2026 Legislative Proposals

Commissioners Accept Community Input

Each year, the St. Mary’s County Commissioners meet with the County’s Delegation to discuss legislative priorities for the upcoming session. In the lead-up to this joint meeting, the Commissioners announce a timeline for submitting legislative proposals. The county attorney’s office collects these submissions, presents them to the Commissioners for discussion, and—after review—the Commissioners either take a position or vote on the proposals before forwarding them to the Delegation.

This year, however, the process may look slightly different, as officials aim to streamline steps and avoid confusion.

Maryland’s legislative session runs from January through April, with bills typically filed in November or December. Requests for legislation—from both the public and the Commissioners—are reviewed ahead of the annual joint meeting, which usually takes place in October. This year’s meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 7th at 6:30 p.m. and will include an opportunity for public comment.

Public Notice from St. Mary’s County Government

Local bills generally address issues that directly affect the county, such as requests from county departments, boards, and commissions, or bond authority for capital improvement projects. Commissioners can also make their own requests. Last year, Commissioner Scott Ostrow (R-District 4) proposed a bill to prohibit panhandling at county intersections. Commissioner Mike Hewitt (R-District 2) requested $500,000 to install electric chargers for airplanes at the St. Mary’s County Airport, working alongside Tom Jarboe (R)—a current candidate for Commissioner President and former CEO of Airtec Inc.—on the effort, which involved Airtec.

One recurring point of confusion has been the Commissioners’ role in handling legislative ideas from the public. For example, some have repeatedly proposed changing how Commissioners are elected—from the current at-large method to a by-district system.

Under the current at-large system, all registered county voters elect all five Commissioners. Four Commissioners must reside in a specific district (1–4) to ensure geographic diversity, but are still elected countywide. The Commissioner President can live anywhere in the county and is also elected at-large. If the county switched to by-district elections, the four district-based Commissioners would be elected only by voters within their district, while the Commissioner President would still be elected by all county voters.

Delegate Brian Crosby (D-29B) sponsored bills on this topic in 2021 and 2023, both of which the County Commissioners opposed. At least two local residents have submitted the idea as a legislative proposal. The first time, the Commissioners voted against it and did not forward it to the Delegation. The second time, they took no position but forwarded it anyway—where it ultimately failed to gain Delegation support. Local bills sponsored by the Delegation are carried in the state legislature by the Delegation’s chair.

Full schedule

For this year’s cycle, legislative proposals must be submitted to the county attorney’s office by August 29th. They will be presented to the Commissioners on September 9th, and voted on September 23rd before being sent to the Delegation.

At the July 29 meeting, Deputy County Attorney John Houser outlined the timeline. Commissioner Eric Colvin questioned why the Commissioners serve as a pass-through for citizen proposals, saying, “It puts us in a weird place if people bring forward legislation we don’t support.” Houser explained that while it is customary for the Commissioners to act as an intermediary, they are not required to do so.

Commissioner President Randy Guy added that the public should be told to send ideas directly to the Delegation. “If submitted to the Commissioners,” he said, “there’s no guarantee we will support it.”

The 2026 Legislative Proposal Form is available online and should be submitted to csmc@stmaryscountymd.gov and todd.morgan@house.state.md.us.

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