Greater Baltimore Committee Releases 2026 Legislative Priorities

(Baltimore, Md.) — As the Maryland General Assembly convenes for the 2026 legislative session, the Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC), the leading voice for the private sector in the Baltimore region, today released its 2026 state and federal legislative priorities. Guided by the organization’s multi-year agenda, the priorities focus on advancing economic opportunity, strengthening transportation and infrastructure, and driving collective impact to support long-term regional competitiveness and measurable economic and community outcomes.

“Maryland’s economic success depends on the strength of its regions, and the Baltimore Region is a critical engine for growth at both the state and national levels,” said Mark A. Thomas, president and CEO of the GBC. “Our 2026 legislative priorities are focused on aligning policy, investment and delivery to ensure state and federal resources reinforce a regionally defined agenda and translate into real results.”

“These priorities reflect direct engagement with the business community and a clear focus on execution,” said Jennifer Vey, executive vice president and chief strategy officer for the GBC. “By strengthening coordination across public and private partners, we can ensure that policy and funding decisions support sustained growth, regional competitiveness and shared economic opportunity.”

2026 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES

Economic Opportunity
GBC’s economic opportunity priorities focus on strengthening regional economic leadership and coordination, aligning public and private partners around long-term growth priorities and ensuring that policy and investment translate into sustained private-sector growth.

Maryland priorities:

• Strengthening the region’s business environment through competitive tax policy, responsive incentives, business attraction tools and streamlined permitting and regulatory processes.
• Supporting execution of the Downtown RISE master plan through governance and funding mechanisms that reflect the public-private nature of the impact area.
• Advancing the governance and funding framework for the reimagining of the Baltimore Convention Center, consistent with task force recommendations.
• Expanding Maryland’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) capacity to accelerate transformational projects across the region.
• Supporting continued development of Tradepoint Atlantic and the Sparrows Point container terminal as strategic regional economic assets.
• Aligning with the Moore-Miller economic agenda, including priority “lighthouse” initiatives outlined in Maryland’s Winning the Decade.

Federal priorities:

• Building sustained legislative and executive understanding of the Baltimore Region’s national economic importance.
• Securing full funding for the Economic Development Administration’s Tech Hubs program as a cornerstone of the CHIPS and Science Act.
• Advancing targeted federal funding requests that catalyze nationally significant regional projects.
• Supporting policies that activate strategic federal assets—including defense installations and federal land holdings—for their highest and best economic use.
• Advocating for federal policies that support innovation, entrepreneurship, workforce development, and strategic onshoring of manufacturing.

Transportation & Infrastructure
The region’s transportation and infrastructure systems are foundational to economic competitiveness, and GBC’s priorities focus on advancing the investments, governance reforms and delivery pathways needed to move major projects from planning to execution.

Maryland priorities:

• Supporting implementation of the Bmore Bus plan to expand service frequency, reliability and coverage across Baltimore’s core bus network.
• Advancing practical pathways toward an East-West transportation solution in Baltimore (the Red Line).
• Prioritizing transit-oriented development and multi-modal connectivity to support regional economic growth.
• Supporting reforms to Maryland Transit Administration governance to improve project delivery and oversight.

Federal priorities:

• Ensuring long-term federal commitment to the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program and the comprehensive redevelopment of Baltimore Penn Station under the New Era Station Projects, critical to Northeast Corridor reliability and neighborhood revitalization.
• Sustaining federal partnership on the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and accelerating coordinated project delivery.

Collective Impact
Through its collective impact priorities, GBC convenes private-sector leadership to align policy, capital and partners around solutions that address vacant housing, workforce alignment and public safety challenges affecting economic opportunity and quality of life.

Maryland priorities:

• Aligning policy, capital and partners to sustain Baltimore’s multidisciplinary approach to crime prevention and workforce development, including BLocal.
• Sustaining funding and operational support for Reinvest Baltimore and related vacancy-reduction initiatives to protect affordability and restore distressed housing markets.
• Supporting proven crime-prevention and violence-intervention strategies through targeted engagement and outreach.

Federal priorities:

• Supporting targeted federal incentives for housing, commercial and industrial development, including the Housing for the 21st Century Act.
• Advancing investment tools that support underserved and post-industrial communities, including Opportunity Zones.
• Advocating for federal programs that support community-led approaches to gun violence reduction and public safety.

For more information on GBC’s 2026 legislative priorities and multi-year agenda, visit gbc.org.

ABOUT THE GREATER BALTIMORE COMMITTEE

The Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC) is the leading voice for the private sector in the Baltimore region, providing insightful economic and civic leadership to drive collective impact. Comprising more than 300 organizations—including businesses, nonprofits, foundations, and healthcare and educational institutions—the GBC is dedicated to fostering the prosperity of the Greater Baltimore region. For more information, visit gbc.org.