Agriculture, Department Of
Maryland 2017 Regular Session
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene - Atrazine Study [HB-1204]
Requiring the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, in cooperation with the Department of the Environment and the Department of Agriculture, to study and make recommendations regarding the impact of atrazine in the State; specifying the parameters of the study; and requiring the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to report the findings and recommendations to the Governor and specified committees of the General Assembly on or before October 1, 2018, and to make the report available to the public on its Web site.
Sponsored by: Sen. Clarence Lam
Unfavorable Report By Environment And Transportation; Withdrawn on 03/18/2017
Spread the world
Gettr Maryland 2017 Regular Session
Criminal Law - Cannabis - Legalization [HB-1185]
Repealing specified civil and criminal prohibitions against the use and possession of marijuana; establishing exemptions from prosecution for specified persons for using, obtaining, purchasing, transporting, or possessing cannabis under specified circumstances; establishing exemptions from prosecution for specified retailers, cannabis product manufacturers, cannabis cultivation facilities, craft cannabis cultivators, and safety compliance facilities under specified circumstances; etc.
Sponsored by: Sen. Nathaniel Oaks
Hearing 3/07 At 1:00 P.m. on 03/07/2017
Spread the world
Maryland 2017 Regular Session
Agriculture - Maryland Healthy Soils Program [HB-1063]
Establishing the Maryland Healthy Soils Program to increase biological activity and carbon sequestration in the State's soils by promoting practices based on emerging soil science; requiring the Department of Agriculture to provide incentives, including research, education, technical assistance, and, subject to available funding, financial assistance, to farmers to implement farm management practices that contribute to healthy soils; requiring the Department to determine if the program could complement other agricultural programs; etc.
Sponsored by: Rep. Dana Stein
Approved By The Governor - Chapter 373 on 05/04/2017
Spread the world
Maryland 2017 Regular Session
Criminal Law - Cannabis - Legalization [SB-928]
Repealing specified civil and criminal prohibitions against the use and possession of marijuana; establishing exemptions from prosecution for specified persons for using, obtaining, purchasing, transporting, or possessing cannabis under specified circumstances; establishing exemptions from prosecution for specified retailers, cannabis product manufacturers, cannabis cultivation facilities, craft cannabis cultivators, and safety compliance facilities under specified circumstances; etc.
Sponsored by: Sen. Brian Feldman
Hearing 3/02 At 1:00 P.m. on 03/02/2017
Spread the world
Maryland 2017 Regular Session
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene - Atrazine Study [SB-932]
Requiring the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, in consultation with the Department of the Environment and the Department of Agriculture, to study and make recommendations regarding the impact of atrazine in the State; specifying the parameters of the study; and requiring the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to report the findings and recommendations to the Governor and specified committees of the General Assembly on or before October 1, 2018, and to make the report available to the public on its Web site.
Sponsored by: Sen. Susan Lee
Unfavorable Report By Education, Health, And Environmental Affairs on 03/30/2017
Spread the world
Maryland 2017 Regular Session
Agriculture - Industrial Hemp - Legalization [HB-902]
Repealing provisions of law relating to growing or cultivating industrial hemp for agricultural research purposes; repealing a contingency on provisions of law authorizing a person to plant, grow, harvest, possess, process, sell, or buy industrial hemp in the State; repealing a contingency on provisions of law that alter the definition of "marijuana" for purposes of specified provisions of law relating to controlled dangerous substances to exclude industrial hemp; etc.
Sponsored by: Rep. Kumar Barve
Unfavorable Report By Environment And Transportation; Withdrawn on 04/10/2017
Spread the world
Maryland 2017 Regular Session
Conserving Working Waterfront Farms Act of 2017 [SB-719]
Altering the contents of the criteria developed by the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation for counties to consider when determining whether a property qualifies for the Critical Farms Program to include other benefits attributable to wildlife habitat enhancement and shoreline and water quality protection; and requiring the State Department of Agriculture to report to specified committees of the General Assembly on or before December 1, 2017, on its efforts to encourage easement purchases on working waterfront farms.
