BALTIMORE CITY, MARYLAND

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

ORIGIN & FUNCTIONS

• Legislative Process
• Standing Committees

CITY COUNCIL

In Baltimore, the City Council constitutes the Legislative Branch of government. It considers bills (proposed legislation) offered by Council members and assigned to the Council's standing committees for consideration and hearings.

Serving four-year terms, the City Council consists of fifteen members. Fourteen of these are elected by Council district voters. One at-large member is elected as City Council President by voters throughout the City.

While formerly members served four-year terms, effective January 2013, those members elected in 2011 were designated to serve five-year terms in order to align the City's elections with those of the State. With the elections of 2016, City Council members returned to four-year terms (Chapter 548, Acts of 2012; City Charter, Art. III, secs. 1-14).

City Hall, 100 North Holliday St., Baltimore, Maryland, June 2006. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

CYBERSECURITY & EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS COMMITTEE
The Cybersecurity and Emergency Preparedness Committee was initiated by the City Council President in June 2019, and held its first meeting in November 2019.

Causes of the May 2019 ransomware attack on Baltimore's computer system were considered by the Committee, which makes recommendations for enhanced security.

EQUITY & STRUCTURE COMMITTEE
In December 2019, the City Council President authorized creation of the Equity and Structure Committee.

The Committee considers the nine charter amendments introduced in 2019, most of which concern government reform. Also, the Committee oversees equity plans of City agencies, and the implementation of the Equity Assessment Program.

LEGISLATIVE INVESTIGATIONS COMMITTEE

STANDING COMMITTEES

In December 2020, the City Council President consolidated these thirteen committees into six standing committees: Economic and Community Development; Education, Workforce and Youth; Health, Environment and Technology; Public Safety and Government Operations; Rules and Legislative Oversight; and Ways and Means.

In December 2024, the City Council President reorganized these committees into seven standing committees: Budget and Appropriations; Education, Youth and Older Adults; Public Health and Environment; Public Safety; and Transportation and Land Use.

BUDGET & APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE
In December 2024, the City Council President reauthorized the Budget and Appropriations Committee, which had functioned as a standing committee prior to December 2020.

EDUCATION, YOUTH & OLDER ADULTS COMMITTEE
The Education, Youth and Older Adults Committee started as the Education and Human Resources Committee by 1992. It later became the Education, Housing, Health and Human Services Committee. It reformed as the Education Committee in 2007, became the Education and Youth Committee in 2014, and reorganized as the Education, Workforce and Youth Committee in December 2020. It was reformed as the Education, Youth and Older Adults Committee in December 2024.

HOUSING & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Origins of the Housing and Economic Development Committee trace to early legislative duties.

The responsibility to review proposd laws concernd with economic development started with the Taxation and Finance Committee, which functioned from approximately 1992 to 2007. That committee reorganized in 2007 as the Taxation, Finance and Economic Development Committee, and as the Economic and Community Development Committee in December 2020.

In turn, the responsibility to review proposed housing legislation fell to the Housing Committee which had organized by 1992. Some of its functions were assumed by the Education, Housing, Health and Human Services Committee. Others were carried out by the Community Development Subcommittee of the Taxation, Finance and Economic Development Committee. Functions of that subcommittee were restructured as part of the Housing and Community Development Committee in 2011. In December 2016, the Housing and Community Development Committee merged with the Urban Affairs and Aging Committee to form the Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. That committee reformed in December 2020 as the Economic and Community Development Committee.

In December 2024, the Economic and Community Development Committee was reorganized as the Housing and Economic Development Committee.

LABOR & WORKFORCE COMMITTEE
Some functions of the Labor and Workforce Committee began with the Education, Workforce and Youth Committee, which formed in December 2020. The City Council President authorized the Labor and Workforce Committee as a standing committee of the City Council, in December 2024.

PUBLIC HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
In June 2019, the Public Health and Environment Committee began as the Health Committee. In December 2020, it was reorganized as the Health, Environment and Technology Committee and, in December 2024 as the Public Health and Environment Committee.

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE
The Public Safety Committee began as the Public Safety and Health Committee. In 2010, it reformed as the Public Safety Committee and, in December 2020, it was reorganized as the Public Safety and Government Operations Committee.In December 2024, it reformd agin as the Public Safety Committee.

TRANSPORTATION & LAND USE COMMITTEE
The Transportation and Land Use Committee originated as two separate committees: the Land Use Committee and the Transportation Committee. They later merged into the Land Use and Transportation Committee, which in June 2019 was renamed as the Transportation Committee. In December 2020, the Committee was discontinued, but in December 2024 the City Council President authorized the Transportation and Land Use Committee as a standing committee of the City Council.

BOARD OF ESTIMATES

Annually, the Board holds hearings on the operating budget proposed by the Finance Director. To the President of the City Council, it then submits an ordinance of estimates, which consists of an operating budget, a capital budget, and a contingent fund appropriation to cover possible emergencies.

The Board of Estimates consists of five ex officio members: the Mayor; the City Comptroller; the City Council President; the City Solicitor; and the Director of the Department of Public Works. The City Council President serves as President of the Board (City Charter, Art. VI).

BOARD OF LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE

Serving on the Board are a representative of the City Council and six ex officio members: the Mayor; the City Solicitor; the President of The Johns Hopkins University; the Dean of the Carey School of Law, University of Maryland; the Dean of the School of Law, University of Baltimore; and the Director of the Enoch Pratt Free Library (City Charter, Art. VII, sec. 93).

City Hall, 100 North Holliday St., Baltimore, Maryland, June 2006. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

DEPARTMENT OF LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE
Work of the Department of Legislative Reference is concerned with legislative matters, and records and archives. Appointed by the Board of Legislative Reference, the Director supervises and directs the Department.

At the request of the Mayor, City Council committees, or heads of City departments, the Director investigates and reports upon the laws of Maryland and other states and cities; and compiles data showing the practical operation and effect of such laws. The Director also investigates and collects information relating to any matter which is the subject of proposed legislation by the General Assembly, or the City Council; and examines and reports on acts, ordinances, and records of any state or city, to the Mayor, City Council committee, or City department heads.

Upon request of any City Council member, the Director prepares or advises in the preparation of any bill, ordinance, or resolution; preserves and collects all information obtained, carefully indexed and arranged, so as to be at all times easily accessible to City officers and open to the inspection of the general public.

The Director keeps all books, documents, archives, records, official plats, papers, and proceedings of the City, except those in current use or whose custody the Board of Estimates shall by resolution otherwise direct or authorize. A complete series of the ordinances, resolutions, and proceedings of the City is collected, arranged and safely kept by the Director. Moreover, other documents pertaining to the City, which the Director deems to have historic value, or which by ordinance or resolution the Board of Estimates directs be kept, are received and kept by the Director. While such books, documents, papers, plats, or archives are retained in the Department, they are available for inspection and reproduction by the public under such reasonable regulations and supervision as the Director may prescribe. In addition, the Director prepares and keeps an index of all books, papers, records, and documents in the custody of the Department; and keeps a current separate index of all rules and regulations of other City departments and agencies (City Charter, Art. VII, sec. 93).

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