Maryland Bills

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 618: Vehicle Laws - Licenses, Identification Cards, and Moped Operator's Permits - Notation of Nonapparent Disability (Eric's ID Law)

SB 618 (Eric's ID Law) requires Maryland's Motor Vehicle Administration to allow applicants for driver's licenses, ID cards, or moped permits to voluntarily indicate a nonapparent disability (like developmental or intellectual disabilities) on their documents. If selected, the MVA must add a visible notation to the document, with no fee, and cannot require proof of the disability or deny an application based on it. The law also prohibits disclosing this information to insurance companies and mandates public outreach about the notation, plus police training on interacting with individuals who have it. This directly affects Maryland residents with nonapparent disabilities who choose to use this option on their identification.

Nick Charles (D) Jeff Waldstreicher (D) Mike McKay (R) Michael Jackson (D) Johnny Salling (R)

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 54: Motor Vehicles - Specially Designed Vintage Reproduction Registration Plates

SB 54 removes the time limit for Maryland’s Motor Vehicle Administration to offer specially designed vintage reproduction license plates. It directly affects owners of qualifying vintage vehicles (including passenger cars, small trucks, historic vehicles, multipurpose vehicles, and street rods) who wish to display these plates. The bill requires a one-time $100 fee for initial issuance and a $25 annual renewal fee, with funds covering administration costs and funding the Gasoline and Motor Vehicle Revenue Account. The plates must resemble the 1910 black-letter-on-yellow design and remain available indefinitely.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 674: Criminal Law - Dismembering or Burying Human Remains With Intent to Conceal a Crime

HB 674 prohibits individuals from intentionally concealing a death by failing to notify emergency services or law enforcement, dismembering or destroying human remains, or burying a dead body. It also bans aiding or abetting these acts. Violating this law is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, with sentences served consecutively to other related convictions. The bill directly affects anyone who attempts to hide a death through these specific actions, targeting concealment of death rather than the underlying crime.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 548: Family Law - Child Custody - Determinations

SB 548 modifies Maryland's child custody laws to require courts to consider additional factors when determining custody arrangements. It expands the definition of abuse to include harm to other parents, spouses, or children in the household (Section 9-101.1), mandates denial of custody to parents convicted of murder (with supervised visitation as an exception, Section 9-101.2), and adds 16 specific factors courts must weigh - including child safety from conflict/violence, developmental needs, and parental communication (Section 9-201). The bill directly affects parents involved in custody disputes, particularly those with histories of abuse or criminal convictions. These changes aim to strengthen child safety protections and provide clearer guidelines for judicial decisions.

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 326: Public Safety - Law Enforcement Agencies - Peer Support Programs

SB 326 establishes confidentiality rules for peer support programs in Maryland law enforcement agencies. It requires that communications between officers and peer support specialists (trained law enforcement staff or Fraternal Order of Police members) remain private, with limited exceptions for threats of suicide, imminent harm to others, child/vulnerable adult abuse, or criminal admissions. Before any session, specialists must provide written notice of these confidentiality rules to participants. The bill directly affects law enforcement agencies and officers using these peer support services, ensuring their counseling discussions are protected unless specific safety or legal thresholds are met.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 388: Vehicle Laws - Drunk and Drugged Driving - Points Assessments

HB 388 increases point assessments for repeat drunk and drugged driving offenses in Maryland. It adds 12 points to a driver's record for violations of Section 21-902(h) (second offense) and Section 21-902(i) (third offense), as specified in amended Section 16-402(a)(47) and (48) of the Maryland Vehicle Laws. This directly affects drivers convicted of multiple violations under these sections, which include prior DUI/DUI-related convictions. The bill modifies existing law to clarify the point penalties without changing the underlying offense definitions or criminal penalties.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 1030: Baltimore County and Baltimore City - Vehicle Laws - Lighting on Privately Owned Vehicles

This bill allows up to five top-ranking officers in Baltimore County and Baltimore City nonprofit volunteer emergency medical services organizations (with commercial ambulance licenses) to equip their personally owned vehicles with red or red-and-white lights. These lights may only be used while traveling to or at the scene of an emergency. The law modifies Maryland vehicle code to permit this specific use, replacing existing restrictions on non-emergency vehicle lighting. The change takes effect October 1, 2025.

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 1028: Natural Resources - Vessels - Carbon Monoxide Warning Labels (Matthew's Law)

SB 1028 requires all gasoline-powered vessels operated on Maryland waters to have carbon monoxide warning labels affixed in conspicuous locations near both the transom and helm. This law directly affects boat operators, including recreational and commercial users, by mandating these labels as a condition of operation. The bill amends Maryland's State Boat Act to prohibit operation without these labels, effective October 1, 2025. It creates a specific, enforceable safety requirement for vessel operators without specifying additional safety outcomes or enforcement details.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 857: Natural Resources - Pursuing Wounded Deer After Legal Hunting Hours and Using a Light - Authorization

HB 857 allows licensed Maryland deer hunters who wound a deer during legal hunting hours to pursue and kill it after hours, provided they use only the same hunting method authorized for their season (e.g., archery or firearms). The bill amends Maryland’s natural resources law (Section 10-428 of the Annotated Code) to create this exception to standard hunting hour restrictions. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources must adopt regulations to implement the new rule, which takes effect July 1, 2025. This directly affects licensed deer hunters who wound deer during legal hours but cannot complete the harvest before closing.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 1473: State Government - Equal Access to Public Services for Individuals With Limited English Proficiency and Individuals With Disabilities

HB 1473 requires Maryland state departments, agencies, and programs to provide equal access to public services for individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) and disabilities. It mandates these entities to develop language access plans by July 2027, including accommodations like interpreters, sign language, and plain language materials. The Governor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs will oversee compliance, investigate complaints, and receive $400,000 annually starting in fiscal year 2027 to support implementation. The bill expands existing LEP protections to explicitly include disability accommodations under defined "equal access" standards.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Immigration

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 600: Baltimore City and Takoma Park - Stop Sign Monitoring Systems - Authorization of Pilot Program

SB 600 authorizes Baltimore City to implement a pilot program using automated stop sign monitoring systems in school zones, subject to local approval. It allows citations and civil penalties for drivers who fail to stop at stop signs in these zones, with specific defenses available for alleged violations. The bill specifies that penalties collected from these citations must cover system costs first, with any remaining funds dedicated solely to public safety programs like pedestrian safety initiatives. It also prohibits contractors administering the systems from being paid based on citation volume. This pilot program applies only to school zones within Baltimore City and requires city authorization before implementation.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 517: Workgroup on the Reorganization of the Maryland Transit Administration

HB 517 establishes the Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC) Rail Authority to manage MARC rail operations, directly affecting Maryland's commuter rail service and its riders. The bill creates a new authority with a chair (the Transportation Secretary), appointed members with rail expertise, and an executive director, giving it authority over MARC facility projects including construction, maintenance, and operations. Key provisions include the authority's power to contract with the Department of Transportation, finance projects, apply for federal grants, and adhere to state transit plans. The bill does not create a workgroup as the title suggests but instead forms a formal governing body to oversee MARC rail services. This is a substantive policy change, not a procedural resolution.

Topics ✓ Transportation

Bill results