Transportation - Regional Transportation Authorities

SB 881 creates three regional transportation authorities for the Baltimore, Capital, and Southern Maryland regions, along with dedicated transportation funds for each area. The bill imposes new sales tax, hotel tax, and transfer tax surcharges specifically on transactions within these regions, with 70% of the revenue from these surcharges directed to the respective regional transportation funds. The funds are structured as nonlapsing special funds, meaning money can be carried forward, and they allow the authorities to issue bonds using future revenues. This legislation directly affects residents and businesses in those three regions through new tax mechanisms and provides a dedicated funding stream for regional transportation planning and projects.