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*sb0378*
SENATE BILL 378
F5 (6lr2347)
ENROLLED BILL
— Budget and Taxation/Appropriations —
Introduced by Senator Guzzone Senators Guzzone, Augustine, Bailey, Corderman,
Hettleman, Jennings, King, Lewis Young, McCray, Rosapepe, Salling, and
Zucker
Read and Examined by Proofreaders:
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
Sealed with the Great Seal and presented to the Governor, for his approval this
_______ day of _______________ at ________________________ o’clock, ________M.
______________________________________________
President.
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Education – Regional Resource Centers and County Libraries – Funding 2
Public Libraries – Young Readers Matching Grant Program, Funding, and 3
Services 4
FOR the purpose of renaming the Young Readers Matching Grant Program to be the Young 5
Readers Grant Program; altering the purpose, application requirements, and funding 6
of the Program; altering the calculation of certain funding for certain regional 7
resource centers and each county public library system for certain fiscal years; 8
altering the types of services of which each public library is required to offer at least 9
one service; and generally relating to the public libraries in the State. 10
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 11
Article – Education 12
2 SENATE BILL 378
Section 23–202(b) 1
Annotated Code of Maryland 2
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 3
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 4
Article – Education 5
Section 23–111, 23–205(c), 23–410, and 23–503 6
Annotated Code of Maryland 7
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 8
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 9
Article – Education 10
Section 23–202(b) 11
Annotated Code of Maryland 12
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 13
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 14
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 15
Article – Education 16
23–111. 17
(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 18
(2) “Affiliated service” means a book –gifting service performed by a 19
nonprofit organization that is tax exempt under § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code o r 20
a unit of State, county, or municipal government that forms an affiliated partnership with 21
an early reader organization. 22
(3) “Early reader organization” means a nonprofit organization: 23
(i) That is tax exempt under § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; 24
and 25
(ii) Whose mission is to distribute to children free, high–quality books 26
designed to aid the development of reading skills. 27
(4) “Program” means the Young Readers [Matching] Grant Program. 28
(b) There is a Young Readers [Matching] Grant Program in the State Library 29
Agency. 30
(c) The purpose of the Program is to provide grants to public libraries and 31
affiliated services to: 32
(1) Support the establishment and operation of affiliated services; and 33
SENATE BILL 378 3
(2) Contribute [an amount equal to the amount of funding provided for] TO 1
the operation of an affiliated service. 2
(d) The State Librarian shall administer the Program. 3
(e) (1) A public library or an affiliated service may submit an application for a 4
program grant on the form that the State Librarian requires. 5
(2) An application for a program grant shall include a plan to ensure that 6
the public library or the affiliated service is able to gift books to eligible children, including 7
SPECIFIC MEASURES FOR SERVING children in low –income zip co des within its area of 8
service. 9
(3) A program grant shall be disbursed to a public library or an affiliated 10
service that qualifies for the Program. 11
(f) The State Library Board shall: 12
(1) On or before December 1, 2024, and every other year thereafter, report to 13
the General Assembly on the effectiveness of the Program in accordance with § 2–1257 of the 14
State Government Article; and 15
(2) Collect statistics and other information necessary for this purpose. 16
(g) For each fiscal year, the Governor shal l include in the annual budget bill an 17
appropriation of [$350,000] $450,000 to the Program. 18
23–202. 19
(b) Each regional resource center shall provide, through mutual cooperation and 20
coordination, books, information, and other material and service resources that an 21
individual library cannot provide adequately by itself. 22
23–205. 23
(c) (1) Subject to subsection (g) of this section, each year each participating 24
regional resource center shall receive a minimum amount of funding for each resident of 25
the area served, to be used for operating and capital expenses. 26
(2) The allocation shall be calculated as follows: 27
(i) [For each of fiscal years 2011 through 2015.... $6.75 per each 28
resident of the area served; 29
4 SENATE BILL 378
(ii) For fiscal year 2016............ ............................ $6.95 per each 1
resident of the area served; 2
(iii) For fiscal year 2017........................................ $7.15 per each 3
resident of the area served; 4
(iv) For fiscal year 2018....................................... . $7.55 per each 5
resident of the area served; 6
(v) For fiscal year 2019........................................ $7.95 per each 7
resident of the area served; 8
(vi) For fiscal year 2020........................................ $8.35 per each 9
resident of the area served; 10
(vii) For fiscal year 2021........................................ $8.55 per each 11
resident of the area served; 12
(viii)] For fiscal year 2022........................................ $8.75 per each 13
resident of the area served; 14
[(ix)] (II) For fiscal year 2023........................................ $9.19 per 15
