Criminal Law - Interference of Custody Orders - Penalties
HB0942 amends Maryland’s tax increment financing (TIF) law to allow development districts to include noncontiguous areas, not just contiguous ones. Under the bill, a political subdivision may designate a noncontiguous blighted area as a development district by resolution and issue bonds to finance redevelopment in that district. The bill also defines “blighted area” and makes clear that the subtitle’s TIF provisions apply to Baltimore City for noncontiguous blighted areas, even though the subtitle generally does not apply there.
The bill adds a new requirement for noncontiguous blighted-area districts: redevelopment of noncontiguous parcels within the district must be limited to affordable housing that is deed-restricted for households earning no more than 80% of area median income. It also authorizes a political subdivision to use the Community Development Administration in the Department of Housing and Community Development to issue bonds for these districts. The measure is effective October 1, 2025.
HB0942 changes the Economic Development Article by expanding the types of areas eligible for tax increment financing development districts and by creating a specific framework for noncontiguous blighted areas. It affects local governments, redevelopment authorities, and bond issuers by giving them additional financing tools, while also imposing an affordable-housing restriction on redevelopment in these districts. The bill also modifies how Baltimore City can participate in this portion of the TIF statute and allows the Community Development Administration to serve as a bond issuer for qualifying projects.
The available legislative record suggests the bill moved forward favorably in the House, with the committee report marked favorable with amendments and the House adopting the bill. That indicates generally positive support for the measure’s redevelopment and financing goals. No committee transcript or vote detail is provided here, so there is no direct evidence of opposition in the supplied materials.
The main policy tension in HB0942 is between expanding local redevelopment financing flexibility and limiting how that flexibility can be used. Supporters are likely focused on enabling redevelopment of blighted, noncontiguous parcels and improving access to capital through TIF bonds and the Community Development Administration. The principal constraint—and likely point of discussion—is the requirement that redevelopment in noncontiguous blighted districts be tied to deed-restricted affordable housing for households at or below 80% of area median income, which may be seen as either an important public-benefit safeguard or a limitation on project design and economic feasibility.