Sponsored by: Sen. Adelaide Eckardt
Unfavorable Report By Education, Health, And Environmental Affairs on 03/13/2017
Spread the world
Maryland 2017 Regular Session
Higher Education - Maryland Loan Assistance Repayment Program - Farmers [SB-730]
Establishing the Maryland Loan Assistance Repayment Program for Farmers; requiring the Office of Student Financial Assistance in the Maryland Higher Education Commission to assist in the repayment of a higher education loan obtained for tuition, educational expenses, or living expenses for undergraduate or graduate study leading to a degree in agriculture or an agriculture-related field, including farming; requiring the Office, in consultation with the Department of Agriculture, to adopt specified regulations; etc.
Sponsored by: Sen. Thomas Middleton
Hearing 3/21 At 1:00 P.m. on 03/21/2017
Spread the world
Maryland 2017 Regular Session
Conserving Working Waterfront Farms Act of 2017 [HB-779]
Altering the contents of the criteria developed by the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation for counties to consider when determining whether a property qualifies for the Critical Farms Program to include other benefits attributable to wildlife habitat enhancement and shoreline and water quality protection; and requiring the State Department of Agriculture to report to specified committees of the General Assembly on or before December 1, 2017, on its efforts to encourage easement purchases on working waterfront farms.
Sponsored by: Rep. Dana Stein
Unfavorable Report By Environment And Transportation on 03/14/2017
Spread the world
Maryland 2017 Regular Session
Retail Pet Stores - Animal Seller, Dog Cage Signs, and Records - Requirement Revisions [HB-781]
Requiring a retail pet store to ensure that a specified person from whom the retail pet store obtains a cat or dog has not received a specified citation on a specified report for a direct or critical violation within a specified period of time; requiring specified information to be posted on or near each dog's cage in a retail pet store; and requiring a specified written record about each dog in the possession of a retail pet store to include specified information.
Sponsored by: Sen. Benjamin Kramer
Approved By The Governor - Chapter 343 on 04/18/2017
Spread the world
Maryland 2017 Regular Session
Pollinator Habitat Plans - Plan Contents - Requirements and Prohibition [HB-830]
Requiring a specified pollinator habitat plan to include specified best management practices for the designation of specified habitat areas; requiring that a specified pollinator habitat plan established by the Department of Natural Resources, the Maryland Environmental Service, and the State Highway Administration be as protective of pollinators as the Department of Agriculture's managed pollinator protection plan; prohibiting, with specified exceptions, the use of specified pesticides, seeds, or plants in a specified area; etc.
Sponsored by: Rep. Anne Healey
Approved By The Governor - Chapter 755 on 05/25/2017
Spread the world
Maryland 2017 Regular Session
Keep Antibiotics Effective Act of 2017 [HB-602]
Authorizing, on or after January 1, 2018, the administration of specified antimicrobial drugs to cattle, swine, or poultry if, in the professional judgment of a licensed veterinarian, the administration is necessary for specified purposes; prohibiting specified antimicrobial drugs from being administered to cattle, swine, or poultry in a specified pattern or for specified purposes; requiring the Department of Agriculture each year to collect publicly available data on the use in the State of specified antimicrobial drugs; etc.
Sponsored by: Rep. Anne Healey
Enacted Under Article Ii, Section 17(c) Of The Maryland Constitution - Chapter 787 on 05/27/2017
Spread the world
Maryland 2017 Regular Session
Agriculture - Animal Shelters - Standards of Care and Protocol Implementation and Enforcement [HB-626]
Requiring an animal shelter to follow a specified written protocol for reclaiming animals; requiring the Department of Agriculture, on or before January 1, 2018, to adopt specified minimum standards of care for dogs and cats in animal shelters; requiring an animal shelter to follow the minimum standards of care adopted by the Department; and requiring the Department to adopt specified regulations on or before January 1, 2018.
Sponsored by: Rep. Eric Bromwell
Approved By The Governor - Chapter 409 on 05/04/2017
Spread the world
Maryland 2017 Regular Session
Maryland Farms and Families Act [HB-586]
Establishing the Maryland Farms and Families Program in the Department of Agriculture; establishing that the purpose of the Program is to double the purchasing power of food-insecure Maryland residents with limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables and to increase revenue for farmers through redemption of specified benefits at Maryland farmers markets; establishing a Maryland Farms and Families Fund; requiring the Governor to include a $500,000 appropriation to the Fund each fiscal year subject to the limitations of the State budget; etc.
