The Southern MD Black Chamber of Commerce has worked to have this very important bill to study the procurement process for communications technology that is purchased by the State of Maryland. This type of procurement has implications for federal, state and private sector cost effective purchasing of technology which impacts the consumer and taxpayers.
SB916 Maryland Law Enforcement Communications Technology Procurement Task Force has been scheduled for a bill hearing in the Senate Budget & Taxation Committee on March 24th at 1 p.m. Please note that any written testimony should be submitted to the Committee by 11 a.m. on the 24th – you must provide 30 copies. If you wish to provide oral testimony, you must sign up by 12:50 p.m. on that day. Oral testimony is limited to 3 minutes. The House Bill, HB1246, is still in the House Rules Committee due to its late introduction. The Speaker of the House has been extremely strict this Session with regards to the letting late filed bills out of the Rules Committee. In other words, whether the bill gets out is out of the Committee’s hands. However, because the Senate bill has been assigned and scheduled for a bill hearing, it is not necessary for the House Bill to move.
Senate Budget and Taxation Committee Hearing Room
Miller Senate Office Building, 3rd Floor
11 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD 21401 – 1991
410) 841-3690, (301) 858-3690
SB 916 Summary
Establishing the Maryland Law Enforcement Communications Technology Procurement Task Force; providing for the composition, chair, and staffing of the Task Force; requiring the Task Force to study and make recommendations
about any changes that may be made to the procurement process for law enforcement communications technology that may lead to cost savings for the State; requiring the Task Force to report its findings to specified committees of the General Assembly on or before December 31, 2015; etc. EFFECTIVE JUNE 1, 2015 – Assigned to: Senate Rules. Below is the Maryland House version of the bill.
http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2015RS/bills/hb/hb1246f.pdf