each resident of the area served; 16
[(x)] (III) For fiscal year 2024........................................ $9.39 per 17
each resident of the area served; 18
[(xi)] (IV) For f iscal year 2025........................................ $9.59 per 19
each resident of the area served; 20
[(xii)] (V) For fiscal year 2026........................................ $9.79 per 21
each resident of the area served; [and] 22
[(xiii)] (VI) For fiscal year 2027 [and each fiscal year 23
thereafter]................................................................................................... $9.99 per each 24
resident of the area served; 25
(VII) FOR FISCAL YEAR 2028....................................... $10.29 26
$10.19 PER EACH RESIDENT OF THE AREA SERVED; 27
(VIII) FOR FISCAL YEAR 2029....................................... $10.60 28
$10.40 PER EACH RESIDENT OF THE AREA SERVED; 29
(IX) FOR FISCAL YEAR 2030....................................... $10.92 30
$10.60 PER EACH RESIDENT OF THE AREA SERVED; 31
SENATE BILL 378 5
(X) FOR FISCAL YEAR 2031....................................... $11.24 1
$10.81 PER EACH RESIDENT OF THE AREA SERVED; AND 2
(XI) FOR FISCAL YEAR 2032 AND EACH FISCAL YEAR 3
THEREAFTER....................................... $11.58 $11.02 PER EACH RESIDENT OF THE 4
AREA SERVED. 5
23–410. 6
[Beginning January 1, 2024, each] EACH public library must offer at least one of the 7
following services alone or in partnership with units of g overnment or nonprofit 8
organizations: 9
(1) [A program to increase scores on the kindergarten assessment 10
administered under § 7–210 of this article; 11
(2) A program designed to close learning gaps created by lack of access to 12
education, including learning gaps that occurred during the COVID–19 pandemic; 13
(3) An initiative to expand digital equity and access to free computing and 14
broadband Internet; 15
(4) An educational program providing technology instruction and skills, 16
health literacy, instruction on operating a small business, and instruction on workforce 17
development] A PROGRAM DESIGNED TO INCREASE EARLY CHILD HOOD LITERACY 18
AND LEARNING , SCHOOL READINESS , LITERACY PROFICIENCY , AND STUDENT 19
SUCCESS; 20
(2) AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRA M THAT ADVANCES INFORMATION 21
LITERACY, TECHNOLOGY INSTRUCTION AND SKILLS, AND ECONOMIC, CAREER, AND 22
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT; 23
(3) AN INITIATIVE THAT INCREASES DIGITAL EQUITY AND ACCESS TO 24
THE INTERNET; 25
[(5)] (4) Serving as a community resource and distribution site duri ng 26
public emergencies; AND 27
[(6) A program to reduce barriers to STEM education, including by 28
providing activities, classes, programs, and events; and 29
(7)] (5) Support for mental health and [reducing social and physical 30
isolation] PERSONAL WELL–BEING. 31
6 SENATE BILL 378
23–503. 1
(a) (1) The entire capital and operating cost of the minimum library program 2
for this State as a whole shall be shared as provided in this subsection. 3
(2) Subject to subsection (d) of this section, the State shall provide: 4
(i) Approximately 40 percent of the total cost of the minimum 5
program; and 6
(ii) Not less than 20 percent of the cost of the minimum program in 7
any county. 8
(3) The counties participating in the program together shall provide 9
through local taxes approximately 60 pe rcent of the total statewide cost of the minimum 10
program. 11
(b) (1) Subject to subsection (d) of this section, each county public library 12
system that participates in the minimum library program shall be provided for each 13
resident of the county, to be used for operating and capital expenses: 14
(i) [For each of fiscal years 2011 through 2015 – $14.00; 15
(ii) For fiscal year 2016 – $14.27; 16
(iii) For fiscal year 2017 – $14.54; 17
(iv) For fiscal year 2018 – $15.00; 18
(v) For fiscal year 2019 – $15.50; 19
(vi) For fiscal year 2020 – $16.00; 20
(vii) For fiscal year 2021 – $16.43; 21
(viii)] For fiscal year 2022 – $17.10; 22
[(ix)] (II) For fiscal year 2023 – $17.50; 23
[(x)] (III) For fiscal year 2024 – $17.90; 24
[(xi)] (IV) For fiscal year 2025 – $18.30; 25
[(xii)] (V) For fiscal year 2026 – $18.70; [and] 26
SENATE BILL 378 7
[(xiii)] (VI) For fiscal year 2027 [and each fiscal year thereafter ] – 1
$19.10; 2
(VII) FOR FISCAL YEAR 2028 – $19.71 $19.50; 3
(VIII) FOR FISCAL YEAR 2029 – $20.35 $19.92; 4
(IX) FOR FISCAL YEAR 2030 – $21.00 $20.32; 5
(X) FOR FISCAL YEAR 2031 – $21.67 $20.74; AND 6
(XI) FOR FISCAL YEAR 2032 AND EACH FISCAL YEAR 7
THEREAFTER – $22.37 $21.15. 8
(2) (i) Subject to subsection (d) of this section, the State shall share in 9
this amount. 10
(ii) Any county may provide an amount greater than its share under 11
the cooperative program, but the State may not share in the excess. 12
(c) Any employer Social Security contributions required by federal law for any 13
employee in a county public library system shall remain the obligation of the employer. 14
(d) (1) Receipt of State funding for a county library system that participates in 15
the minimum library program under this section is contingent on the board of library 16
trustees adopting a written policy for operation of the county library system that is 17
consistent with the State standards for libraries. 18
(2) (i) The Comptroller shall withhold all State funds from a county 19
library system that the State Library Board certifies has failed to meet the State standards 20
for libraries. 21
(ii) The Comptroller shall continue to withhold funds under 22
subparagraph (i) of this paragraph until the State Library Board certifies that the county 23
library system has adopted a written policy consistent with the Sta te standards for 24
libraries. 25
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 26
1, 2026. 27