Sponsored by: Rep. C. William Frick
Approved By The Governor - Chapter 395 on 05/04/2017
Spread the world
Maryland 2017 Regular Session
Humane Adoption of Companion Animals Used in Research Act of 2017 [HB-528]
Requiring specified research facilities using dogs or cats for scientific research purposes to take specified steps to provide for the adoption of a dog or cat that is no longer needed for research purposes; authorizing specified research facilities to enter into specified agreements with animal rescue organizations for specified purposes; and requiring specified research facilities to submit specified information to the Secretary of Agriculture beginning on December 1, 2018, and each year thereafter.
Sponsored by: Sen. Nathaniel Oaks
Hearing 2/21 At 1:00 P.m. on 02/21/2017
Spread the world
Maryland 2017 Regular Session
Humane Adoption of Companion Animals Used in Research Act of 2017 [SB-420]
Requiring specified research facilities using dogs or cats for scientific research purposes to take specified steps to provide for the adoption of a dog or cat that is no longer needed for research purposes; authorizing specified research facilities to enter into specified agreements with animal rescue organizations for specified purposes; and requiring specified research facilities to submit specified information to the Secretary of Agriculture beginning on December 1, 2018, and each year thereafter.
Sponsored by: Sen. Susan Lee
Hearing 2/14 At 1:00 P.m. on 02/14/2017
Spread the world
Maryland 2017 Regular Session
Income Tax Credit - Qualified Farms - Food Donation Pilot Program [SB-416]
Allowing a qualified farm a credit, for tax years 2017 through 2019, of up to $5,000 against the State income tax; providing that the credit is equal to 50% of the value of an eligible food donation or 75% of the value of donated certified organic produce; providing that the total amount of tax credit certificates issued may not exceed $250,000 per fiscal year; requiring the Secretary, in consultation with the Comptroller, to report to the Governor and the General Assembly on specified matters by January 1 of specified years; etc.
Sponsored by: Sen. Thomas Middleton
Approved By The Governor - Chapter 232 on 04/18/2017
Spread the world
Maryland 2017 Regular Session
Keep Antibiotics Effective Act of 2017 [SB-422]
Authorizing, on or after January 1, 2018, the administration of specified antimicrobial drugs to cattle, swine, or poultry if, in the professional judgment of a licensed veterinarian, the administration is necessary for specified purposes; prohibiting specified antimicrobial drugs from being administered to cattle, swine, or poultry in a specified pattern or for specified purposes; requiring the Department of Agriculture each year to collect publicly available data on the use in the State of specified antimicrobial drugs; etc.
Sponsored by: Sen. Delores Kelley
Enacted Under Article Ii, Section 17(c) Of The Maryland Constitution - Chapter 788 on 05/27/2017
Spread the world
Maryland 2017 Regular Session
Income Tax Credit - Qualified Farms - Food Donation Pilot Program [HB-472]
Allowing a qualified farm a credit, for tax years 2017 through 2019, of up to $5,000 against the State income tax; providing that the credit is equal to 50% of the value of an eligible food donation or 75% of the value of donated certified organic produce; providing that the amount of tax credit certificates may not exceed $250,000 per year; requiring the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Comptroller, to report to the Governor and General Assembly on specified matters by January 1 of specified years; etc.
Sponsored by: Rep. Sally Jameson
Approved By The Governor - Chapter 233 on 04/18/2017
Spread the world
Maryland 2017 Regular Session
Clean Water Commerce Act of 2017 [HB-417]
Authorizing funds in the Bay Restoration Fund to be used for the costs associated with the purchase of specified nutrient load reductions, not to exceed a specified amount per year in specified years; requiring the load reductions purchased under the Act to be consistent with specified accounting procedures; requiring the Department of the Environment on or before October 1, 2020, to report to specified committees of the General Assembly on the implementation of the Act; etc.
Sponsored by: Rep. Meagan Simonaire
Approved By The Governor - Chapter 366 on 05/04/2017