HB 691

Did not advance

State Government - Procedures - Permitting Efficiency for Housing Development Projects

Sponsor: Lesley J. Lopez (District 39)Committee: Economic MattersSubject: State Government - Regulations and ProceduresStatus: Hearing 3/31 at 1:00 p.m. (as of Sep 4, 2026)

What this bill does

Official synopsis

Requiring each unit in the Executive Branch of State government responsible for issuing a permit related to housing construction to adopt procedures to streamline certain permitting processes for housing projects; requiring the State Housing Ombudsman, to the extent feasible, to ensure consistency between certain permitting processes developed by different units; and authorizing the delegation of certain tasks related to the review or approval of permits related to housing construction to certain local governmental units.

AI analysis is off. Set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY to enable summaries, pros and cons, and questions.

Analysis reads the bill text, the fiscal note, and the witness list. It is generated by Claude and reviewed by nobody, so check the source documents before you rely on it.

Testimony (31)

MGA witness list

FAV 21FavorableFWA 2Favorable with amendmentsUNF 2UnfavorableINFO 6Information only

Position	Witness	Organization	Testimony
FAV	Parts, Chris	AIA Maryland	Written (PDF)
FAV	Ashton, Monique	City of Rockville	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Hernandez, Yamil	Gaithersburg City Council	Written (PDF)
FAV	Peters, Sarahlobbyist	HBS	Written (PDF)
FAV	Plante, Cecilia	Maryland Legislative Coalition	Written (PDF)
FAV	Plante, Cecilia	Maryland Legislative Coalition	Written (PDF)
FAV	Bailey Thupari, Angelica	Maryland Municipal League	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Bailey Thupari, Angelica	Maryland Municipal League	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	May, Lisalobbyist	Maryland REALTORS	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	May, Lisalobbyist	Maryland REALTORS	Oral
FAV	Fani-González, Natali	Montgomery County Council	Written (PDF)
FAV	Hernandez, Yamil	Self	Oral
FAV	McNair, Lee	Unitarian Universalist Environmental Justice Ministry	Position only
FAV	Kaplowitz, Richard KAP	Year	Written (PDF)
FAV	Kaplowitz, Richard KAP	Year	Written (PDF)
FAV	Delegate Lopez, Delegate Lopezlegislator	Individual	Oral
FAV	Delegate Lopez, Delegate Lopezlegislator	Individual	Oral
FAV	Hessler, Thereselobbyist	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Krone, Christinelobbyist	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Lopez, Lesley	Individual	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Lopez, Lesley	Individual	Oral + Written (PDF)
UNF	Tibbals, Trudy	Individual	Position only
UNF	Tibbals, Trudy	Individual	Position only
FWA	Graf, Lorilobbyist	Maryland Building Industry Association	Oral + Written (PDF)
FWA	Graf, Lorilobbyist	Maryland Building Industry Association	Oral + Written (PDF)
INFO	Day, Jake	Department of Housing and Community Development	Written (PDF)
INFO	Day, Jake	Department of Housing and Community Development	Written (PDF)
INFO	Butchko, Dominic	Maryland Association of Counties (MACo)	Written (PDF)
INFO	Butchko, Dominic	Maryland Association of Counties (MACo)	Written (PDF)
INFO	Westervelt, Patricia	Maryland Department of Transportation	Written (PDF)
INFO	Westervelt, Patricia	Maryland Department of Transportation	Written (PDF)

Organizations on record

AIA MarylandFAV 1

City of RockvilleFAV 1

Department of Housing and Community DevelopmentINFO 2

Gaithersburg City CouncilFAV 1

HBSFAV 1

Maryland Association of Counties (MACo)INFO 2

Maryland Building Industry AssociationFWA 2

Maryland Department of TransportationINFO 2

Maryland Legislative CoalitionFAV 2

Maryland Municipal LeagueFAV 2

Maryland REALTORSFAV 2

Montgomery County CouncilFAV 1

SelfFAV 1

Unitarian Universalist Environmental Justice MinistryFAV 1

YearFAV 2

Registered lobbyists who testified

FAVPeters, SarahHBSRegistered for: Action Now Initiative, LLC; Alibaba; Ameresco; American Diabetes Association; Apartment & Office Building Association; Barwood Taxi Service…

FAVMay, LisaMaryland REALTORSRegistered for: Maryland REALTORS; Maryland Association of Realtors

FAVHessler, ThereseRegistered for: City of Gaithersburg; Elevate Recovery Centers; Evolve Kids Care; Evolve Life Centers; High Roller Technologies; Laila's Gift…

FAVKrone, ChristineRegistered for: American Coatings Association; Baltimore Gas and Electric Company; City of Rockville; Coordinating Center for Home and Community Care, The, LLC (dba The Coordinating Center); Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work, Inc.; LifeSpan Network…

FWAGraf, LoriMaryland Building Industry AssociationRegistered for: Maryland Building Industry Association