Prince George's County Council Legislative Day No. 32 and Bill Introductions, September 29, 2026

The Prince George's County Council met on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, in Committee Room 2027 of the Wayne K. Curry Administration Building in Largo, Maryland. Chair Krystal Oriadha presided over Legislative Day No. 32; the meeting began at 12:00 PM and continued into the evening, opening with an invocation by Pastor Gerardo Martinez and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Councilmember Hunter. The session included a consent agenda, public comments, a Board of Ethics confirmation, public hearings on speed cameras and zoning legislation, adoption of two resolutions, and the introduction of a large slate of bills, many tied to the FY 2027 budget cycle.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the County Council minutes of September 22, 2026.
• CB-130-2026 (first reading): authorized up to $788,587,000 in general obligation bonds, $161,463,000 in stormwater management bonds, and up to $950,050,000 in bond anticipation notes for FY 2027 capital and stormwater projects; referred to the Committee of the Whole.
• CR-101-2026: required whole-of-government climate action by county agencies, including Interagency Climate Committee participation and emission reduction targets; referred to TIEE.
• CR-102-2026: approved contract modifications for snow and ice control services and increased FY 2027 funding for transportation services; referred to the Committee of the Whole.
• CR-103-2026: transmitted the Local Impact Grant Funds Multiyear Plan for council review; referred to the Committee of the Whole. (The transcript later refers to this item as 'CR-91,' but the agenda lists CR-103-2026.)
• The consent agenda was adopted 10-0.

Public Comments and Testimony

• CASA policy analyst Aidan Aron opposed CB-003-2026, stating that the bill raised street vending fines tenfold from about $200 to $2,000, allowed removal of goods, and would hurt immigrant families; he also said the bill language had not been available to the public until that morning.
• Josue, a Langley Park resident, described his mother's street food business and asked the council to make permits easier for small vendors and not leave vendors out of decisions.
• Lydia Rivas, a CASA community organizer with 17 years of work in Langley Park, said the community has long sought modernization of street vending laws, noted that many vendors have lost TPS, parole, or asylum status, and invited council members to meet with vendors.
• A vendor mother testifying through translation said she began selling food after losing her housing and asked for a clear, accessible, realistic path to permits so she could work within the law.
• Lindolfo Carvalho of CASA began describing CASA's economic development and workforce programs but was cut off when his time expired; no formal position was recorded.
• Crystal Carpenter, Chair of the Cannabis Reinvestment and Restoration Board, requested council members sponsor district appointees for the MACO conference and partner with the board on district town halls; she noted that Councilmembers Hunter, Dernoga, and Adams had already partnered.
• Don Dalton, co-founder of the Just Us Initiative, said CB-093-2026 was 'not ready for prime time,' asked the council to put it on hold, and called for guardrails to preserve the integrity of cannabis reinvestment funds.
• Ined Emmanuel Polk, policy director for the ACLU of Maryland, said CB-093-2026 would reduce the cannabis board to an advisory role and shift decision-making authority to the council; he urged the council to send the bill back to committee or withdraw it.
• Earl O'Neill, speaking for the Prince George's County NAACP, asked the council to add the NAACP as a non-voting member of the cannabis reinvestment and restoration board so it could help connect the board with affected communities.
• During the CB-074-2026 public hearing, Rafi, representing his family's Lido Pizza restaurants, asked the council to remove the owner-occupancy requirement for accessory dwelling units so ADUs could provide workforce housing; Veronica, a restaurant owner, also described employee housing needs and former employees who became franchisees.
• A representative of the Barnaby Manor Citizens Association and South County Corridors Civic Facilities Associations said those groups support ADUs but need guardrails, citing limited parking and infrastructure in older communities; the representative supported the 900-square-foot cap and the owner-occupancy requirement and raised concerns about investor conversions of single-family homes.

Appointments, Correspondence, and Reconsiderations

• The council confirmed Krishnan Natesan, MPA, M.Div., to the Prince George's County Board of Ethics for a term expiring December 1, 2030, by a 7-0 vote. Natesan described his government, business, and pastoral experience; Deborah Williams read supporting testimony from Pastor Akeisha Jefferson.
• The council authorized the chair's signature, 10-0, on a letter transmitting Fair Election Fund Commission appointments: reappointments of Suchitra Balichandran and Keisha Nelson, and appointments of Catherine Simon, Crystal Good, and Ladon Lampton White.
• The council authorized the chair's signature, 10-0, on a letter transmitting Police Accountability Board appointments of Tyrese McAllister, Lance Moore, and Robin Young.
• The council reconsidered its September 22, 2026 action on the FY 2027-2032 State Consolidated Transportation Program priority letter. After DPW&T requested the change, the council voted 10-0 to add US 1 Phases 2 and 3 to the construction priorities list after Medical Center Drive, moving Maryland 197 down one position, and authorized the chair's signature.

Public Hearings and Enactments

• Residential automated speed enforcement: The Department of Public Works and Transportation and Police Department presented 20 new proposed speed camera locations and 9 proposed stop sign enforcement locations. No public speakers signed up. Councilmembers asked for data on whether municipal stop sign cameras reduce violations, raised concerns about automated enforcement without visible stop lines or human review, and emphasized that the program should be about safety rather than revenue. Councilmembers Dernoga and Harrison requested additional locations for study, including Snow Acres Drive and Adkins Road in Laurel and locations on Brandywine Road near Mattawoman Drive and Missouri Avenue.
• CB-069-2026: The council enacted the ordinance exempting certain private school uses in residential zones from special exception approval by a 9-0 vote.
• CB-071-2026: The council adopted Amendment #1, then enacted the home occupation and home business regulation ordinance as amended by a 9-0 vote.
• CB-074-2026: The council enacted the accessory dwelling unit ordinance as amended by an 8-0 vote after hearing public testimony.

Resolutions Adopted

• CR-063-2026: The council adopted the March 2026 cycle of amendments to the 2018 Water and Sewer Plan, changing water and sewer category designations for specified properties. The TIEE committee had recommended advancement of 2304 Norwich Place and Crestwood Landing to category four, and 16301 Livingston Road to category three. Final vote: 10-0.
• CR-095-2026: The council adopted a resolution relating to the state deadline for accessory dwelling unit legislation, approving Substitution Draft 2 and the resolution by votes of 6-0.

Legislation Introduced (Second Reading)

The council introduced the following bills, generally on favorable committee reports. Floor amendments are noted.

Community Safety and Enforcement

• CB-086-2026: Community Safe Spaces Act - expands reporting of unauthorized use of county property, unauthorized access to nonpublic spaces, and harmful conduct; requires an online reporting platform.
• CB-003-2026: Illegal vending penalties and removal of goods. Public commenters opposed the introduced bill. Floor amendments set fines at $1,000 for a first offense, $2,000 for a second offense, and $3,000 for a subsequent offense, and added a warning requirement. The fines amendment passed 7-1; the warning amendment passed 7-0-1 with an abstention. Councilmember Ivey voted no on the fines amendment, saying the county should not penalize vending before creating a legal pathway.
• CB-013-2026: Street vending pilot program; requires agencies to develop a regulatory program for street vending on certain streets. A floor amendment requires the county executive's office to report on the pilot within six months.
• CB-048-2026: Prohibited home businesses; increased civil fines, citations, notice, and property tax lien provisions.
• CB-079-2026: Housing and property standards enforcement, including administrative search warrants and vacant property inspection procedures.
• CB-087-2026: Electrical code enforcement updates, including administrative adjudication and penalties.
• CB-096-2026: Clarifies the prohibition on parking vehicles on unpaved areas of residential lots.
• CB-123-2026: Transfers certain enforcement functions to the Office of Homeland Security and increases fines for code violations.
• CB-124-2026: Increases fines for building code and zoning ordinance violations.
• CB-128-2026: Aligns county parking code with Maryland SB 111 regarding out-of-state vehicle registration.

Housing, Tenants, and Land Use

• CB-100-2026: Requires evaluation of county-owned surplus property for elderly or affordable housing suitability and affordable housing requirements for certain economic development projects using surplus property.
• CB-061-2026: Amends procedures for declaring county real property surplus; removes the redevelopment authority and adds the Office of Central Services for final disposition.
• CB-065-2026: Establishes a senior co-housing expansion program using county real property and financial resources.
• CB-074-2026 was enacted earlier in the public hearing portion of the meeting.
• CB-080-2026: Makes technical corrections and updates universal design requirements for housing.
• CB-092-2026: Comprehensive accessory dwelling unit requirements, including prohibitions on short-term rentals and sewage disposal requirements.
• CB-097-2026: Requires annual publication of potential affordable housing development sites.
• CB-099-2026: Establishes a small housing provider financing program within the Housing Investment Trust Fund.
• CB-108-2026: Public Land First for Affordable Housing Act; requires affordable housing feasibility assessments before sale of county land.
• CB-109-2026: Requires residential developments of 10 or more units on county-owned land to make at least one-third of units affordable for the life of the development.
• CB-113-2026: Rental housing tenant relocation rights disclosure; floor amendments added landlord duties regarding notice and disclosure and passed 6-0.
• CB-114-2026: Tenant rights and education accessibility; requires a multilingual tenant rights resource guide.
• CB-115-2026: Expedited health and safety enforcement for unsafe rental housing; floor amendment requires the Office of Homeland Security to establish enforcement procedures and report annually beginning in 2027.
• CB-118-2026: Requires landlords to provide air conditioning in rental units.
• CB-121-2026: Requires a searchable affordable rental housing portal.
• CB-088-2026: Authorizes concurrent submission of stormwater management concept plans, natural resource inventory plans, and 100-year floodplain delineations.
• CB-091-2026: Establishes a Development Ombudsman to improve interagency collaboration in development review and permitting.

Economic Development and Employment

• CB-105-2026: High-Wage Employer Fast Track Program; creates an expedited development review pathway for employers meeting wage and investment standards.
• CB-101-2026: Returning Citizens Employment Opportunities Act; requires returning citizens to be a percentage of new hires on certain public procurement projects.
• CB-102-2026: Modifies the Reentry Employment Incentive Program, including increased reimbursement subsidies.
• CB-106-2026: Converts the Economic Development Incentive Fund to a performance-based structure.
• CB-107-2026: Authorizes a portfolio of shovel-ready and permit-ready employment sites.

Taxes, Finance, and Government Operations

• CB-094-2026: Establishes a property tax credit for elderly individuals of limited income.
• CB-095-2026: Amends the property tax deferral program for elderly or disabled homeowners. An administration amendment adding a $1 million annual aggregate cap on deferred taxes, with a queue resetting each year, initially failed and then passed 7-1 after reconsideration.
• CB-098-2026: Establishes a property tax credit for owners who provide reduced rent to elderly or disabled tenants; an amendment resetting the application queue each fiscal year was adopted.
• CB-112-2026: Allows certified candidates to retain limited unspent fair election fund money after a general election and provides for partial distribution in uncontested primaries.
• CB-116-2026: Authorizes up to $38.5 million in revenue obligations for a Maryland Water Infrastructure Financing Administration loan for stormwater management and watershed restoration.
• CB-122-2026: Sets Orphans' Court judges compensation.
• CB-125-2026: Sets the homestead property tax credit percentage at 104% for the tax year beginning July 1, 2027.
• CB-126-2026: Amends the county classification plan.
• CB-127-2026: Transfers FY 2027 capital budget appropriations and adds supplementary appropriations for public safety infrastructure.
• CB-129-2026: Provides FY 2026 supplementary appropriations from the general fund.
• CB-130-2026: Second reading of the general obligation and stormwater bond authorization legislation.
• CB-131-2026: Immersive Entertainment Venue Community Impact Funding; reserves a percentage of venue revenue for communities within a six-mile radius through a community impact fund.

Transportation, Environment, and Public Works

• CB-075-2026: Quiet and Clean Landscaping Equipment; phases in prohibitions on gas-powered equipment, creates transition assistance funding, and applies to county government and M-NCPPC.
• CB-088-2026 and CB-091-2026 are listed above under Housing, Tenants, and Land Use.

Removed and Discrepancy Notes

• CB-117-2026, a property tax cap for elderly individuals, was removed from the agenda as a compromise with the administration.
• The agenda listed a briefing on FY 2027 Budget Allocations before the recess to the Committee of the Whole, but no separate briefing appears in the transcript.

Key Outcomes

• Confirmed Krishnan Natesan to the Board of Ethics (7-0).
• Enacted CB-069-2026 (9-0), CB-071-2026 as amended (9-0), and CB-074-2026 as amended (8-0).
• Adopted CR-063-2026 (10-0) and CR-095-2026 (6-0).
• Adopted a consent agenda and authorized chair signatures on fair election fund, police accountability board, and CTP priority letters.
• Introduced more than thirty bills, with several floor amendments, and removed CB-117-2026 from the agenda.
• Upcoming meetings announced: an additional council session on Monday, and PHED and Health and Human Services committee meetings on Thursday, October 1, 2026.