Maryland Tax - Property Section 13-209

      (a)      The revenue from transfer tax is payable to the Comptroller for deposit in a special fund.

      (b)      For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2002 and for subsequent fiscal years, up to 3% of the revenues in the special fund may be appropriated in the State budget for salaries and related expenses in the Departments of General Services and Natural Resources and in the Department of Planning necessary to administer Title 5, Subtitle 9 of the Natural Resources Article (Program Open Space).

      (c)      (1)      Subject to subsection (e) of this section, of the balance of the revenue in the special fund, not required under subsection (b) of this section:

                  (i)      for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2002, $47,268,585 shall be allocated to the General Fund of the State and the remainder shall be allocated as provided in subsection (d) of this section;

                  (ii)      for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2003, $102,833,869 shall be allocated to the General Fund of the State and the remainder shall be allocated as provided in the State budget;

                  (iii)      for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2004, $147,374,444 shall be allocated to the General Fund of the State, and the remainder shall be allocated as provided in the State budget; and

                  (iv)      for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2005, $68,223,132 shall be allocated to the General Fund of the State and the remainder shall be allocated as provided in subsection (d) of this section.

            (2)      Subject to subsection (e) of this section, for the fiscal years beginning July 1, 2006 and each subsequent fiscal year, the balance of the revenue in the special fund, not required under subsection (b) of this section shall be allocated as provided in subsection (d) of this section.

      (d)      Subject to subsection (e) of this section, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2002 and for each subsequent fiscal year, the balance of the revenue in the special fund, not required under subsection (b) of this section and not allocated to the General Fund under subsection (c)(1) of this section shall be allocated in the State budget as follows:

            (1)      (i)      75.15% for the purposes specified in Title 5, Subtitle 9 of the Natural Resources Article (Program Open Space); and

                  (ii)      an additional 1% for Program Open Space, for land acquisition purposes as specified in § 5-903(a)(2) of the Natural Resources Article;

            (2)      17.05% for the Agricultural Land Preservation Fund established under § 2-505 of the Agriculture Article;

            (3)      5% for the Rural Legacy Program established under § 5-9A-01 of the Natural Resources Article; and

            (4)      1.8% for the Heritage Conservation Fund established under § 5-1501 of the Natural Resources Article.

      (e)      The sums allocated in subsection (d) of this section may not revert to the General Fund of the State.

      (f)      (1)      (i)      Except as provided in subparagraphs (ii) and (iii) of this paragraph, for any fiscal year in which the actual transfer tax revenue collections are greater than the revenue estimates used as the basis for the appropriations required under this section for the fiscal year, the amount of the excess shall be allocated to the special fund under subsection (a) of this section as provided under subsections (c) and (d) of this section for the second fiscal year following the fiscal year in which there is an excess.

                  (ii)      Notwithstanding subparagraph (i) of this paragraph or any other provision of law, $21,776,868 of the transfer tax collected but not appropriated or transferred in fiscal 2004 shall be transferred to the General Fund of the State.

                  (iii)      Notwithstanding subparagraph (i) of this paragraph or any other provision of law, in any fiscal year in which an appropriation or transfer is made from the special fund to the General Fund, if the actual transfer tax revenue collections for the prior fiscal year exceed the budget estimate for the prior fiscal year, the excess shall be allocated in the current fiscal year for Program Open Space, the Agricultural Land Preservation Fund, the Rural Legacy Program, and the Heritage Conservation Fund. Funds made available under this subparagraph shall be allocated as provided under subsection (d) of this section.

            (2)      For any fiscal year in which the actual transfer tax revenue collections are less than the revenue estimates used as the basis for the appropriations required under this section, the amount of the deficiency shall be reconciled as follows:

                  (i)      for the first $3,000,000 of any deficiency, the allocation to the special fund under subsection (a) of this section as provided under subsections (c) and (d) of this section for the second fiscal year following the deficiency shall be reduced by either the amount of the deficiency or $3,000,000, whichever is less; and

                  (ii)      for any deficiency in excess of $3,000,000, the amount in excess of $3,000,000 shall be reconciled either by the reduction of the allocation to the special fund under subsection (a) of this section as provided under subsections (c) and (d) of this section for the second fiscal year following the deficiency or by the deauthorization of projects authorized in prior fiscal years.

            (3)      (i) Any amounts to be deauthorized from prior fiscal years under paragraph (2)(ii) of this subsection shall be proposed by the Governor in the budget of the second fiscal year following the fiscal year in which there is a deficiency.

                  (ii)      An amount may be deauthorized under this paragraph only as provided in the State budget bill, as enacted.

      (g)      (1)      Notwithstanding § 7-311(j) of the State Finance and Procurement Article, subject to paragraph (3) of this subsection, for fiscal year 2012 and for each subsequent fiscal year, if the unappropriated General Fund surplus as of June 30 of the second preceding year exceeds $10,000,000, the Governor shall include in the budget bill a General Fund appropriation to the special fund under subsection (a) of this section in an amount equal to at least the lesser of $50,000,000 or the excess surplus over $10,000,000.

            (2)      For any fiscal year to which this subsection applies:

                  (i)      unless the unappropriated General Fund surplus as of June 30 of the second preceding fiscal year exceeds the sum of $10,000,000 and the amount required to be appropriated to the special fund under paragraph (1) of this subsection, the appropriation to the Revenue Stabilization Account under § 7-311(j) of the State Finance and Procurement Article is not required; and

                  (ii)      if the unappropriated General Fund surplus as of June 30 of the second preceding fiscal year exceeds the sum of $10,000,000 and the amount required to be appropriated to the special fund under paragraph (1) of this subsection, the appropriation required to the Revenue Stabilization Account under § 7-311(j) of the State Finance and Procurement Article shall equal the amount by which that surplus exceeds the sum of $10,000,000 and the amount appropriated to the special fund under paragraph (1) of this subsection.

            (3)      (i)      The cumulative amount required to be appropriated to the special fund under paragraph (1) of this subsection for all fiscal years shall equal the cumulative amount of any appropriation or transfer from the special fund to the General Fund for fiscal year 2006 and for each subsequent fiscal year, reduced by:

                        1.      the amount of any appropriation or transfer from the General Fund to the special fund for any fiscal year in excess of the amount required under paragraph (1) of this subsection for that fiscal year; and

                        2.      the amount of any appropriation or transfer from the General Fund to the special fund for any fiscal year in which the appropriation under paragraph (1) of this subsection is not required.

                  (ii)      This subsection does not apply to any fiscal year if a cumulative amount has been appropriated to the special fund for prior fiscal years under this subsection equal to the cumulative amount of any appropriation or transfer from the special fund to the General Fund for fiscal year 2006 and for each subsequent fiscal year, reduced by:

                        1.      the amount of any appropriation or transfer from the General Fund to the special fund for any fiscal year in excess of the amount required under paragraph (1) of this subsection for that fiscal year; and

                        2.      the amount of any appropriation or transfer from the General Fund to the special fund for any fiscal year in which the appropriation under paragraph (1) of this subsection is not required.

                  (iii)      1.      Except as provided in subsubparagraph 2 of this subparagraph, this subsection does not apply to any fiscal year for which the Governor is required under § 3-216(g) of the Transportation Article to include an appropriation to the Transportation Trust Fund.

                        2.      This subsection applies in any fiscal year in which the cumulative amount required to be appropriated under § 3-216(g) of the Transportation Article has been paid and there is excess surplus under subsection (g)(1) of this section.