Maryland Bills

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 120: Restrictions on Use - Solar Collector Systems - Alteration

SB 120 limits community associations (like homeowner or condominium associations) from imposing unreasonable restrictions on solar panel installations. It prohibits rules that increase installation costs by 5% or more, or reduce energy output by 10% or more, and requires property owners to provide documentation from a certified solar specialist to challenge such restrictions. Associations may still ban solar installations in common areas (e.g., shared yards) or set reasonable rules about placement, size, or installation methods in those areas. The bill also allows property owners to create recorded solar easements to protect sunlight access for their systems, but does not apply to historic properties listed in Maryland’s historic register.

Topics ✓ Energy

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 527: Maryland Transit Administration - Purple Line - Free Ridership and Promotional Materials and Services

HB 527 requires the Maryland Transit Administration to provide three months of free rides on the Purple Line for residents living within a quarter-mile of the tracks, and free advertising space on Purple Line vehicles and stations for businesses within the same quarter-mile radius. The program would begin when Purple Line service starts and last for three months, applying to all qualifying residents and businesses near the transit line. It takes effect October 1, 2025, and directly affects local residents and small businesses adjacent to the Purple Line corridor. The bill creates a temporary incentive to encourage ridership and support nearby commercial activity during the initial service period.

Topics ✓ Transportation

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 9: Public Safety - Food System Resiliency Council - Definitions and Reports

HB 9 clarifies key terms for Maryland's Food System Resiliency Council, defining "healthy food priority areas" as predominantly lower-income neighborhoods with limited access to affordable healthy food, and "wasted food" to include donations, composting, animal feed, and other management methods. The bill updates reporting requirements for the Council, removing outdated mandates and adjusting ongoing reporting obligations. It directs the Council to address food insecurity (especially post-pandemic), develop equity-focused policies to eliminate racial disparities and food deserts, and create a strategic plan to boost local food production and procurement. The Council must collaborate with affected communities and food organizations, with reports to the General Assembly. This bill primarily affects the Council, local food organizations, and residents in underserved food-access areas.

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 425: Environment - Coal Combustion By-Products - Fees, Coordinating Committee, and Regulations

SB 425 establishes a minimum $2.30 per ton fee for power plants generating coal combustion by-products (like ash), with fees based on factors including tonnage, disposal methods, and beneficial reuse (e.g., in cement or mine reclamation). It creates a Statewide Coal Combustion By-Products Coordinating Committee to share monitoring data and discuss site remediation, requiring annual reports to legislative committees starting in 2027. The bill also mandates the Department of the Environment to adopt regulations aligning with federal guidelines by 2026. Power plants and the state agency directly affected by these fee structures and reporting requirements.

Topics ✓ Environment

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 506: Chesapeake Bay Legacy Act

HB 506, the Chesapeake Bay Legacy Act, creates the Maryland Leaders in Environmentally Engaged Farming (LEEF) Program to reduce nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay watershed through voluntary farm conservation practices. The bill establishes a special fund for the program, redefines "healthy soils" for existing soil programs, and exempts certain fishing license holders from needing food establishment licenses. Key provisions include tiered recognition for farms adopting conservation practices, requirements for the Department of Environment to authorize water quality trading credits, and new rules for fisheries management and aquaculture leases. The bill directly affects Maryland farmers, state environmental agencies, and fishing industry participants by changing how conservation incentives and regulations are implemented.

Topics ✓ Environment

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 1209: Child Abuse and Neglect - Reports and Records - Disclosure

HB 1209 requires local social services departments or Maryland's Secretary of Human Services to disclose child abuse and neglect records within 30 days if a child in their care suffered a fatality or near-fatality. It mandates that the Secretary notify the State’s Attorney’s office of such disclosure requests, giving prosecutors 30 days to redact information that could hinder ongoing criminal cases. If redaction occurs, the State’s Attorney must notify the social services department within 10 days after the case concludes, after which the department must disclose the records within 30 days. This law directly affects child welfare agencies, prosecutors, and families involved in abuse cases with fatal outcomes, while balancing transparency with legal proceedings.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 243: Family Law - Adoption of an Adult

HB 243 modifies Maryland's adoption laws to specifically address adult adoptions. It removes the requirement for a petitioner's spouse to join the adoption petition when adopting an adult (a rule that currently applies only to minors), eliminates the need for parental consent from an adult's parents, and exempts adult adoption cases from standard show-cause order procedures for parents. Courts may still order investigations for adult adoptions only if "good cause" is shown, but this is not mandatory. The bill directly affects adults seeking adoption and their petitioners, streamlining the process compared to current rules for minor adoptions.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 1111: Public Utilities - Solar Energy Generating Systems - Systems Located on or Over Water Retention Ponds, Quarries, or Brownfields

HB 1111 expands Maryland's Small Solar Energy Generating System Incentive Program to include floating solar systems on water retention ponds, quarries, and brownfields, while exempting these installations from property tax. It amends state law to explicitly add "floating systems" and "systems located on brownfields" to the eligibility criteria for both the incentive program (under Public Utilities law) and the property tax exemption (under Tax law). This directly affects property owners, developers, and local governments with sites like water retention ponds, quarries, or brownfields where solar panels could be installed. The bill makes these specific locations eligible for financial incentives and tax relief, effective July 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Energy ✓ Environment

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 96: Environment - Water Bottle Filling Stations - Requirement

SB 96 requires new buildings and certain renovations to install water bottle filling stations (replacing or adding to drinking fountains) starting October 1, 2025. It directly affects developers and builders of new construction or renovations where drinking fountains are required under plumbing codes. The bill defines these stations as fixtures for filling personal containers (10+ inches tall), including filtered/cooling options, and directs the Maryland Department of Labor to create regulations. The law applies prospectively to projects under contract after July 1, 2025.

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 164: Terminology and Obsolete References - Maryland State Firefighters Association and Related Terms

SB 164 updates outdated terminology in Maryland law by replacing "Maryland State Firemen’s Association" with "Maryland State Firefighters Association" in multiple code sections. It specifically amends references in laws related to courts, education, health, labor, public safety, and taxes to ensure consistent terminology. The bill does not create new programs or change existing policies - it only corrects the association’s name in legal references. This change directly affects all state laws and administrative processes that previously used the obsolete term. The bill is purely procedural, with no substantive policy impact.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 491: St. Mary's County - Metropolitan Commission - Discontinuance of Service

HB 491 authorizes St. Mary’s County’s Metropolitan Commission to cut off water or sewer service for nonpayment (after 30 days) or for properties deemed unsafe due to disasters. It directly affects private property owners in St. Mary’s County by requiring suspension of the "ready-to-serve" charge during service interruptions. Key provisions include allowing service disconnection for unsafe conditions, mandating charge suspension until service resumes, and granting the Commission new enforcement tools like fines up to $1,000 per day for violations. The bill amends existing local laws to clarify these service discontinuation procedures and enforcement options.

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 250: Department of the Environment - Fees, Penalties, Funding, and Regulation

SB 250 updates fee structures and funding mechanisms for Maryland's Department of the Environment. It creates the Private Dam Repair Fund to provide financial assistance for repairing, upgrading, or removing private dams, requiring dam owners to pay registration fees into this fund. The bill also specifies that the Maryland Clean Air Fund must be used solely for reducing air pollution and cannot revert to the General Fund. Additionally, it alters fees for oil transfers, lead risk reduction in housing, and other environmental programs, requiring the Department to set some fees through regulation.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Environment

Bill results