Amend Bill 37-26 to protect vulnerable residents in Montgomery County
The Issue
Section III: Community Sign-On Petition
TITLE: Stop the Systemic Displacement of Vulnerable Residents: Amend Bill 37-26 Now!
CAMPAIGN SUMMARY:
Montgomery County is considering Bill 37-26—a piece of legislation that expands public facility bans (Disruptive Behavior Orders) from 90 days to up to two years, spreading them across multiple county buildings simultaneously.
While the administration frames this as a routine public safety measure, the independent Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) has already sounded the alarm: its vague, highly subjective criteria will disproportionately target and penalize neurodivergent individuals, unhoused residents, and those experiencing acute public mental health crises. Worse, without explicit boundaries, these bans can be weaponized inside county-funded emergency shelters, creating a direct pathway to street-level homelessness for individuals who simply report unsafe or abusive facility conditions.
Following intense grassroots pushback at the September 22 public hearing, the county executive’s office was forced to pause immediate action to engage with disability and housing stakeholders. We must capitalize on this tactical pause before the Joint Committee Work session on October 19, 2026.
OUR DEMANDS:
We, the undersigned residents, human services workers, and organizations of Montgomery County, demand that the County Council block any expansion of Bill 37-26 unless the following three structural safeguards are fully codified into law:
1. PROTECT FREE SPEECH & NEURODIVERGENT RESIDENTS: Explicitly state that self-advocacy, good-faith facility complaints, cognitive processing delays, or involuntary behavioral traits associated with an I/DD or neurodevelopmental condition can NEVER legally be classified as "disruptive conduct."
2. BAN SHELTER EXCLUSIONS: Instate a complete, blanket prohibition banning the use of Disruptive Behavior Orders inside any county-funded or contracted emergency shelter or transitional tier.
3. MANDATE INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT: Strip single-agency or unchecked authority from front-line personnel, enforce an independent community review panel, and mandate real-time public data tracking of all issued DBOs
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HOW TO TAKE ACTION BEFORE OCTOBER 12TH:
- SIGN THE PETITION below to add your voice to the Montgomery Emergency Housing Justice coalition memo.
- SUBMIT WRITTEN TESTIMONY directly to the council record before the October 12, 2026 cutoff using the Official Council Portal: https://montgomerycountymd.gov
[ SIGN THE PETITION BUTTON ]
First Name | Last Name | Zip Code | Email Address | Organization (If Applicable)
Public Meeting of the Montgomery Emergency Housing Justice– October 7, 2026 Coordinated by Eneshal Galloway
The meeting is public review of present and past petitions related to Shelter Safety - Sign On
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The Issue
Section III: Community Sign-On Petition
TITLE: Stop the Systemic Displacement of Vulnerable Residents: Amend Bill 37-26 Now!
CAMPAIGN SUMMARY:
Montgomery County is considering Bill 37-26—a piece of legislation that expands public facility bans (Disruptive Behavior Orders) from 90 days to up to two years, spreading them across multiple county buildings simultaneously.
While the administration frames this as a routine public safety measure, the independent Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) has already sounded the alarm: its vague, highly subjective criteria will disproportionately target and penalize neurodivergent individuals, unhoused residents, and those experiencing acute public mental health crises. Worse, without explicit boundaries, these bans can be weaponized inside county-funded emergency shelters, creating a direct pathway to street-level homelessness for individuals who simply report unsafe or abusive facility conditions.
Following intense grassroots pushback at the September 22 public hearing, the county executive’s office was forced to pause immediate action to engage with disability and housing stakeholders. We must capitalize on this tactical pause before the Joint Committee Work session on October 19, 2026.
OUR DEMANDS:
We, the undersigned residents, human services workers, and organizations of Montgomery County, demand that the County Council block any expansion of Bill 37-26 unless the following three structural safeguards are fully codified into law:
1. PROTECT FREE SPEECH & NEURODIVERGENT RESIDENTS: Explicitly state that self-advocacy, good-faith facility complaints, cognitive processing delays, or involuntary behavioral traits associated with an I/DD or neurodevelopmental condition can NEVER legally be classified as "disruptive conduct."
2. BAN SHELTER EXCLUSIONS: Instate a complete, blanket prohibition banning the use of Disruptive Behavior Orders inside any county-funded or contracted emergency shelter or transitional tier.
3. MANDATE INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT: Strip single-agency or unchecked authority from front-line personnel, enforce an independent community review panel, and mandate real-time public data tracking of all issued DBOs
---
HOW TO TAKE ACTION BEFORE OCTOBER 12TH:
- SIGN THE PETITION below to add your voice to the Montgomery Emergency Housing Justice coalition memo.
- SUBMIT WRITTEN TESTIMONY directly to the council record before the October 12, 2026 cutoff using the Official Council Portal: https://montgomerycountymd.gov
[ SIGN THE PETITION BUTTON ]
First Name | Last Name | Zip Code | Email Address | Organization (If Applicable)
Public Meeting of the Montgomery Emergency Housing Justice– October 7, 2026 Coordinated by Eneshal Galloway
The meeting is public review of present and past petitions related to Shelter Safety - Sign On
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Petition created on October 2, 2026