HB 623 Maryland House of Delegates · 2025 Regular Session

Estates and Trusts - Estate Administration - Publication of Notice

HB 623 requires Maryland counties and Baltimore City to create a centralized website where registers of wills will publish estate-related notices instead of using newspapers. This affects personal representatives (both domestic and foreign), heirs, and creditors who must receive notices about estate appointments, probate requests, and claims deadlines. The bill replaces old newspaper publication rules with website notices, mandating specific content like the foreign representative’s details and claim deadlines, and eliminates the need for foreign representatives to record certifications with the register. It directly changes how notices are delivered, shifting from physical newspapers to a single online platform for all counties.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2025

House of Delegates Passage

Mar 2025

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 23, 2025 Last action Mar 19, 2025

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What changed between versions

First - Estates and Trusts - Estate Administration - Publication of Notice → Third - Estates and Trusts - Estate Administration - Publication of Notice · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill updates Maryland's estate administration laws to modernize notice publication requirements by allowing registers of wills to publish notices on a centralized website instead of (or in addition to) newspapers. It also establishes new reporting requirements for registers of wills to track objections, claims, and will challenges, with reports due by December 1 and December 31 annually.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of notice publication options from requiring newspaper publication to allowing website publication, and adds new reporting obligations for registers of wills to the Maryland Register of Wills Association.

REQUIREMENT

Replaced mandatory newspaper notice publication with an option to publish notices on a centralized website established by registers of wills, or publish both newspaper and website notices.

Added new eligibility criteria allowing website notice publication to satisfy newspaper requirements when heirs are limited to spouse, registered domestic partner, lineal ancestors, or lineal descendants.

Modified foreign personal representative notice requirements to allow publication on the centralized website in addition to newspaper publication.

TIMELINE

Established new annual reporting deadlines: December 1 for registers to report objections, claims, and challenges to the Maryland Register of Wills Association, and December 31 for the association to report to the Governor and General Assembly.

TECHNICAL

Added explanatory text clarifying that capital letters indicate matter added to existing law, brackets indicate deletions, and underlining indicates amendments.

Floor votes · House of Delegates Mar 3, 2025

How they voted

131–0

Passed · 9 other

Total votes 140

Mar 3, 2025

D Democratic101

94 Yea 7

93% Yea

R Republican39

37 Yea 2

94% Yea

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

upper

Mar 13, 2025

Lower · Passed

Third Reading Passed

lower

Mar 12, 2025

Lower · Passed

Favorable with Amendments {

lower

Mar 12, 2025

Lower · Passed

Favorable with Amendments Report by Judiciary

lower

Mar 3, 2025

House Of Delegates · Passed

House of Delegates Vote: pass (131-0-9)

house of delegates

Jan 23, 2025

Committee

First Reading Judiciary

lower

7 primary · 0 co-sponsors