Bill > SB953

This bill: 1. Requires the Maryland Historical Trust to provide operational and program support for all capital projects that receive funding from the African American Heritage Preservation Program. 2. Increases the annual appropriation the Governor must include in the budget for the African American Heritage Preservation Grant Fund from $1 million to $5 million. 3. Establishes the Commission on African American History and Culture as an independent agency within the executive branch, rather than under the Governor's Office of Community Initiatives. 4. Requires the Governor to include an annual appropriation of $1.6 million for the Commission in the state budget. For fiscal year 2024, it also requires a $3 million appropriation for capital repairs and updates at the Banneker-Douglass Museum. 5. Removes the Commission on African American History and Culture from the list of units under the Governor's Office of Community Initiatives.