(a) There is a Baltimore Regional Transit Commission.
(b) The Commission consists of the following members:
(1) The following six members from Baltimore City, appointed as follows:
(i) Three members appointed by the Governor, including:
1. At least one member who uses transit in the Baltimore region; and
2. At least one member from the business community; and
(ii) Three members appointed by the Mayor of Baltimore City;
(2) The following four members from Baltimore County, appointed as follows:
(i) Two members appointed by the Governor, including:
1. At least one member who uses transit in the Baltimore region; and
2. At least one member from the business community; and
(ii) Two members appointed by the County Executive of Baltimore County;
(3) The following two members from Anne Arundel County, appointed as follows:
(i) One member appointed by the Governor; and
(ii) One member appointed by the County Executive of Anne Arundel County;
(4) The following two members from Howard County, appointed as follows:
(i) One member appointed by the Governor; and
(ii) One member appointed by the County Executive of Howard County;
(5) One nonvoting member who is an employee of the Administration and is a member of the Amalgamated Transit Union local labor union, designated by the labor union; and
(6) The Secretary or the Secretary’s designee, who shall vote only in the case of a tie.
(c) (1) The Commission shall select a chair and a vice chair from among its members.
(2) The chair and vice chair shall each serve a term of 2 years in those capacities.
(d) (1) The term of a commissioner is 3 years.
(2) A commissioner may not serve more than two consecutive terms.
(3) The term of a commissioner begins January 1, 2024.
(4) The terms of the members are staggered as required by the terms provided for members of the Commission on January 1, 2024.
(5) At the end of a term, a commissioner continues to serve until a successor is appointed.
(e) (1) The Baltimore Metropolitan Council shall provide staff for the Commission.
(2) The Administration shall allocate funds for operational expenses incurred by the Commission, including funding for one senior planner and two junior planner staffing positions.
(f) A member of the Commission:
(1) May not receive compensation as a member of the Commission; but
(2) Is entitled to reimbursement for expenses under the Standard State Travel Regulations, as provided in the State budget.
(g) The Commission shall:
(1) Organize and establish policies and procedures for the operations of the Commission, including conflict of interest standards that prohibit a commissioner from having any inappropriate financial or nonfinancial interest in a matter over which the Commission has jurisdiction;
(2) Not later than 6 months after the Commission first meets, adopt bylaws to govern the operations of the Commission;
(3) (i) Meet at least quarterly; and
(ii) Accept public comments during the meetings and, at all times, electronically;
(4) Include in the quarterly agenda each of the following topics at least once each year:
(i) The Capital Needs Inventory Report;
(ii) The Consolidated Transportation Program priorities and initial budget requests under § 2–103.1 of this article; and
(iii) Any update on the Central Maryland Regional Transit Plan under § 7–301.1 of this title;
(5) (i) Keep minutes of Commission meetings and maintain proper records of all Commission activity; and
(ii) Post all minutes, records, notices, comments, or other information issued by the Commission or received from the public on a public website established and maintained by the Commission;
(6) Provide input and engage in advocacy for the Baltimore region public transit systems maintained by the Administration;
(7) Request and review information from the Annual Attainment Report and the Administration concerning the attainment of the Administration’s goals, including performance goals and metrics, evaluate any other measures of the performance of the Baltimore region transit system, and issue written recommendations concerning how the results of the Commission’s review and evaluation should influence the Administration’s priorities in future years;
(8) Review and comment on service change reports and major service change proposals on a quarterly basis;
(9) Review and comment on the Administration’s annual operating and capital budget request for the Baltimore region, including bus, light rail, metro, commuter bus, MARC service, and paratransit as part of the development of the draft and final Consolidated Transportation Program;
(10) Review and approve any update to the Central Maryland Regional Transit Plan;
(11) Review and comment on the Capital Needs Inventory Report; and
(12) Review local transit plans and services in the Baltimore region to ensure coordination between the local transit services and the Administration.
(h) In carrying out its duties under subsection (g) of this section, the Commission shall endeavor to ensure that the Administration’s plans, budgets, decisions, policies, goals, priorities, operations, and services address the public transit needs of residents and businesses in the Baltimore region.
(i) On or before December 1 each year, the Commission shall report its findings and recommendations on the Baltimore region transit systems to the Administration, the Governor, and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly.