SB 843 Maryland Senate · 2025 Regular Session

School Construction - Local Cost-Share - Alterations

SB 843 adjusts the local cost-share requirement for school construction projects in Maryland counties meeting specific criteria. It reduces the county's local contribution (e.g., from 50% to a lower percentage) and increases state funding for projects in counties with: 1) Bottom-quartile median household income and a 50/50 cost-share formula, 2) Over 50% of students qualifying for free/reduced meals (with all schools in USDA Community Eligibility), or 3) Projects at schools with high poverty concentration (80%+), high facility ratings, or net-zero building goals. This directly affects school districts in qualifying counties by lowering their financial burden for construction projects.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2025

Senate Passage

Mar 2025

House of Delegates Passage

Governor

Introduced Feb 3, 2025 Last action Mar 26, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

First - School Construction - Local Cost-Share - Alterations → Third - School Construction - Local Cost-Share - Alterations · 6 edits

MODERATE

This bill was amended to clarify eligibility criteria for school construction cost-sharing, add a sunset provision limiting the law's effect to three years, and include formatting updates for legislative adoption. The changes ensure the cost-sharing formula adjustments apply only to counties meeting specific poverty and facility conditions, while establishing an automatic expiration date for the program.

Scope change

The bill now includes a sunset provision limiting its effectiveness to three years (ending June 30, 2028), and clarifies that cost-share adjustments apply only to counties where all schools participate in the USDA Community Eligibility Provision.

TIMELINE

Added a sunset provision requiring the Act to expire on June 30, 2028, with no further legislative action needed to end its effect.

ELIGIBILITY

Modified eligibility criteria to require that all schools in a county participate in the USDA Community Eligibility Provision for cost-share adjustments to apply.

Clarified that cost-share adjustments apply only to counties where the State and local cost-share formula is exactly 50% State and 50% local.

Added requirement that eligible projects must be schools that are the only elementary, middle, or high school in the county.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new requirement that the total project cost must equal or be less than $129,000 per state-eligible student.

FISCAL

Reorganized and clarified the structure of cost-share increase provisions for counties meeting specific poverty and facility assessment criteria.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 2, 2025

How they voted

46–0

Passed

Total votes 46

Mar 2, 2025

D Democratic33

33 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican13

13 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 18, 2025

Committee

Referred Appropriations

lower

Mar 17, 2025

Upper · Passed

Third Reading Passed

upper

Mar 17, 2025

Upper · Passed

Favorable with Amendments Adopted

upper

Mar 17, 2025

Upper · Passed

Substitute Committee Amendment {

upper

Mar 17, 2025

Upper · Passed

Committee Amendment {

upper

Mar 17, 2025

Upper · Passed

Motion Reconsider prior Special Order (Senator Hershey) Adopted

upper

Mar 17, 2025

Upper · Passed

Motion Special Order until Next Session (Senator Hershey) Adopted

upper

Mar 17, 2025

Upper · Passed

Favorable with Amendments {

upper

Mar 17, 2025

Upper · Passed

Favorable with Amendments Report by Budget and Taxation

upper

Mar 2, 2025

Senate · Passed

Senate Vote: pass (46-0)

senate

Feb 3, 2025

Committee

First Reading Budget and Taxation

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors