Maryland Bills

signed · Maryland · Senate May 16, 2024

SB 560: Frederick County - Alcoholic Beverages - Municipal Golf Course License

This Maryland bill updates the rules for selling alcohol at the City of Frederick's municipal golf course. It allows the county's licensing board to issue a special permit to either the golf course manager or a city official chosen by the mayor. The law also permits the board to move this permit to a different manager or official if requested by the city. Under the new provisions, the permit holder can sell beer, wine, and liquor for on-site consumption, and the annual fee for the license is set at $600.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 16, 2024

HB 1244: Maryland Higher Education Commission - Academic Program Approval and Institutional Mission Statements - Requirements

HB 1244 requires the Maryland Department of Labor, Department of Commerce, and Maryland Higher Education Commission to each designate a staff member dedicated to analyzing state workforce needs and sharing data to guide higher education policies. The bill establishes a new advisory council to oversee program reviews and mandates that the Commission publish clear administrative guidelines for its approval process. It also introduces a grant fund to support public universities collaborating on new graduate programs and sets specific rules for online degree offerings and institutional mission statements. Additionally, the legislation requires institutions to submit letters of intent before launching new graduate programs and allows for objections to proposed online courses under certain conditions.

signed · Maryland · Senate May 16, 2024

SB 468: Criminal Law - Private Home Detention Monitoring - Notification

This bill requires private agencies monitoring individuals released on bail or probation to immediately report specific violations to the court or the Division of Parole and Probation. The law mandates that companies notify authorities within 24 hours if a person goes missing, within one hour if monitoring equipment is tampered with, and immediately if the person enters a prohibited area. To ensure compliance, the bill authorizes the Secretary of Public Safety to impose daily civil penalties of up to $1,000 for the first day and $250 for each subsequent day of failure to report. Additionally, the legislation clarifies that people subject to this monitoring are released rather than committed to custody and establishes a new workgroup to oversee home detention practices.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 16, 2024

HB 865: Maryland Medical Assistance Program and Health Insurance - Coverage for Prostheses (So Every Body Can Move Act)

This Maryland law requires medical assistance programs and private health insurers to cover custom devices known as orthoses, which are used to treat neuromuscular or musculoskeletal conditions. Starting in 2025, these plans must provide coverage for both the initial devices and their replacements, ensuring that replacement costs are not unfairly restricted if repairs would be too expensive or if the patient's condition changes. The legislation also mandates that insurers treat these devices as essential health benefits without imposing separate deductibles, higher copayments, or lifetime spending caps. Additionally, the bill prohibits discrimination in coverage decisions based on disability and sets clear standards for when a doctor can determine a device is medically necessary for daily living or physical activities.

signed · Maryland · Senate May 16, 2024

SB 975: Maryland Department of Health - Reproductive Health Care Clinic Security Grant Program - Establishment (Supporting Reproductive Health Care Clinics Act)

This Maryland law establishes a grant program to help reproductive health care clinics improve their physical security and safety operations. Administered by the Governor's Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services, the program provides funding for specific upgrades such as better lighting, fencing, access control systems, and alarm networks. To qualify, clinics must offer legally protected reproductive health services, and the program includes strict rules to keep applicant information confidential to protect the safety of the recipients. The legislation authorizes an initial budget of $500,000 for fiscal year 2026, with up to 5% of those funds reserved for administrative costs.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 16, 2024

HB 1056: State Board of Pharmacy - Prohibition on Discrimination Against 340B Drug Distribution

This Maryland law prohibits drug manufacturers, wholesalers, and logistics providers from discriminating against pharmacies that are authorized to receive discounted 340B drugs on behalf of covered entities. The bill makes it an unfair trade practice to deny or restrict the acquisition or delivery of these discounted medications, with the exception of cases where federal law explicitly forbids the transfer. Violations can result in fines up to $5,000 per package, license discipline by the State Board of Pharmacy, or investigation by the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division. Additionally, the Maryland Prescription Drug Affordability Board is tasked with studying the state's 340B program implementation, financials, and the impact of these new protections.

signed · Maryland · Senate May 16, 2024

SB 1071: Hospitals - Opioid Overdose and Opioid-Related Emergency Medical Conditions - Treatment

This Maryland law requires hospitals to create specific emergency protocols for treating patients suffering from opioid overdoses or related medical conditions. To support this, hospitals must keep certain approved medications on hand and agree to administer them if a doctor recommends it and the patient consents. The bill also mandates that hospitals connect patients diagnosed with opioid use disorder to community treatment providers and peer support specialists before they are discharged. Additionally, the law directs the Governor to use funds from the Opioid Restitution Fund to pay for hospital training and resources needed to implement these new requirements.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 16, 2024

HB 647: Property and Casualty Insurance – Pet Insurance – Regulation

This Maryland bill establishes a new legal framework to regulate pet insurance policies sold to residents or offered within the state. It requires insurance companies to clearly disclose specific details to consumers, such as exclusions for preexisting, hereditary, congenital, or chronic conditions, as well as information about waiting periods, deductibles, and how claims are calculated. The legislation also mandates that policies include a ten-day cancellation window where premiums are refunded if no claims have been made, and it directs the Maryland Insurance Administration to create informational materials for veterinarians to help them explain these policies to pet owners.

signed · Maryland · Senate May 16, 2024

SB 807: Somerset County - Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Medical Services

This bill authorizes Somerset County officials to create or designate a specific entity responsible for managing fire, rescue, and emergency medical services. It requires the county to establish an Emergency Services Advisory Council to offer recommendations on how these services operate. The legislation ensures that any new administrative structure maintains the existing volunteer nature of these emergency services. Effective October 1, 2024, the county gains the legal framework to organize and regulate its emergency response systems.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 16, 2024

HB 592: Prince George's County - Judgeships - Circuit Courts

This bill increases the number of resident judges in the Prince George's County Circuit Court from 24 to 25. It achieves this by amending state law to update the official count of judges for the county while leaving the numbers for all other jurisdictions unchanged. The change is set to take effect on July 1, 2024, and requires no additional funding or structural changes to the court system.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 16, 2024

HB 1377: Frederick County - Alcoholic Beverages - Brewery and Distillery Licenses

This bill updates Maryland's alcohol laws to create new license categories for breweries and distilleries in Frederick County, allowing them to sell beer and liquor for on-site consumption. It authorizes local officials to issue specific permits that let these businesses sell a limited amount of their own products to customers at their locations, with strict caps on how much can be sold annually. The legislation also clarifies rules for breweries with large production volumes, ensuring they follow specific guidelines when selling beer brewed elsewhere or purchased from wholesalers. Overall, the law aims to provide a structured framework for local alcohol producers to operate tasting rooms while maintaining state and local regulatory oversight.

signed · Maryland · Senate May 16, 2024

SB 623: Prison Education Delivery Reform Commission

This bill establishes the Prison Education Delivery Reform Commission in Maryland to study how education within the criminal justice system impacts public safety and recidivism. The commission will be composed of state officials, experts, community representatives, and individuals with prior experience in the correctional system, who will work together to gather public input and research best practices for education and workforce training for incarcerated people. Over a two-year period, the group will develop a data-driven policy framework aimed at reducing reoffending while ensuring that available programs lead to meaningful employment opportunities. The commission is required to submit an interim report by June 2025 and a final report by January 2026 before the law expires in June 2026.

Bill results