Maryland Bills

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 411: State Designations – State Mineral – Chromite (State Mineral Act)

HB 411 designates chromite as Maryland's official state mineral, effective October 1, 2025. The bill formally adds "Chromite is the State Mineral" to Maryland law (Article 7-326 of the Annotated Code), recognizing chromite's historical significance in the state. It highlights chromite's discovery in Baltimore County in 1808, its role in Maryland's early chromium industry (including Isaac Tyson, Jr.'s contributions), and its presence in multiple counties. This is a ceremonial designation with no regulatory or financial impact - it does not create new laws, affect businesses, or change existing policies.

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 335: Natural Resources - Canada Geese - Bag Limits

SB 335 requires Maryland's daily bag limit for Canada geese during the migratory hunting season to match the annual federal limit set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the Atlantic population. This directly affects hunters of Canada geese throughout Maryland, including those in the Atlantic Flyway resident and population hunt zones. The bill amends state law to make federal bag limits mandatory for all Canada geese, replacing Maryland's previous ability to set its own limits. It takes effect July 1, 2025, aligning state hunting regulations with federal wildlife management rules.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 275: Family Law - Child Support - Multifamily Adjustment

HB 275 adjusts Maryland's child support calculation by adding a new deduction for parents with children living in their home for more than 92 nights annually. The bill requires courts to subtract a specific allowance - calculated as 75% of the basic child support obligation for those additional children - from a parent's actual income before determining support amounts. This change directly affects parents with children in their household who are subject to child support orders for other children. The policy aims to better account for the cost of supporting multiple households in child support determinations.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 1076: Residential Real Property - Landlord and Tenant - Notice of Landlord Entry

HB 1076 requires Maryland landlords to provide tenants with written notice at least 48 hours before entering rental properties for repairs, inspections, showings, safety checks, or government-mandated work. The notice must include the entry date/time and purpose, and can be delivered via mail, door notice, or electronic methods (email/text/portal) with proof of delivery. Tenants can sue landlords for violations, seeking court injunctions or damages for unauthorized entries, while landlords remain liable for agents' breaches. This law directly affects all residential landlords and tenants in Maryland, taking effect October 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Housing

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 31: Consumer Protection - Right to Repair - Powered Wheelchairs

HB 31 requires manufacturers of powered wheelchairs to provide independent repair providers and wheelchair owners with necessary documentation, parts, embedded software, firmware, and tools at fair and reasonable terms. This directly affects wheelchair owners seeking repairs and independent repair shops that are not affiliated with manufacturers. Key provisions mandate that manufacturers offer these resources at costs not exceeding their suggested retail price and on terms equivalent to those provided to their own authorized repair providers. The bill creates new legal requirements under Maryland's Commercial Law (Subtitle 50) to ensure accessible repair options for powered wheelchairs.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 533: Peace Orders and Protective Orders – Military Protection Orders

HB 533 requires Maryland judges to consider whether a military protection order (issued under federal law by a commanding officer) exists when deciding on civilian peace or protective orders for the same alleged conduct. It also mandates that law enforcement officers notify the military agency that issued a military protection order if they suspect a service member violated it. This bill directly affects service members, their families, and civilian courts handling protection orders in Maryland. The key change is creating a formal link between military and civilian protection order systems to prevent conflicting orders and ensure military violations are properly reported. It does not create new penalties but streamlines coordination between military and civilian legal processes.

Topics ✓ Veterans

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 856: Mold - Landlord Requirements and Regulations (Maryland Tenant Mold Protection Act)

SB 856 (Maryland Tenant Mold Protection Act) requires landlords of rental properties to provide tenants with mold prevention information at lease signing and every two years, using either a state-developed pamphlet or the EPA’s "Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home." Landlords must conduct mold assessments and remediation within 45 days of receiving written notice about mold from tenants, local housing agencies, or building occupants. The bill mandates that remediation follow industry standards and best practices while requiring landlords to maintain proper ventilation, low humidity, and compliance with housing codes. This law directly affects Maryland landlords and tenants by establishing clear, time-bound requirements for addressing mold hazards in rental units.

Topics ✓ Housing

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 436: Maryland Department of Labor - Study on Building Code Requirements for Single-Staircase Buildings

SB 436 requires the Maryland Department of Labor to study building code requirements for single-staircase buildings (those with only one stairwell for egress) across North America. The study will analyze factors like fire safety, water supply, cost impacts, and feasibility of building up to six stories in urban areas, with the goal of identifying potential changes to increase affordable housing development. The Department must consult fire safety experts and firefighter unions during the study and submit findings and recommendations to the Governor and legislature by December 1, 2025. This bill does not change current codes but sets the stage for future legislative or regulatory action based on the study’s findings. It directly affects future housing developers, local governments, and building code administrators who may implement recommended changes.

Topics ✓ Housing

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 121: Electric Companies - Regional Transmission Organizations - Report (Utility Transparency and Accountability Act)

HB 121, the "Utility Transparency and Accountability Act," requires Maryland electric companies to submit annual reports to the Public Service Commission detailing all recorded votes they cast (or their affiliates cast when the company doesn’t vote) at regional transmission organization meetings. The bill directly affects investor-owned electric companies participating in regional transmission organizations, excluding municipal utilities. Key provisions mandate that reports, due February 1 each year, include every recorded vote regardless of whether it reflected a final position or decision-making authority. The law takes effect October 1, 2025, aiming to establish standardized reporting on company voting activity at these regional energy governance bodies.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 796: Real Property – Filing Fee for Residential Mortgage Foreclosure – Increase

HB 796 increases the filing fee for residential mortgage foreclosure cases in Maryland from $300 to $600 per case. This change affects lenders or mortgage servicers filing foreclosure actions, requiring them to pay the higher fee when submitting court documents. The bill does not alter foreclosure procedures or requirements - only the fee amount is increased. It amends Maryland’s real property law (Section 7-105.1(e)) and takes effect October 1, 2025. The fee increase applies to all residential foreclosures filed after this date.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 1442: Juveniles - Truancy Reduction Pilot Programs - Report

HB 1442 requires the Maryland Judiciary to evaluate existing truancy reduction pilot programs by analyzing student GPA, graduation rates, and truancy rates. The report must include recommendations on whether such a program would be effective specifically in Baltimore City's Eighth Judicial Circuit. The Judiciary must submit this report to the Governor and General Assembly by December 1, 2026. This bill does not create new programs but mandates a time-limited evaluation, expiring automatically on December 31, 2026.

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 73: Chesapeake Conservation Corps Program - Renaming

This bill renames Maryland's Chesapeake Conservation Corps Program to honor former Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. It updates the program's official name throughout state law to "Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. Chesapeake Conservation and Climate Corps Program" without changing the program's structure, funding, or operations. The renaming applies to all references in Maryland's Natural Resources and State Government codes, including funding provisions and program administration details. The program - administered by the Chesapeake Bay Trust and focused on environmental conservation projects - remains unchanged in its purpose and implementation.

Bill results