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70
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Aug. 6
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JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS
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Association of Counties and the Maryland Municipal League
have requested a veto.
These public officials and organizations representing
local government in Maryland have each noted the bill's
substantial fiscal impact on them. Indeed, the requirement
for payment under Senate Bill 702 is absolute. By contrast,
under the State highway beautification program compensation
is not required to be paid for signs not eligible for
federal matching funds and the State is not required to
spend any funds for those purposes until appropriate
matching federal funds are available to the State. I am
fearful that the fiscal impact of Senate Bill 702 could
result in a discontinuance of existing sign control programs
and would provide a severe fiscal disincentive to any future
regulation.
The mechanism provided in the bill for payment "in
accordance with the just compensation schedule of the State
Department of Transportation" also is troublesome. The
Department of Transportation's schedule was developed to
implement the Federal Highway Beautification Act, which
requires each State to develop "effective control" measures
for billboards located within a certain distance of a
federally aided primary or an interstate highway. The
existing schedule, therefore, pertains only to large signs
and does not cover the wide array of signs which may be
included within the scope of the bill's undefined class of
"off-premises outdoor advertising signs."
In conclusion, I am vetoing Senate Bill 702, not
because I oppose compensation to sign owners, but because it
does not provide sufficient local flexibility and because
its substantial fiscal impact may well halt sign regulation
programs at the local level.
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Sincerely,
Harry Hughes
Governor
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Senate Bill No. 702
AN ACT concerning
Outdoor Advertising - Highway Signs
FOR the purpose of prohibiting any county or municipality
from removing or requiring the removal of certain
outdoor advertising signs unless the county or
municipality pays a certain fair market value for the
sign.
BY adding to
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