HB 311 Maryland House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Public Schools - Individuals With Disabilities - Accessibility and Emergency Planning

HB 311 requires Maryland public schools to include accessibility for students with disabilities in routine safety evaluations and emergency planning. It mandates that school systems report annually on instances where a facility became inaccessible for a disabled student in a way that could impede evacuation or emergency response. These reports must remain confidential, exempt from public records laws, and only discloseable to legislators upon request. The bill directly affects local school systems and students with disabilities by ensuring accessibility is prioritized in safety protocols. It amends Maryland’s education code to integrate disability accessibility into standard emergency planning procedures.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
Signed into Law
May 2026
Introduced Jan 15, 2026 Signed May 26, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

First - Public Schools - Individuals With Disabilities - Accessibility and Emergency Planning Third - Public Schools - Individuals With Disabilities - Accessibility and Emergency Planning · 3 edits
MINOR
The bill was amended to reflect its progression through the legislative process, including the addition of committee reports and adoption status. Substantively, the text reorganized the structure of the safety evaluation requirements, moving the detailed list of evaluation tasks from the main section to a subsection to improve clarity. The core obligations for schools to assess accessibility and update emergency plans remain unchanged.
TECHNICAL

Reorganized the bill's internal structure by moving specific safety evaluation criteria into a new subsection (a) to improve readability and logical flow.

Added administrative headers indicating the bill was favorably reported by the committee and adopted by the House.

Removed the original introductory text and bill header that preceded the enacted law text.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 21, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 25, 2026

How they voted

420
Passed · 7 other
Total votes 49
Mar 21, 2026
D Democratic36
29 Yea 7
80% Yea
R Republican13
13 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
17
Key actions
11
Committee
6
May 26, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 666
executive
Apr 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Returned Passed
lower
Apr 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
Third Reading Passed
upper
Apr 8, 2026
Upper · Passed
Motion Special Order until 4/9 (Senator Muse) Adopted
upper
Apr 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
upper
Apr 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment
upper
Mar 21, 2026
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (42-0-7)
senate
Mar 9, 2026
Committee
Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment
upper
Mar 6, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third Reading Passed
lower
Mar 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments {
lower
Mar 4, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments Report by Ways and Means
lower
Feb 25, 2026
House Of Delegates · Passed
House of Delegates Vote: pass (120-0-22)
house of delegates
Jan 15, 2026
Committee
First Reading Ways and Means
lower
5 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors