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HB 664 Maryland House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Cecil County - Alcoholic Beverages - Alteration of License Quota

HB 664 changes Cecil County's limit for Class A alcoholic beverage licenses (for full-service restaurants and bars) from 1 license per 400 registered voters to 1 license per 1,200 registered voters. This increases the total number of such licenses allowed countywide by reducing the quota requirement. The bill specifically affects only Class A licenses and excludes other license types (like beer/wine restaurants or golf course licenses) from the calculation. The new quota applies separately to each election district in Cecil County and takes effect July 1, 2026.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
Signed into Law
May 2026
Introduced Jan 30, 2026 Signed May 26, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

First - Cecil County - Alcoholic Beverages - Alteration of License Quota → Third - Cecil County - Alcoholic Beverages - Alteration of License Quota · 3 edits
MINOR
The bill progressed from its first reading to a favorable committee report and adoption, adding signatures for the Governor, Speaker, and Senate President. The substantive text of the law remains largely unchanged, though the bill number associated with the committee report was updated to SB 897. A minor formatting adjustment was made to the voter quota calculation, changing the reference from '1 for every 400' to '1 for every 1,200' in the explanatory context.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains limited to Cecil County, with no changes to its applicability.
TECHNICAL

The bill number in the committee report header was updated from HB 664 to SB 897, likely reflecting a procedural change or error correction.

Signatures for the Governor, Speaker of the House, and President of the Senate were added, indicating the bill has been approved by the executive and legislative leadership.

The explanatory text regarding the license quota calculation was adjusted to clarify the ratio as '1 for every 1,200 registered voters' instead of '1 for every 400', though the core legal requirement in the statute text appears consistent.

Floor votes · House of Delegates Mar 11, 2026

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
13
Key actions
9
Committee
6
May 26, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 825
executive
Apr 7, 2026
Lower · Passed
Returned Passed
lower
Apr 6, 2026
Upper · Passed
Third Reading Passed
upper
Mar 31, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
upper
Mar 30, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Report by Finance
upper
Mar 23, 2026
Committee
Referred Finance
upper
Mar 23, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third Reading Passed
lower
Mar 21, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments {
lower
Mar 21, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments Report by Government, Labor, and Elections
lower
Mar 11, 2026
House Of Delegates · Passed
House of Delegates Vote: pass (135-1-6)
house of delegates
Jan 30, 2026
Committee
First Reading Government, Labor, and Elections
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.