Howard County - Board of Education Budget - Percentage of County General Fund Revenue Ho. Co. 10-26
HB 1176 sets a minimum funding requirement for Howard County's public schools by prohibiting the County Executive from submitting or the County Council from approving a budget that allocates less than 58% of the county's general fund revenue to the Board of Education. The bill directly affects Howard County's annual budget process for public education funding. Key provisions require the budget to meet this 58% threshold unless the school board specifically requests a lower amount, in which case the budget must approve that requested level. This amends Maryland's education code to establish this specific minimum funding rule for Howard County.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
Signed into Law
May 2026
Introduced Feb 11, 2026
Signed May 12, 2026
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What changed between versions
First - Howard County – Board of Education Budget – Minimum Funding Ho. Co. 10–26
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Third - Howard County - Board of Education Budget - Percentage of County General Fund Revenue Ho. Co. 10-26
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4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to clarify that the Howard County Executive must include a specific percentage of general fund revenue (excluding one-time expenses) allocated to the school system's operating budget when submitting the budget. This change adds transparency by requiring the breakdown of this percentage into five key categories: pension obligations, employee benefits, debt service, safety, and transportation.
Scope change
The bill's scope was expanded to require detailed reporting on how the mandated funding percentage is distributed across specific operational areas, rather than just stating the total percentage.
REQUIREMENT
Added a requirement for the County Executive to explicitly state the percentage of general fund revenue allocated to the school operating budget in the budget submission.
Added a requirement for the approved budget document to include the same percentage disclosure.
Introduced a new mandate to break down the allocated percentage into five specific categories: pension obligations, employee and retiree benefits, debt service, school and student safety, and transportation.
DEFINITION
Updated the bill title and purpose section to reflect the new requirement for calculating the funding percentage based on general fund revenue excluding one-time expenses.
Floor votes · Senate Mar 22, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 9, 2026
How they voted
34–0
Passed · 15 other
Total votes 49
Mar 22, 2026
D
Democratic36
69% Yea
R
Republican13
69% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
19
Key actions
10
Committee
6
May 12, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 580
executive
Apr 10, 2026
Lower · Passed
Returned Passed
lower
Apr 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
Third Reading Passed
upper
Apr 8, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Adopted
upper
Apr 8, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Report by Budget and Taxation
upper
Mar 23, 2026
Committee
Referred Budget and Taxation
upper
Mar 22, 2026
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (34-0-15)
senate
Mar 21, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third Reading Passed
lower
Mar 20, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments {
lower
Mar 20, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments Report by Appropriations
lower
Mar 9, 2026
House Of Delegates · Passed
House of Delegates Vote: pass (131-0-11)
house of delegates
Feb 11, 2026
Committee
First Reading Ways and Means
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
No sponsor information available.
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