Maryland Bills

in committee · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 6, 2025

HB 1551: Alcoholic Beverages - Class 5 Breweries - On-Premises Consumption

HB 1551 increases the percentage of beer a Class 5 brewery license holder can sell for on-premises consumption from 25% to 35% under specific conditions. It directly affects small breweries (Class 5 license holders) by allowing them to sell more beer brewed off-site - through contracts with other brewers or affiliates - as long as it doesn’t exceed the new 35% cap on total on-premises sales or 1.2% of their total production. The bill modifies existing rules to permit this expanded sourcing while maintaining oversight through annual sales limits. The change takes effect July 1, 2025.

in committee · Maryland · Senate Mar 6, 2025

SB 1045: Sales and Use Tax - Taxable Business Services - Alterations

Maryland Senate Bill 1045 modifies the state's sales and use tax code to include labor and services for "alterations" (such as construction, renovation, or installation work) under taxable business services. It directly affects contractors, renovation firms, and businesses providing on-site labor for building modifications. The bill amends tax definitions to explicitly make "labor or service for application or installation" subject to sales tax when performed for alterations, removing previous exemptions. This change applies to commercial properties and services where the work is part of a taxable transaction, as specified in revised sections of Maryland's tax code (11-101(l)(3) and 11-104(l)).

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

in committee · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 6, 2025

HB 1554: Sales and Use Tax - Taxable Business Services - Alterations

HB 1554 amends Maryland’s sales tax code to include certain labor and installation services under taxable business services. Previously exempt services like applying materials or installing equipment (e.g., for commercial buildings or machinery) will now be subject to sales tax. This directly affects businesses providing these services to other businesses, requiring them to collect and remit tax at the standard rate. The bill removes specific exemptions from the "taxable price" definition that previously excluded such labor and services.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

in committee · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 5, 2025

HB 1513: Public Schools - School Security Personnel - Prohibition of Immigration Investigation and Enforcement Functions

HB 1513 prohibits school resource officers and school security employees in Maryland public schools from engaging in federal immigration investigation or enforcement activities. It directly affects school security personnel, including law enforcement officers assigned to schools under memorandums of understanding and non-officer security staff. The bill adds Section 7-1508.1 to Maryland’s education code, explicitly banning the use of school security staff for federal immigration enforcement functions under Section 287(g) of federal law. The prohibition takes effect July 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Immigration

in committee · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 5, 2025

HB 1508: Baltimore City - Sales Tax - Authorization

HB 1508 authorizes Baltimore City to impose a local sales tax of up to 2% on retail sales and taxable services within the city, subject to specific rules. The bill modifies Maryland tax law to explicitly grant Baltimore City Council the authority to set this tax rate and requires the city to notify the state Comptroller at least six months before any rate changes. It also establishes that Baltimore would receive a share of state sales tax revenue distributed under new Section 2-1302.5 of the tax code. This directly affects Baltimore residents and businesses by enabling the city to generate local revenue through this sales tax, while ensuring the tax rate remains capped at 2% and aligns with state tax administration procedures.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

in committee · Maryland · Senate Mar 4, 2025

SB 990: Consumer Protection - Agricultural Equipment Warranties

SB 990 requires farmers and other consumers who purchase agricultural equipment to provide written notice (via certified mail) to manufacturers about equipment defects during the warranty period. It mandates manufacturers to repair issues within 30 days at no cost to the consumer, even after the warranty expires. If repairs fail, the bill gives consumers the option to get a replacement or a refund (minus a reasonable deduction for use and damage). This applies to new farming equipment like tractors and harvesters, and violations would be enforced under Maryland’s Consumer Protection Act.

in committee · Maryland · Senate Mar 4, 2025

SB 1025: Commercial Law - Voice and Visual Likeness - Digital Replication Rights (Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act - NO FAKES Act)

This bill establishes a legal right for individuals to control the use of their voice or visual likeness in digital replicas (computer-generated, realistic representations). It applies to all people, living or deceased, and grants perpetual rights that don't expire at death - allowing heirs or licensees to transfer or license these rights after death. Online platforms hosting user-generated content must designate an agent to handle violation notices, and the Secretary of State must maintain records of related claims. The law explicitly excludes standard copyright uses like sampling music or remixing, focusing only on unauthorized digital replicas.

