1628                             Laws of Maryland                      [Ch. 756

CHAPTER 756
(Senate Bill 159)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Section 758A (a)
of Article 66C of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1970 Replace-
ment Volume), title "Natural Resources," subtitle "Shore Erosion
Control"; and to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Section
108 (a) of Article 96A (1970 Supplement), title "Water Resources,"
subtitle "Sediment Control," for the removal of the professional
engineer requirement for sediment control plans; TO PROVIDE
for the deletion of the word "net" from the formula for comput-
ing the net project construction costs, AND the addition of the
formula for computing net project construction costs where the
project construction costs exceed $50,000.00, and to make a gram-
matical correction. $40,000.00.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That Section 758A (a) of Article 66C of the Annotated Code of
Maryland (1970 Replacement Volume), title "Natural Resources,"
subtitle "Shore Erosion Control," be and that Section 108 (a) of
Article 96A of said Code (1970 Supplement), title "Water Resources,"
subtitle "Sediment Control," be and both are AND IT IS hereby
repealed and re-enacted, with amendments, to read as follows:

758A.

(a) There is hereby created a fund to be called the "Shore Erosion
Control Construction Loan Fund" to be administered by the Depart-
ment of Natural Resources solely to provide interest-free loans to
persons, municipalities, or counties for construction of shore erosion
structures. The fund will be established by an appropriation from
general funds not to exceed five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000).
Thereafter, the fund shall be maintained by: (1) Repayments of
principal on loans made from the fund, such repayments to be made
through a special real estate tax levied by the State on privately
owned property benefited by such shore erosion control projects,
said tax in each instance to compensate the State for the net project
construction cost. The tax may be levied at a uniform rate over a
period not exceeding twenty-five years, as agreed between the State
and the property owner. (2) Annual appropriation of general funds
to restore the fund to a level sufficient to carry out an effective shore
erosion control construction loan program during the succeeding
year. Property owners whose projects have been approved shall be
eligible to receive interest-free loans covering one hundred percent
of the first $20,000 of [net] project construction cost, fifty percent
of the next $10,000 of [net] project construction cost, twenty-five
percent of the next $10,000 of [net] project construction cost, and
ten percent of that part of [net] construction cost exceeding $40,000.
Notwithstanding the above, where there are two (2) or more prop-
erty owners included within a shore erosion control project, and
project construction costs exceed $50,000, $40,000, each property
owner will be considered a separate shore erosion control project
for the purpose of computing the net project construction cost pur-
suant to the formula specified above.