Title 4. Revenue Facilities — Subtitle 2. Maryland Transportation Authority

In addition to the Chairman, the Authority consists of eight members appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate.

The appointed members of the Authority may not be employees of the Executive Branch of the State government.

Of the appointed members:

The appointed members of the Authority shall reflect the racial, gender, and geographic diversity of the population of the State.

Each appointed member serves for a term of 4 years and until a successor is appointed and qualifies.

The terms of the appointed members are staggered as required by the terms provided for members of the Authority on January 1, 2007.

An appointed member may not serve more than three consecutive terms.

A member appointed to fill a vacancy in an unexpired term serves only for the remainder of that term.

The compensation provided in the State budget; and

Reimbursement for expenses, in accordance with the Standard State Travel Regulations of the Department of Budget and Management.

Subject to the limitations described in paragraph (2) of this subsection, the Authority may make any contracts and agreements necessary or incidental to the exercise of its powers and performance of its duties.

Not less than 45 days before entering into any contract or agreement to acquire or construct a revenue–producing transportation facilities project, subject to § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the Authority shall provide, to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, the House Committee on Ways and Means, and the House Appropriations Committee, for review and comment, and to the Department of Legislative Services, a description of the proposed project, a summary of the contract or agreement, and a financing plan that details:

Subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection, the Authority may employ and fix the compensation of attorneys, consulting engineers, accountants, construction and financial experts, superintendents, managers, and any other agents and employees that it considers necessary to exercise its powers and perform its duties. The compensation established by the Authority for executive management positions shall be consistent with the compensation of comparable positions in the Department of Transportation. The compensation established by the Authority shall be reported to the General Assembly each year as part of the Authority’s presentation of its budget.

The expense of employing these persons may be paid only from revenues or from the proceeds of revenue bonds issued by the Authority.

There is a Maryland Transportation Authority Police Force.

Subject to subsection (b) of this section, a Maryland Transportation Authority police officer has all the powers granted to a peace officer and a police officer of this State.

A Maryland Transportation Authority police officer may exercise the powers described in subsection (a)(2) of this section on property owned, leased, or operated by or under the control of the Maryland Transportation Authority, Maryland Aviation Administration, and Maryland Port Administration.

A Maryland Transportation Authority police officer may exercise the powers described in paragraph (2) of this subsection, if:

The police officer may not exercise these powers on any other property unless:

Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to preclude, or limit in any way, the authority of any federal, State, or local law enforcement agency, or any other federal police or federal protective service.

In consultation with the Secretary of State Police and the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission, the Secretary of Transportation shall adopt standards, qualifications, and prerequisites of character, training, education, human and public relations, and experience for Maryland Transportation Authority police officers, including standards for the performance of their duties.

To the extent practicable, the Secretary of Transportation shall adopt standards that are similar to the standards adopted for the Department of State Police.

Standards adopted on or after July 1, 1974, on minimum hiring qualifications of Maryland Transportation Authority police officers may not affect the status of any individual who was a qualified toll facilities police officer on that date.

Any person who was a member in good standing, as of July 1, 1977, of the Maryland Aviation Administration Police Force of the Department and subsequently an airport police employee of the State Police, shall become a member of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police Force, and shall continue as such without diminution in salary, except for shift differential, until retirement, resignation, or termination, and shall be paid in accordance with the Maryland Transportation Authority Police Force pay plan.

Each employee described in paragraph (1) of this subsection shall remain a member of the Baltimore City fire and police employees retirement system. The Authority shall reimburse the City for the employer’s cost of the pension coverage.

Any person who is a member in good standing, as of July 1, 1998, of the Maryland Port Administration Police Force of the Department shall become a member of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police Force and shall continue as such without diminution in salary until retirement, resignation, or termination of employment, and shall be paid in accordance with the Maryland Transportation Authority Police Force plan.

Each employee described in paragraph (1) of this subsection may elect to join the Law Enforcement Officers’ Pension System under the provision of Title 26 of the State Personnel and Pensions Article.

An employee appointed under this section may issue citations to the extent authorized by the chief police officer for violations of those provisions of § 5–426 of this article relating to motor vehicle parking at Baltimore–Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

The issuance of citations under this section shall comply with the requirements of Title 26, Subtitle 3 of this article.

Qualifications for employees appointed under this section, including prerequisites of character, training, experience, and education; and

Standards for the performance of the duties assigned to employees appointed under this section.

A draft of the financial forecast on submission of the budget bill to the presiding officers of the General Assembly; and

The financial forecast as approved by the Authority on or before September 1 of each year.

A schedule of operating expenses;

A schedule of revenues, including concessions income, investment income, other income, and transfers from the Department;

A schedule of toll revenues, including the average toll per vehicle, the average toll increase, the number of paid vehicles, and the toll revenue by toll facility by fiscal year;

A schedule of planned bond issuances, including a detailed summary of bonds issued to fund the capital program and bonds issued to fund capitalized interest;

A schedule of debt service in each fiscal year for each bond issuance of all debt issued by the Authority, including debt service estimates of planned bond issuances; and

A summary schedule for the Authority that includes:

Actual information for the last full fiscal year; and

Forecasts of the information for each of the 6 subsequent fiscal years, including the current fiscal year, the fiscal year for the proposed budget, and the next 4 subsequent fiscal years.

In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.

“Advisory Group” means the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Reconstruction Advisory Group.

“Chesapeake Bay Bridge” means the William Preston Lane, Jr. Memorial Chesapeake Bay Bridge and parallel Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

The Secretary of Transportation, or the Secretary’s designee;

The State Highway Administrator, or the Administrator’s designee;

The Executive Director of the Authority, or the Executive Director’s designee;

Two citizen members appointed by the Anne Arundel County Council;

Two citizen members appointed by the County Commissioners of Queen Anne’s County; and

The following members appointed by the Governor:

The term of an appointed member is 3 years.

The terms of the appointed members are staggered as required by the terms provided for members of the Advisory Group on July 1, 2020.

At the end of a term, an appointed member continues to serve until a successor is appointed and qualifies.

An appointed member who is appointed after a term has begun serves only for the rest of the term and until a successor is appointed and qualifies.

May not receive compensation as a member of the Advisory Group; but

Is entitled to reimbursement for expenses under the Standard State Travel Regulations, as provided in the State budget.

Adopt bylaws;

Provide the Authority with an independent, citizen–informed perspective on the Authority’s operations at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge; and

The Advisory Group shall report its activities and recommendations quarterly to the Authority.

On or before July 1, 2021, and each July 1 thereafter, the Advisory Group shall report its activities and recommendations to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly.