Racial Equity, E-Cigarette, Vape Shop Bills Introduced By MoCo

ROCKVILLE, MD — Montgomery officials will be introducing a host of bills and zoning measures at Tuesday morning's county council meeting in Rockville. The proposals cover a variety of issues, ranging from racial equity and social justice to electronic cigarette sales near schools.

The county council meeting starts at 9:30 a.m. It will be held at the Executive Office Building (100 Maryland Ave.) in the third-floor hearing room. You can watch the meeting live on cable channels 996 (high definition) and 6 (standard definition on Comcast; channeled 1056 (HD) and 6 (SD) on RCN; and channel 30 on Verizon.

Watch the live stream here.

Information about these bills and zoning measures can be found below:

Bill 27-19, Administration - Human Rights - Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice - Racial Equity and Social Justice Advisory Committee - Established
Council President Nancy Navarro will introduce Bill 27-19, which would create a Racial Equity and Social Justice Program for Montgomery County government that would be implemented across county government by a new executive branch Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice. All other Councilmembers are cosponsors. Under Bill 27-19, the County Executive would be required to adopt a county-wide racial equity and social justice action plan by regulation. Each county department and office would be required to develop a racial equity and social justice action plan.

Bill 27-19 also would require that legislation, public policy initiatives and government programs, supported by budget requests, include a racial equity and social justice impact statement. The bill also would establish a Racial Equity and Social Justice Advisory Committee that would include members of the public.

Since land use plans and policies are major drivers for shaping communities, Bill 27-19 requires the Montgomery County Planning Board to consider racial equity and social justice issues when preparing master plans that are submitted to the Council. These plans include recommendations for land uses, transportation and public facilities such as schools, libraries, community and recreation centers, parks and fire and police stations.

Work on the Racial Equity and Social Justice Act officially began in April 2018 when the Council passed a resolution spearheaded by Council President Navarro, to create the framework to develop a racial equity policy. Since that time Council President Navarro has met with community members throughout the county on racial equity and social justice issues.

Formal community conversations on racial equity and social justice, which were co-hosted by Council President Navarro and County Executive Elrich, began in March. These conversations in Silver Spring, Germantown and White Oak, and a youth meeting at Gaithersburg High School, were attended by more than 750 community members. Various community groups also hosted individual meetings at nonprofit organizations, religious institutions, community centers and in private homes. Learn more about Council President Navarro's Racial Equity and Social Justice initiative by visiting: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/EquityMatters.html

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

Bill 29-19, Health and Sanitation - Electronic Cigarettes – Distribution
The Council will introduce Bill 29-19, which would prohibit manufacturers of e-cigarettes from distributing them to retail stores within a half mile of a middle or high school through a Board of Health Regulation. Councilmembers Gabe Albornoz and Craig Rice are the lead sponsors. All other Councilmembers are cosponsors. The goal of this legislation is to protect the health of young people and limit their ability to purchase nicotine vaping products. It is illegal for retailers to sell such products to Montgomery County residents under the age of 21, with the exemption of active duty service members over the age of 18. The Council also will introduce a Board of Health Regulation to adopt Bill 29-19.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 19-06, Vape Shops
The Council will introduce ZTA 19-06, which would which would prohibit vape shops that sell e-cigarettes and similar products from opening within half a mile of a middle or high school. It also would prohibit vape shops from allowing access to people under 21 years of age. Councilmembers Gabe Albornoz and Craig Rice are the lead sponsors. All other Councilmembers are cosponsors. The goal of this ZTA, which is a companion zoning change to Bill 29-19 (see above), is to protect the health of young people and limit their ability to purchase nicotine vaping products.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

Expedited Bill 25-19 Contracts and Procurement - Local Business Preference Program – Established
The Council will introduce Expedited Bill 25-19, which would increase the number of local businesses awarded County contracts and establish a Local Business Preference Program for certain County contracts. Council President Nancy Navarro is the lead sponsor, at the request of the County Executive. The goal of this legislation is to support local businesses.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

Expedited Bill 26-19, Bond Authorization
The Council will introduce Expedited Bill 26-19, which would increase the County's authorization to borrow funds related to school construction by $245,000,000; to public roads by $88,600,000; and to County Government facilities by $5,600,000. Council President Nancy Navarro is the lead sponsor, at the request of the County Executive.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

Expedited Bill 28-19, Technical Corrections
The Council will introduce Expedited Bill 28-19, which would correct technical, typographical, grammatical, reference and codification errors in, and make stylistic, clarifying and conforming amendments to, various provisions of County law.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

The Council is scheduled to vote on the following bill and zoning measure:

Bill 20-19, Landlord-Tenant Relations - Licensing of Rental Housing - Fee Exemption
The Council is scheduled to vote on Bill 20-19, which would which would exempt a license applicant from any license fee requirement to operate an accessory apartment as rental housing in certain circumstances. Councilmember Andrew Friedson is the lead sponsor. Councilmembers Will Jawando, Gabe Albornoz, Hans Riemer, Council President Nancy Navarro and Councilmember Craig Rice are cosponsors. The goal of this bill is to help increase accessory apartment units for individuals with disabilities. The PHED Committee recommends enactment with amendments which would exempt from the annual fee (currently $111) an accessory apartment for which no rent is charged.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

Veirs Mill Corridor Master Plan Sectional Map Amendment (H-132)
The Council is scheduled to vote on Sectional Map Amendment (SMA) H-132, filed by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, which is a comprehensive rezoning application to implement the zoning recommendations contained in the Approved and Adopted Veirs Mill Corridor Master Plan.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.