BERLIN State Delegate Mike
McDermott (R-38B) has introduced
several pieces of legislation aimed
at making Maryland more business-
friendly, including a bill that would
clarify the often-murky decision-
making process for the issuance of
construction permits in Worcester
and across the state.
House Bill 213, authored by Mc-
Dermott and co-sponsored by 18 of
his colleagues in the House, is the
so-called "Truth in Permitting" bill.
The bill, if approved, would restruc-
ture the way in which local govern-
ment responds to proposed building
permits and electrical and plumbing
permits, for example. With the econ-
omy showing signs of recovery and
the building business responding in
kind, more and more permits are
being requested on the Lower
Shore and across Maryland, but the
recovery is often stymied by the re-
jection of permits.
According to McDermott, the cur-
rent system in place does not re-
quire the various local boards that
approve or reject building and other
permits to explain their decision-
making process, nor does it require
the agencies to review a requested
permit within a reasonable amount
of time. As a result, the process is
also slowed to a standstill, curtailing
what should be a robust contracting
industry after years of stagnation.
"There is a poor system in place
today that often fails to tell a con-
tractor what is wrong with their per-
mit," McDermott said this week.
"This faulty process results in a
back-and-forth between contractors
and architects trying to identify the
problem, which is often omitted by
those reviewing the permits. This
adds to the time and money it takes
business owners to have their per-
mits approved, often resulting in
months of lost time."
House Bill 213 is just one of the
bills sponsored by McDermott aim-
ed at making Maryland more busi-
ness-friendly. In addition, House Bill
199, the so-called Corporate In-
come Tax Rate Reduction Bill,
would, if approved, reduce the cor-
porate tax rate from the current 8.25
percent to 6 percent. According to
McDermott, the proposed reduction
would give corporations in Maryland
more breathing room, allowing them
to operate more freely. The bill was
introduced as a competitive re-
sponse to neighboring states with
lower tax rates and incentives.
Another piece of legislation intro-
duced last week by McDermott,
House Bill 26, would require agen-
cies submitting new regulations to
also submit a fiscal impact state-
ment. McDermott contends new
regulations are often passed and
implemented without a real exami-
nation of the fiscal impact of the
changes.
While the legislation would apply
to all regulation changes, McDer-
mott said the bill could be particular-
ly beneficial to farmers and small
business owners.
"Maryland desperately needs
legislation that will make it a more
business-friendly state," he said.
"Our current business environment
does not allow it to adequately com-
pete with our neighboring states.
These laws will help out not only big
business, but also small business
owners, contractors, electricians
and the like. We need to change the
way we think about business in
Maryland."
Yet another bill introduced by
McDermott would alter the penalty
process currently meted out by the
Department of Labor and Licensing
Regulations (DLLR). Currently, the
DLLR penalizes small businesses
for non-serious violations without
first giving a warning. McDermott's
bill would ensure a warning is given
before often severe penalties and
fines are handed out.
"Maryland needs to be a more
business-friendly state and it can
start with this legislative year," he
said. "We have a real opportunity
here to do what's right, to compete
with our neighboring states and
make Maryland a more prosperous,
inviting state in which to do busi-
ness."
Legislation Aims To Streamline Building Permit Process
January 24, 2014
Page 21
The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch
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