HB 315 Maryland House of Delegates · 2025 Regular Session

Task Force to Study Fiduciary Adjudication in Maryland

HB 315 establishes a 10-member Task Force to study Maryland's fiduciary adjudication system (covering probate, trusts, and guardianships) and its efficiency, uniformity, and quality. The Task Force, appointed by legislative leaders, court officials, and the Bar Association, will examine judge qualifications, court jurisdictions, procedures, and compare practices with other states. It must report findings and recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly by January 1, 2026, after which the bill expires. This study directly affects Maryland courts handling estate matters and aims to inform potential future reforms.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Mar 2025
House of Delegates Passage
Apr 2025
Senate Passage
Apr 2025
Signed into Law
Apr 2025
Introduced Jan 10, 2025 Signed Apr 22, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Third - Task Force to Study Fiduciary Adjudication in Maryland Enrolled - Task Force to Study Fiduciary Adjudication in Maryland · 3 edits · Apr 22, 2025
MINOR
The bill was finalized and enrolled for the Governor's signature, changing its status from a draft to an official law. The text of the bill was reorganized to improve logical flow, moving the historical context about the 1777 creation of orphans' courts to an earlier section. Additionally, the staffing requirements were expanded to include the Department of Legislative Services alongside the Administrative Office of the Courts.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains focused on creating a Task Force to study fiduciary adjudication, but the reorganization clarifies the historical background and the composition of the task force.
STRUCTURE

The bill's text was reordered to place the historical context regarding the 1777 creation of orphans' courts earlier in the document, improving the narrative flow.

REQUIREMENT

The staffing section was updated to require both the Administrative Office of the Courts and the Department of Legislative Services to provide staff for the task force.

TECHNICAL

The document header was updated to reflect that the bill is now 'Enrolled' and ready for the Governor's approval, replacing the draft status.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 15, 2025 · House of Delegates Mar 18, 2025

How they voted

450
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 46
Mar 15, 2025
D Democratic33
33 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican13
12 Yea 1
92% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
19
Key actions
11
Committee
6
Amendments
1
Apr 22, 2025
Signed into law
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 220
executive
Apr 2, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed Enrolled
lower
Apr 2, 2025
Introduced
House Concurs Senate Amendments
lower
Apr 2, 2025
Upper · Passed
Third Reading Passed
upper
Mar 27, 2025
Upper · Passed
Motion Special Order until 3/28 (Senator Ferguson) Adopted
upper
Mar 26, 2025
Upper · Passed
Favorable with Amendments {
upper
Mar 26, 2025
Upper · Passed
Favorable with Amendments Report by Judicial Proceedings
upper
Mar 18, 2025
House Of Delegates · Passed
House of Delegates Vote: pass (131-3-5)
house of delegates
Mar 15, 2025
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (45-0-1)
senate
Mar 7, 2025
Committee
Referred Judicial Proceedings
upper
Mar 6, 2025
Lower · Passed
Third Reading Passed
lower
Mar 4, 2025
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments {
lower
Mar 3, 2025
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments Report by Judiciary
lower
Jan 10, 2025
Committee
First Reading Judiciary
lower
2 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors