The priorities and local and bi-county bill hearings are held each fall in preparation for the upcoming legislative session. The Priorities Hearing provides an opportunity for Montgomery County residents and organizations to present their legislative priorities and respond to the Maryland Department of Transportation Road Show (see below for more information). Once local and bi-county bills for the upcoming session are drafted and posted on the website, the public has the opportunity to provide feedback at the two fall bill hearings. Bills will be assigned a hearing date after the Sponsor Approval Deadline. Hearings for late-filed local and bi-county bills will be held during the legislative session and scheduled after they are accepted by a 2/3rd's majority vote in the Montgomery County House Delegation. Bi-County late-filed bills must be voted favorable in their originating county to receive a hearing by the other county.
Any individual or group wishing to testify at Montgomery County Delegation public hearings should be aware of the following protocol:
Please check the Calendar for up-to-date information on whether the hearing will be conducted in person or virtually. If you wish to testify please sign up by 4:00 p.m. on the day before the hearing; to sign up please use the links below - or you may e-mail: MontgomeryCounty.HouseDelegation@mlis.state.md.us. Those registering later than that may be taken on a "virtual walk-in" basis the day of the hearing at the discretion of the Chair.
There are two nights of bill hearings; bills will be assigned to a hearing night after the Sponsor Approval Deadline.
Written testimony is not required, but if you choose to have it distributed, please email it by 4:00 p.m. on the day before the hearing to MontgomeryCounty.HouseDelegation@mlis.state.md.us to allow time for proper distribution to the Delegation Members. Written testimony will be made publicly available. If you are submitting bill testimony, the bill number should be clearly indicated in the upper right-hand corner.
Individuals will have two minutes in which to speak; representatives of organizations will have three minutes. Organizations will be limited to one representative speaking for three minutes. There is no ceding of time. Please note that the speaking order is at the discretion of the Chair and, for bill hearings, is not necessarily based on numerical order.
Public hearings will be live-streamed on the Delegation's YouTube page. See the Calendar for hearing dates. Further specifics will be provided to those testifying closer to the hearing date.
Click here to sign up to testify at the Priorities or Bill Hearings
Each fall, the Maryland Secretary of Transportation travels to each of the 23 counties and the City of Baltimore taking the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Capital Program on tour. On each of the stops, department officials present the consolidated transportation plan to local officials and the citizens. Transportation plans of general interest, as well as those specific to the individual county are discussed, and the department then seeks input from both the local elected officials and the general public. The public’s opportunity to respond to issues raised at the presentation is at the Joint Legislative Priorities Hearing (see above for more information).
Please see the Calendar for information on how to view the presentation.