Maryland legislators are considering a rating system for transportation projects recently approved in Virginia. The bill would also check the power of the state's governor in killing project proposals.
Pete Tomao reports on a legislative effort to push back on the anti-transit actions of Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who drove the nail into the coffin of plans for the Baltimore Red Line in 2015.
"Last Tuesday, Maryland lawmakers unveiled a slew of bills aimed at bringing balance back to the transportation budget," explains Tomao. For instance, the Open Transportation Decision Investment Act (SB908/HB1013) would change the way Maryland funds transportation projects, by establishing a scoring system for transportation projects. "If a Governor decided to fund a project that ranked low over one that ranked high, he or she would have to provide an official explanation," according to Tomao.
The article notes the checkered past of Governor Hogan with regard to transportation funding projects. Since killing the Red Line project, Gov. Hogan has proposed an overhaul of Baltimore's bus system as well as a package of highway widening projects. A coalition of civil rights groups has also filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation that the decision to cancel the Red Line project violated the Civil Rights Act.
A spokesperson for Larry Hogan described the Open Transportation Decision Investment Act as a power grab, according to Tomao. The state of Virginia, however, passed similar legislation earlier this year.
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