Topics ✓ Technology

in committee · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 4, 2025

HB 1511: Natural Resources - Wildlife Damage Prevention and Reimbursement Fund - Establishment

HB 1511 establishes Maryland's Wildlife Damage Prevention and Reimbursement Fund to reimburse agricultural producers for crop damage caused by deer, geese, and other wildlife. The fund, financed by $5 conservation deer stamps, state appropriations (minimum $50,000 annually), and grants, reimburses eligible farmers up to $5,000 per year for verified damage after they follow department-recommended prevention measures. It also funds prevention projects - like reducing wildlife food sources in communities - that require local support, cost-effectiveness, and community planning. The bill excludes damage from domestic animals or black bears and requires verification by University of Maryland Extension agents.

in committee · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 4, 2025

HB 1496: Building Code - Construction and Significant Renovation of Housing Units - Electric Vehicle Parking Spaces

HB 1496 requires new multifamily housing buildings and certain significant renovations to include electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. Specifically, it mandates that new buildings with separate parking per unit must include either one fully installed EV charging space or one "EV-ready" space (with wiring capacity for future installation). For common parking areas, developers must provide one EVSE-installed space per 25 units, plus increasing percentages of EV-ready spaces (10% by 2025, 20% by 2031, 30% by 2036) for new projects. This applies to multifamily housing subject to the International Residential Code, directly affecting developers and builders of new residential properties in Maryland. The bill defines technical terms like "EV-ready" to ensure consistent implementation.

Topics ✓ Energy ✓ Environment ✓ Transportation

in committee · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 4, 2025

HB 1533: Motor Vehicle Administration Records - Access to Digital Photographic Images and Signatures - Baltimore City

HB 1533 allows Baltimore City's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) within the Department of Housing and Community Development to access digital photos and signatures from Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) records. The bill amends existing law to explicitly include the SIU as a "criminal justice agency" authorized to view these records, which were previously restricted from public access. This change specifically permits the SIU to obtain digital images and signatures stored by the MVA for housing and community development investigations, without altering other public access rules for these records.

in committee · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 4, 2025

HB 1525: Municipalities - Annexation - Limitations

HB 1525 prohibits Maryland municipalities from annexing land located in a different legislative district than the municipality itself. This directly affects cities and towns seeking to expand their boundaries, as they can no longer annex adjacent land if it falls in a separate legislative district. The bill amends Maryland’s local government code (Section 4-401(c)(2)) to explicitly ban such annexations, while maintaining existing rules requiring contiguous boundaries and preventing unincorporated areas. It does not change other annexation requirements, such as land being adjacent to the municipality’s current boundaries. The law takes effect immediately as an emergency measure.

in committee · Maryland · Senate Feb 25, 2025

SB 1029: Estates and Trusts - Interpretation of Wills - Extrinsic Evidence of Intent (Granny's Law)

SB 1029, known as "Granny's Law," allows personal representatives (like executors) to ask courts to interpret wills when a decedent left a bequest to a health provider or charity without specifying it must address health equity, but the decedent showed lifelong interest in health equity. It creates a rebuttable presumption that such bequests should fund health equity efforts, requiring the personal representative to prove the decedent's intent with evidence like their lifetime actions. If a beneficiary doesn’t show how the bequest was used for health equity within 3 years of estate probate, the personal representative can seek court orders to return the funds or recover their value. The law applies retroactively to wills probated since October 1, 2021, directly affecting estates with health-related bequests and beneficiaries receiving those funds.

Bill results