​FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Maryland Department of Transportation Public Affairs
David Broughton, 410-865-1029
Jim Joyner, 410-865-1030 

​Maryland Executive Frank J. Principe Jr. Named Chair of Legislatively Created Commission  

HANOVER, MD (August 3, 2023) – The Maryland Department of Transportation announces the members and first meeting of the Maryland Commission on Transportation Revenue and Infrastructure Needs, which will be led by Frank J. Principe Jr. The 31-member commission will review, evaluate and make recommendations concerning the prioritization and funding of transportation projects. The first meeting is set for August 24 in Annapolis.

Governor Wes Moore, in consultation with Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson and Maryland House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones, named Mr. Principe, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Strategic Partnerships at the University of Maryland Global Campus, to chair the commission. His decades of transportation, planning and revenue management experience includes serving as Maryland Department of Transportation Chief of Staff (2010-2015) and Director of Government Affairs for Baltimore County (2003-2010).

“This commission has an immense responsibility, and a tremendous opportunity, to ensure that we are both maintaining our current transportation system in a state of good repair and building Maryland's transportation future to prioritize access, equity, options and opportunity for all," said Chairman Principe. “The state must make the necessary investments to accomplish its goals, and with the unwavering support of Governor Moore and legislative leadership, I know the members of this diverse commission are committed to help make that vision a reality."

The commission is comprised of legislators; representatives from local government, transportation, industry, business, labor and environmental organizations; and several members of the Moore Administration including Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld, Budget and Management Secretary Helene Grady, Commerce Secretary Kevin Anderson and Planning Secretary Rebecca Flora.

Members were selected by Governor Moore, Senate President Ferguson and House Speaker Jones. (See full roster below.)  The Maryland Department of Transportation and the Department of Legislative Services will provide staff support to the commission.

Under the 2023 legislation that formed the commission, members are charged with considering a number of transportation topics, including:

• current funding sources and structure of the Maryland Transportation Trust Fund;
• transportation funding in other states;
• short- and long-term transportation funding needs;
• options for public-private partnerships;
• changes in transportation technology and trends;
• practices for prioritizing project funding;
• options for regional transportation authorities;
• options for sustainable, long term transportation funding; and
• practices to improve project delivery.

The commission will meet throughout 2023 and 2024. Meetings will be livestreamed from the Maryland General Assembly's website. Opportunities for public participation will be available. An interim commission report is due to the Governor and legislature on or before January 1, 2024, with a final report on or before January 1, 2025. Dates, times, agendas, updates and other information will be posted on the commission website at www.mdot.maryland.gov/commission. 

Members of the Maryland Commission on Transportation Revenue and Infrastructure Needs: