SB 154 Maryland Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Commercial Law - Uniform Commercial Code - Controllable Electronic Records

SB 154 adds Article 12 to Maryland's Uniform Commercial Code to establish rules for property rights in certain digital assets, including controllable electronic records, accounts, and payment intangibles. It directly affects businesses and financial institutions handling digital transactions by defining how control and ownership transfer for these assets. The bill creates a new standard for "control" (requiring exclusive power to access benefits and transfer the asset) and ensures qualifying purchasers acquire rights free of competing claims. This changes how digital property rights are managed under Maryland law, replacing ambiguous state rules with a clear, standardized framework.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Oct 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Governor
Introduced Oct 31, 2025 Last action Mar 6, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

First - Commercial Law - Uniform Commercial Code - Controllable Electronic Records Third - Commercial Law - Uniform Commercial Code - Controllable Electronic Records · 4 edits
MODERATE
This bill update reflects procedural progress in the legislative process, adding committee approval and adoption status, while reorganizing the bill's structure and definitions. The substantive legal content regarding controllable electronic records remains largely unchanged, with only formatting adjustments to the text layout and citation numbering.
Scope change
No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; changes are primarily procedural and formatting-related.
TIMELINE

Added committee report status (Favorable) and Senate adoption date (February 12, 2026), indicating the bill has passed key legislative stages.

TECHNICAL

Reorganized the bill's header and section numbering for clarity, shifting from a continuous page format to a more structured layout with chapter placeholders.

Adjusted line breaks and spacing in definitions (e.g., Account Debtor, Chattel Paper) to improve readability without altering legal meaning.

Removed internal tracking numbers and draft identifiers (e.g., 'HB 1353/25 - ECM') that were used during earlier legislative processing.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 14, 2026

How they voted

450
Passed · 4 other
Total votes 49
Feb 14, 2026
D Democratic36
33 Yea 3
91% Yea
R Republican13
12 Yea 1
92% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
10
Key actions
4
Committee
4
Feb 20, 2026
Committee
Referred Economic Matters
lower
Feb 19, 2026
Upper · Passed
Third Reading Passed
upper
Feb 17, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Adopted
upper
Feb 16, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Report by Finance
upper
Feb 14, 2026
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (45-0-4)
senate
Jan 14, 2026
Committee
First Reading Finance
upper
Oct 31, 2025
Introduced
Pre-filed
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Ron Watson
Ron Watson
DDemocratic
MD
23