HB 1198 Maryland House of Delegates · 2025 Regular Session

Correctional Services - Comprehensive Rehabilitative Prerelease Services - Female Incarcerated Individuals (The Monica Cooper Prerelease Act)

HB 1198, the Monica Cooper Prerelease Act, requires Maryland to establish a dedicated prerelease facility for female incarcerated individuals in Baltimore City (on at least 3 acres) by 2027. The facility must serve women with low violence/escape risk and satisfactory behavior, offering evidence-based programs like education, vocational training, trauma-informed healthcare, and family reunification support. It mandates the Department of Public Safety to provide comprehensive rehabilitative services - including help with public health benefits applications - and report progress to lawmakers by 2026. This bill directly affects female inmates eligible for prerelease status, aiming to reduce recidivism through gender-responsive reentry planning.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2025

House of Delegates Passage

Mar 2025

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Feb 6, 2025 Last action Mar 17, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

First - Correctional Services - Comprehensive Rehabilitative Prerelease Services - Female Incarcerated Individuals (The Monica Cooper Prerelease Act) → Third - Correctional Services - Comprehensive Rehabilitative Prerelease Services - Female Incarcerated Individuals (The Monica Cooper Prerelease Act) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill text was reorganized to move the repealing and reenacting language from the middle of the document to the beginning, aligning with standard legislative formatting. Several dates were updated to reflect current legislative timelines, including moving the prerelease unit construction deadline to July 1, 2026, and the operational deadline to June 1, 2027. The location requirement for the prerelease unit was changed from a specific zip code-based approach to requiring the facility to be located in Baltimore City on a site of at least 3 acres. The scope of services remains focused on providing comprehensive rehabilitative prerelease services for female incarcerated individuals through evidence-based and gender-responsive programs.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on female incarcerated individuals, but the location requirement for the prerelease unit was modified from a zip code-based placement strategy to a specific requirement for Baltimore City.

TIMELINE

Construction deadline extended to July 1, 2026, and operational deadline set for June 1, 2027

REQUIREMENT

Prerelease unit location requirement changed from zip code-based placement to Baltimore City on a site of at least 3 acres

TECHNICAL

Repealing and reenacting language moved to the beginning of the bill for proper legislative formatting

Page numbering and header formatting adjusted to reflect current legislative document structure

Floor votes · House of Delegates Mar 3, 2025

How they voted

102–34

Passed · 3 other

Total votes 139

Mar 3, 2025

D Democratic100

99 Yea 1

99% Yea

R Republican39

3 Yea 34 Nay 2

87% Nay

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 17, 2025

Committee

Referred Judicial Proceedings Budget and Taxation

upper

Mar 13, 2025

Lower · Passed

Third Reading Passed

lower

Mar 13, 2025

Lower · Passed

Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed

lower

Mar 13, 2025

Lower · Passed

Favorable Report by Judiciary

lower

Mar 3, 2025

House Of Delegates · Passed

House of Delegates Vote: pass (102-34-3)

house of delegates

Feb 6, 2025

Committee

First Reading Judiciary

lower

60 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role

Legislator

Party

State

District