge Development Corporation transfers to the Department, 5
including: 6
(i) The historic Tome School; 7
(ii) The Snow Hill archaeological site; and 8
(iii) The adjacent wooded conservation area. 9
(3) (i) The Department shall establish a stakeholder advisory 10
committee to advise the Department on the scope and management of Port [of] Deposit 11
State [Historical] Park. 12
(ii) The stakeholder advisory committee shall consist of the following 13
members: 14
1. One member designated by the Mayor and Town Council 15
of Port Deposit; 16
2. Two members of the House of Delegates and one member 17
of the Senate of Maryland representing Cecil County, designated by the Cecil County 18
Delegation of the General Assembly; 19
3. The County Executive of Cecil County, or the County 20
Executive’s designee; 21
4. The President of the Cecil County Council, or the 22
President’s designee; 23
5. The President of the Cecil County branch of the NAACP, 24
or the President’s designee; 25
6. The President of the Historical Society of Cecil County, or 26
the President’s designee; 27
7. The Director of the Cecil County Department of Parks and 28
Recreation; 29
8. The Chair of the Bainbridge Development Corporation, or 30
the Chair’s designee; 31
SENATE BILL 280 7
9. The Chief Archaeologist of the Maryland Department of 1
Transportation, State Highway Administration, or the Chief Archaeologist’s designee; and 2
10. The following nonvoting ex officio members: 3
A. The Secretary, or the Secretary’s designee; 4
B. The Secretary of Commerce, or the Secretary’s designee; 5
C. The Secretary of the Environment, or the Secretary’s 6
designee; 7
D. The Secretary of Planning, or the Secretary’s designee; 8
E. The Director of the Maryland Historical Trust, or the 9
Director’s designee; 10
F. The President of the Lower Susquehanna Heritage 11
Greenway, or the President’s designee; 12
G. The Superintendent of Cecil County Public Schools; 13
H. The Executive Director of the Cecil County Public Library; 14
and 15
I. The President of Cecil College. 16
(iii) To the extent practicable, the stakeholder advisory committee 17
shall reflect the diversity of Cecil County. 18
(4) On or before September 1, 2024, the Department shall submit a report 19
to the General Assembly, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article on: 20
(i) Property that is suitable for inclusion in Port [of] Deposit State 21
[Historical] Park; 22
(ii) The funding needed to establish and promote Port [of] Deposit 23
State [Historical] Park; and 24
(iii) The appropriate manner of preserving property that is not 25
identified for inclusion in Port [of] Deposit State [Historical] Park in perpetuity for its 26
archaeological, historical, and cultural significance. 27
(h) It is the intent of the General Assembly that if the State acquires Carr’s Beach 28
for the purpose of making the property a State park, the property shall be a partnership 29
park established and maintained in a manner substantially similar to the requirements 30
established under subsections (b) through (d) of this section. 31
8 SENATE BILL 280
(i) (1) In this subsection, “Waldorf core zone” means a geographical area in 1
Charles County within the following boundaries: 2
(i) North of Billingsley Road; 3
(ii) South of Mattawoman Creek; 4
(iii) East of Bensville Road; and 5
(iv) West of Maryland Route 5. 6
(2) It is the intent of the General Assembly that if the State acquires 7
property in the Waldorf core zone for the purpose of making the property a State park, the 8
property shall be a partnership park established and maintained in a manner substantially 9
similar to the requirements established under subsections (b) through (d) of this section. 10
(j) It is the intent of the General Assembly that if the State acquires Hill Road 11
Park in Prince George’s County for the purpo se of making the property a State park, the 12
property shall be a partnership park established and maintained in a manner substantially 13
similar to the requirements established under subsections (b) through (d) of this section. 14
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 15
October 1, 2026. 16
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.