Members of the Maryland General Assembly have been busy bees during this 2010 Session and have introduced some interesting bills relating to green building.

Here's a synopsis of four of those bills:

SB 215, High Performance Buildings Act - Applicability to Recipients of State Aid

Status: Bill is in the Senate - First Reading Budget and Taxation
Sponsors: Senators Frosh, Brochin, Conway, Harrington, Jones, King, Lenett, Madaleno, McFadden, Peters, Pinsky, Raskin, Robey, and Rosapepe
Summary: This bill amends the High Performance Building Act to require that any new building or major building renovation carried out by both for-profit and non-profit entities that is funded solely or partly by a grant of State aid be built as a high performance building. State aid is defined as a contribution, grant, or subsidy of at least $50,000 through the State operating or capital budget or directly from a State agency. Currently, under the existing High Performance Building Act, only new or renovated State buildings that are at least 7,500 square feet and are built or renovated entirely with State funds need to meet the high performance requirement.

SB 234, High Performance Buildings Act - Applicable to Community College Capital Projects

Status: Bill is in the Senate - First Reading Budget and Taxation
Sponsors: Senators Robey, Forehand, Frosh, Garagiola, Gladden, Harrington, Kelley, King, Lenett, Madaleno, Peters, Raskin, Rosapepe, and Zirkin
Summary: This bill requires that community college capital projects that receive State funds comply with the State's High Performance Buildings Act. It allows community colleges to apply for waivers from this requirement under existing waiver procedures. This bill takes effect July 1, 2010 and applies only to capital projects that have not initiated a request for proposals for the selection of an architectural and engineering consultant on or before July 1, 2011. According to the Fiscal and Policy Note, one consequence of this bill may be that, faced with a potential increased construction cost, some counties may opt to fund fewer capital projects.

HB 224, Plumbing - Greywater Recycling

Status: Bill is the House - First Reading Economic Matters
Sponsors: Delegates Morhaim, Cardin, McIntosh, and Stein
Summary: This bill prohibits counties from adopting or enforcing provisions of a local plumbing code that prohibit a system that recycles greywater. Greywater is defined as used, untreated water generated by a clotheswashing machine, a shower, or a bath tub. The definition EXCLUDES untreated water generated by a kitchen sink, a toilet (thank goodness!), and a dishwasher.

SB 285 - The Sustainable Communities Act of 2010

Status: Bill is in the Senate - First Reading Budget and Taxation
Sponsors: The President (By Request - Administration) and Senators Della, Exum, Forehand, Gladden, Harrington, Jones, King, Klausmeier, Lenett, Madaleno, Middleton, Peters, Pinsky, Pugh, and Stone
Summary: This bill reauthorizes and renames the Maryland Heritage Structure Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program as the Sustainable Communities Tax Credit Program. Governor O’Malley has proposed a three-year authorization with a $50 million allocation (20 million in FY 2011, 15 million in 2012, and 15 million in 2013 - tax credit is capped at 3 million per project); the purpose of the bill is to to help stimulate local economies, create construction jobs and support ecologically friendly development. The proposed Act would allow up to 40 percent of the credits to be made available to non-historic structures in established areas, such as Main Street business districts, Transit-Oriented Development areas near light-rail or train stations, and BRAC enterprise zones. The credit will be 10 percent of rehabilitation costs for non-historic structures, 20 percent for historic structures and 25 percent for historic renovations with LEED energy-saving certification. This is believed to be the first program of its kind in the nation to link historic preservation with “green” construction.