In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. “Commission” means the Parks and Recreation Commission. “Park Service” means the Maryland Park Service.

On or before October 1, 2023, the Department of Budget and Management shall increase the number of full–time employees in the Department by 100 permanent, classified positions. The Department of Budget and Management shall budget the 100 positions required under subparagraph (i) of this paragraph as follows: 90 positions in the Park Service, including 1 volunteer management program coordinator; 5 positions in the Engineering and Construction Unit; 3 positions in the Land Acquisition and Planning Unit; and 2 assistant Attorneys General with experience in real estate law assigned to the Department and designated by the Attorney General to advise on real estate and transactional matters. For fiscal year 2024, the Governor shall include in the annual budget bill an appropriation of $12,000,000 to fund the 100 permanent, classified positions required under paragraph (1) of this subsection and related operating costs. The Department of Budget and Management shall: Conduct a staff adequacy review of the Park Service every 2 years; and Report its findings to the Commission and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly. As a part of the report under paragraph (1)(ii) of this subsection, the Department of Budget and Management shall consider staffing goals for the Park Service. The Department of Budget and Management shall: Conduct a staff salary review of the Park Service every 3 years; and Report its findings to the Commission and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly. The salary review required under paragraph (1)(i) of this subsection shall focus on the goals of improving: Hiring by compensating Park Service employees at a level commensurate with: Local park systems; The National Park Service; and For Park Service maintenance personnel who perform skilled and licensed trade functions, the private sector; and Retention by promoting upward mobility within a job series. The Department shall recognize forest rangers, park rangers, and wildlife rangers as emergency services personnel. The Department shall implement a volunteer management program to strategically manage volunteer services provided by individuals and State parks friends groups. The volunteer management program implemented under subparagraph (i) of this paragraph shall be modeled on the National Park Service’s Volunteers–In–Parks program. The volunteer management program shall be managed by a volunteer program manager dedicated to overseeing the volunteer management program. The volunteer program manager shall: Conduct annual training for staff and volunteers; Develop and promote volunteer opportunities; Perform audits, evaluations, and monitoring to determine the efficacy of the volunteer management program; and Develop an annual report on volunteer statistics and impacts. The Department shall expand its work with park–focused organizations to leverage charitable funding for park enhancements.

There is a Parks and Recreation Commission in the Department. The purpose of the Commission is to provide oversight of the Park Service. The Commission shall consist of the following members: A chair, appointed jointly by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House; Two members of the Senate of Maryland, appointed by the President of the Senate; Two members of the House of Delegates, appointed by the Speaker of the House; One citizen member, appointed by the President of the Senate; One citizen member, appointed by the Speaker of the House; Four members, appointed by the Governor, who reflect the racial, gender, ethnic, and geographic diversity of the State; and Two members of the Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities, designated by the Chair of the Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities. The Department shall provide staff for the Commission. The Department shall annually provide the Commission with a briefing on the status of the Park Service and park system, including: The number of annual capacity closures, listed by location; The critical maintenance backlog; Vacant staff positions; A description of the condition of the park system’s natural and cultural resources, including any vulnerabilities; and Any other information: Related to the functioning of the Park Service; or Requested by the members of the Commission. The Commission shall meet quarterly to review the status of the Park Service. At each meeting, the Department shall report to the Commission on expenditures from the Park System Capital Improvements and Acquisition Fund. On or before December 1, 2024, and each December 1 thereafter, the Commission shall submit a report to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee, the House Appropriations Committee, and the House Environment and Transportation Committee in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article. The report submitted under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall include the Commission’s: Findings on the status of the Park Service; and Recommendations on how the General Assembly can support the Park Service.

On or before December 1, 2023, and every 5 years thereafter, the Department shall develop and publish a 5–year Capital Improvement Plan for the Park Service. In developing the Capital Improvement Plan, the Department shall, in coordination with the Commission, annually hold at least one public hearing with the opportunity for public comment. The 5–year Capital Improvement Plan shall include: A list of all outstanding critical maintenance projects and the projected cost of each project; A prioritization of critical maintenance projects and an explanation of the process for prioritizing the projects; and Scoring and ranking for each critical maintenance project, as determined by the prioritization process. The 5–year Capital Improvement Plan shall include the information required under paragraph (3) of this subsection disaggregated by region. The Department shall submit to the General Assembly, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the 5–year Capital Improvement Plan for the Park Service. The Department of Legislative Services shall hire an independent consultant to conduct an independent study of: Whether the Park Service is producing outcomes consistent with its mission; The visitor experience for State parks, including: Parking availability; Cleanliness; and Whether facilities, amenities, or areas are closed, including whether the closures are due to deferred maintenance; How funding can be used to enable the Park Service to produce outcomes consistent with its mission; and How Park Service projects can support: Climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resiliency; and Public health. On or before December 1, 2023, the independent consultant shall submit, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, a report on its findings and recommendations to the Commission. The Department shall: Recognize as a formal policy that the State’s forests, trees, and wetlands are a major tool for addressing climate change with regard to mitigation, adaptation, and resiliency; and Require all Park Service projects to contribute, to the extent possible, to the improvement of local water quality. The Park Service shall adopt universal design principles in its programming and amenities to ensure maximum access and safety for all residents and visitors, especially people with disabilities, older adults, and seniors. To ensure accessibility for individuals who are deaf, blind, or both, the Park Service website and all other digital outreach platforms shall adhere to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 and Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Park Service shall adopt design principles related to crime prevention in its programming and amenities to ensure maximum public safety for all residents and visitors. The Department’s decisions related to the location and establishment of new State parks or amenities shall target areas: Identified by the Department’s park equity tool as in need of recreational opportunities; or That would relieve overcrowding in existing State parks that have consistently had to close to the public due to capacity restrictions. The Department shall consider the cultural and ecological carrying capacities of State park areas when examining the development of new amenities in existing State parks. The Department’s decisions related to the establishment of State parks or other units that preserve and interpret the history of African American, Asian, Indigenous or Native American, and Hispanic or Latino populations in the State shall be made: In coordination with the Commission; and With input from groups active in the preservation of historical sites of underrepresented communities, including: The Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities; The Commission on African American History and Culture; The Governor’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs; The Commission on Indian Affairs; and The Office of Immigrant Affairs.

The Department shall: Develop and publish a Comprehensive Long–Range Strategic Plan by December 1, 2024; Update the Comprehensive Long–Range Strategic Plan every 5 years to reflect major goals and progress toward meeting those goals; and Submit to the General Assembly, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the Comprehensive Long–Range Strategic Plan and any updates to the plan. The Comprehensive Long–Range Strategic Plan shall include: The feasibility of: Establishing new State parks through: Land acquisition; or Redesignating existing State land, including Cedarville State Forest, to be a State park; and Developing new amenities in current State parks, including: Trails and trail connectors; Water access; Parking areas; and Other capital improvements that increase park capacity; New State parks or other units that preserve and interpret the history of African American, Asian, Indigenous or Native American, and Hispanic or Latino populations in the State; A multilateral, whole–system plan for outdoor recreation in the State, including: The results of any coordination between the Department and county, municipal, and federal park systems to increase trail connectivity between park systems; and A partnership plan developed by the Department in consultation with: The Office of Outdoor Recreation; The Park Service’s business manager; County tourism entities and economic development offices; The Maryland Municipal League; The Maryland Association of Counties; The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable; and The Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities; The feasibility of expanding the day–use reservation system beyond the Falling Branch area of Rocks State Park to all parks experiencing capacity shutdowns, including considerations on how the expansion of the day–use reservation system may impact State park visitors in terms of equity and access; An analysis of how the Department can integrate infrastructure messaging with the National Park Service and local governments, including the development and maintenance of a coordinated website and digital application that provides information on: Where parks and open spaces are located; Available amenities; and Real–time information on the operational status of a park, including capacity; Long–term measures to: Recruit and retain a diverse Park Service workforce, in accordance with the National Park Service’s diversity strategy under Director’s Order #16B; and Provide ongoing updates on efforts to recruit and retain a diverse Park Service workforce; Details and updates on the creation and implementation of workforce development programs, including: Programs in collaboration with the State’s historically Black colleges and universities; Programs modeled on the National Park Service’s diversity strategy under Director’s Order #16B; and Programs focused on creating a pipeline of new rangers and other full–time staff from among volunteers, the State foster youth system, and historically underserved communities; and The results of: Implementing a volunteer management program under § 5–2A–02(e) of this subtitle; Leveraging charitable funding for park enhancements under § 5–2A–02(f) of this subtitle; and Any collaboration between the Department and the Department of Transportation and local transportation agencies to improve bicycle, sidewalk, and trail access to State parks.