# Chapter 10 – Hearings on Bills

Current through 2024. Source: DLR publication. Published by the Baltimore City Department of Legislative Reference.

## Rule 10-1 Hearing required on all bills

Balt., Md., Council Rules r. 10-1 (2026)

(a) In general. A committee hearing shall be scheduled for each bill introduced to the Council.

(b) Exceptions. A committee hearing may not be scheduled for a Resolution that receives a vote for immediate adoption.

## Rule 10-2 Required agency reports

Balt., Md., Council Rules r. 10-2 (2026)

(a) President to keep record.

  (1) The President or the President’s designee shall keep a record of all communications from City agencies on bills that have been referred to them.

  (2) Each communication shall be included with the bill file for the applicable bill.

## Rule 10-3 Scheduling hearing – In general

Balt., Md., Council Rules r. 10-3 (2026)

(a) When reports in. A bill is considered ready for public hearing when all agencies to which the bill was referred have replied.

(b) Failure of agency to report. If an agency fails to reply on a bill within 30 days of the referral (or any longer period set by law), the committee may hold a hearing on the bill without further delay.

## Rule 10-4 Notice – In general

Balt., Md., Council Rules r. 10-4 (2026)

(a) Floor announcement.

  (1) Unless specifically waived by the President, a hearing may not be held unless it has been announced at a Council meeting at least 5 days in advance of the hearing.

  (2) The President’s waiver shall be in writing and distributed to all Councilmembers in advance of the meeting.

(b) Posting and distribution. The President or the President’s designee shall cause a notice of public hearings to be:

  (1) distributed to members of the City Council; and

  (2) posted and made available for distribution to others, as provided in subsection (c) of this rule.

(c) Places required. The notice shall be:

  (1) retained by and provided upon request by the Office of Council Services;

  (2) retained by and provided upon request by the Department of Legislative Reference;

  (3) published on the legislative public information portal; and

  (4) posted or distributed anywhere else that the President directs.

## Rule 10-5 Notice – Advertising

Balt., Md., Council Rules r. 10-5 (2026)

(a) Scope; definition.

  (1) This rule applies whenever the hearing on a bill is required by law to be advertised.

  (2) In this rule, “applicant” means the person at whose request or on whose behalf a bill is introduced.

(b) Chair to set dates. When the committee chair sets the hearing date for a bill, the chair shall also set the date by which the advertising shall be completed.

(c) Notice to applicant. The chair or the chair’s designee shall provide the applicant with written notice of:

  (1) the date of the hearing;

  (2) the applicant’s obligation to arrange for the advertising; and

  (3) the date by which the advertising shall be completed.

(d) Failure to comply. If the applicant fails to comply with the advertising requirements:

  (1) the public hearing shall be canceled; and

  (2) the President may order the bill withdrawn from the committee and from the files of the City Council.

## Rule 10-6 Legislative synopsis

Balt., Md., Council Rules r. 10-6 (2026)

(a) Council Services to prepare. Before a committee hearing on any bill, the Office of Council Services shall:

  (1) prepare a legislative synopsis of the bill; and

  (2) distribute a copy to each member of the committee.

(b) Fiscal note. At the request of the President or the chair of the committee to which a bill has been referred, the legislative synopsis shall include a fiscal note on the effect that the bill, if enacted, can be expected to have on the revenues, expenditures, liabilities, or assets of the City.

(c) Agencies to cooperate. All City departments, agencies, boards, and commissions shall cooperate with the Office of Council Services by supplying whatever information the Office needs for a legislative synopsis.

## Rule 10-7 Committee reports – Hearing required

Balt., Md., Council Rules r. 10-7 (2026)

A committee may not report on a bill unless it has had a public hearing on the bill.

## Rule 10-8 Committee reports – Report required

Balt., Md., Council Rules r. 10-8 (2026)

(a) In general. Each committee shall report to the Council on all bills on which it has taken a vote that has adopted one of the possible reports in subsection (b) of this Rule.

(b) Options. The report on each bill shall be either:

  (1) favorable;

  (2) favorable with amendments;

  (3) unfavorable; or

  (4) without recommendation.

(c) Adoption.

  (1) A committee may adopt a report only on the affirmative vote of a majority of all committee members present.

  (2) A committee member may vote on a report or other measure only if the member is physically present when the vote is called.

## Rule 10-9 Committee reports – When reported

Balt., Md., Council Rules r. 10-9 (2026)

(a) In general. The chair of a committee shall offer the committee’s report on a bill on the floor of the City Council at the next regular meeting after the committee’s action on the bill.

(b) Exception. Subsection (a) of this rule does not apply if:

  (1) the committee otherwise directs by majority vote of the committee’s members; or

  (2) the committee’s action on the bill was taken too late to meet the next meeting’s deadline for submitting reports.

(c) Committee amendments.

  (1) Order of motions. When presenting a committee report on a bill to the Council, the chair of a committee shall move any amendments recommended by the committee for approval. After the amendments have been adopted or not adopted by the Council as a whole, the chair of the committee shall move for approval of the bill, as amended by any approved amendments.

  (2) Summary of amendments. When delivering a committee report, the chair of a committee shall summarize any amendments that the committee recommended.

  (3) Distribution. Amendments recommended by a committee shall be distributed to all Councilmembers no less than 24 hours before the start of the Council meeting at which they will be considered, unless the committee hearing takes place within 24 hours of the Council meeting in which case the amendments shall be distributed as soon as possible after the end of the committee hearing.

## Rule 10-10 Committee reports – “Hopper Rule”

Balt., Md., Council Rules r. 10-10 (2026)

(a) In general. To report a bill at a Council meeting, the committee chair shall:

  (1) sign the bill; and

  (2) file the bill, together with all related documents, with the President or the President’s designee before noon on the workday preceding the meeting at which it is to be reported.

(b) Late filing.

  (1) If a report is filed after the deadline, the President may hold the report over until the next regular meeting.

  (2) By the affirmative vote of a majority of all Councilmembers (8), the Council may waive the reporting deadline for a specific report.

## Rule 10-12 Petitioning bill from committee

Balt., Md., Council Rules r. 10-12 (2026)

(a) In general. A bill may be petitioned from a committee to the floor of the Council at any time.

(b) Number of petitioners. A petition under this rule may be made as follows:

  (1) by motion made on the floor of the Council and adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Councilmembers present; or

  (2) at any other time, on the written petition of 8 Councilmembers.

(c) When made or presented.

  (1) The motion shall be made or the written petition presented during the order of business designated as “Committee Reports (Second Reading of Bills)”.

  (2) A copy of any written petition presented under this rule shall be entered on the Journal and shall be submitted to the Journal Clerk at least 48 hours before being presented as required in subsection (c)(1) of this Rule.

(d) Return of bill. On adoption of the motion or presentation of the written petition the committee chair shall return the bill to the Council, together with all related documents:

  (1) immediately, before the Council proceeds to another order of business, as if it had been reported by the committee “without recommendation”; or

  (2) if the Council so directs, at a later meeting, with or without a recommendation.

## Rule 10-13 Public Testimony Required at all Hearings on Bills

Balt., Md., Council Rules r. 10-13 (2026)

(a) In General. All committee hearings on bills shall have an opportunity to hear testimony from members of the general public.

(b) Testimony given when attending virtually –Discretion of Chair.

  (1) The chair of each committee shall establish at the first meeting of their service whether they will permit members of the public attending virtually to testify.

  (2) The chair’s decision shall be binding for the length of their service as chair.

  (3) The chair’s decision shall be posted to the legislative public information portal.

(c) Time Limit on Public Testimony. Each member of the general public that wishes to testify shall give testimony no more than three minutes in length.

(d) Discretion of Committee Chair. The committee chair may:

  (1) set a time limit on public testimony of less than three minutes at their discretion; and

  (2) invite individuals to testify for more than three minutes, whose names shall be shared with the Councilmembers present and the Office of Council Services prior to the start of the meeting.

(e) Voting sessions. Subsection (a) of this Rule does not apply for a hearing on a bill where testimony from members of the general public was taken at a previous committee hearing on the same bill.

## Rule 10-14 Recordings of committee hearings

Balt., Md., Council Rules r. 10-14 (2026)

(a) In General. The links to video recordings of all hearings on a bill shall be included in the bill file on the legislative public information portal.

(b) Timestamps. If the recording of a hearing includes the hearing of multiple bills, each link shall include the timestamp to the start of the relevant section of the hearing.