Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund Commission

The purpose of the Community Reinvestment and Repair Commission (CRRC) is to make recommendations for the use of funds in the Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund (CRRF). The CRRF was established as a result of the legalization of recreational adult-use cannabis. The fund is generated through the state’s nine percent cannabis sales and use tax revenue and will support communities disproportionately impacted by the enforcement of cannabis prohibition. 

Counties are required to adopt laws “establishing the purpose for which money received from the fund may be used, ”and to report annually on how funds were expended (Section 1-322(b)(2) of the Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article of the State Code). As such, Bill 37-24 was passed, authorizing the establishment of a Commission and Special Revenue Fund for the community reinvestment and repair efforts. 

Duties

The CRRC is responsible for the following: 

• Developing recommendations for the upcoming fiscal year for the use of funds in the CRRF, consistent with the provisions of section 10-20-101 of the Code

• Holding at least one public meeting each year, prior to making its recommendations

• Meeting with the County Executive or designee annually

• Delivering the recommendations by March 1 to the County Executive and the County Administrative Officer and posting to the County’s website

• Creating and publishing on or before December 31, 2024 and every two years thereafter, a report on how the funds were spent during the immediately preceding two fiscal years. The report must be submitted to the:

  •  County Executive

  • County Administrative Officer

  • County Council

  • Governor

  •  State Senate Budget and Taxation Committee

  • State House Appropriations Committee

Members

The CRRC is a nine voting-member board. Seven of the nine voting member seats are representatives from each of the County’s seven Councilmanic districts. CRRC voting members must be confirmed by the County’s Council. 

Commissioners should have experience in at least one of the following areas: 

• Community Organization
• Education
• Housing and Homeless Services
• Justice, Equity and Diversity
• Public Health
• Re-Entry Services
• Social Work
• Workforce and Economic Development

The CRRC also has six nonvoting ex-officio members from the following County agencies: 

• Department of Economic and Workforce Development (DEWD)

• Department of Housing and Community Development (DCHD)

• Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

• Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS)

• Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC)

The County’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) within the Office of Human Resources also serves as an ex-officio member, and is also responsible for the management and oversight of the Commission. 

Ex-Officio Members

• DEI—Sevetra Peoples-Brown

• DEWD—TBD

• DHCD—Heather Sheridan

• HHS—Nicole Garbarino

• BCPS—Doug Handy

• CCBC—Louise Slezak

About the CRRF

In 2022, Maryland voters approved the legalization of recreational adult-use cannabis. Under the new law, a portion of the state revenue generated by the sale of cannabis is dedicated to the Community Reinvestment and repair Fund (CRRF). This fund will provide resources to local jurisdictions to support initiatives that benefit low-income communities and communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the enforcement of cannabis prohibition. ​The amount provided to each jurisdiction will be based on the total number of cannabis possession charges in that jurisdiction—between July 1, 2002 and January 1, 2023—compared to the total number of cannabis possession charges in the state.

Each County must enact legislation establishing the purposes for which the funds can be used. Baltimore County is continuing to gather input from community members about which issues are most pressing to address in the affected communities and how community members would like to see these dollars prioritized.

We need Your Input

Please take a few minutes to complete the Baltimore County CRRF Community Input Survey to help the County prioritize funds in our community.

Learn More

Learn more about the CRRF.