Maryland Bills

SB 28 requires vehicle manufacturers, distributors, and factory branches in Maryland to allow dealers to list the full purchase price (excluding taxes, title fees, and disclosed freight charges) for vehicles on their websites. It prohibits manufacturers from stopping dealers from showing this price, forcing dealers to use a different price, or punishing dealers for listing the actual price. The bill specifically allows manufacturers to still require dealers to include freight or processing fees in displayed prices. This directly affects dealers who sell vehicles and manufacturers who supply them, increasing transparency in online vehicle pricing.

SB 206 alters Maryland's Rape Kit Collection, Testing, and Tracking Grant Fund to expand its allowable uses. The fund now provides multiyear state funding to law enforcement agencies for testing sexual assault evidence kits, covering equipment, supplies, personnel, and outsourcing - both for kits collected before and after the fund's establishment. It specifically allows grants for hospitals to hire forensic nurse examiners (RN-FNEs), train staff for RN-FNE certification, improve lab capacity, and support digital reporting systems. The bill requires annual reports to the General Assembly and designates the fund as nonlapsing, ensuring continuous funding for these services.

SB 191 prohibits placing children in need of assistance (CINA) in unlicensed settings - such as hotels, shelters for runaway/homeless youth, or office stays - except under strict exceptions. It requires child welfare agencies to document clear evidence that all reasonable efforts were made to find licensed alternatives, including kinship care, family-based placements, or licensed facilities, before using an unlicensed setting. The bill allows up to 10 days in an unlicensed setting without special approval, with extensions requiring authorization from the Secretary of Human Services. This directly affects child welfare agencies, foster care placements, and children under Maryland’s CINA system, ensuring state funds are not used for unlicensed placements without documented justification. (Based on Md. Code, Family Law §§ 5-501(m), 5-506.1)

SB 71 establishes a 19-member Task Force on Common Ownership Communities to study issues affecting condo, co-op, and HOA communities in Maryland. The Task Force will examine education needs for community boards and homeowners, the feasibility of statewide dispute resolution services, potential licensing for community managers, and best practices for elections and governance. It must submit findings and recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly by December 31, 2026. The bill does not implement new laws but creates a temporary study group that expires June 30, 2027. This directly affects community boards, homeowners, and managers within Maryland's common ownership communities.

SB 218 requires Maryland's Commissioner of Labor to notify licensing authorities when an employer (a "licensee") is found in violation of workplace fraud laws (specifically misclassifying employees under §3-903/3-904) and fails to pay penalties or restitution within 45 days. Licensing authorities must then suspend or revoke the employer's license, but must first provide written notice and allow a limited appeal solely to contest whether the wrong entity was identified. Licenses cannot be reinstated until the Commissioner confirms full payment of penalties/restitution or issues a court order for reinstatement, and the policy applies to successor businesses or individuals with the same principals. This directly affects licensed employers in fields like construction, plumbing, and home improvement regulated by Maryland's occupational licensing boards.

SB 233 amends Maryland’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) to include licensed veterinarians who dispense controlled substances for animals in the usual course of veterinary care as "dispensers" under the law. This change directly affects veterinarians treating animals with controlled medications, requiring them to report to the PDMP like other dispensers (e.g., pharmacists). The bill also clarifies that the PDMP is not required to share prescription monitoring data with veterinarians. These updates revise specific sections of Maryland’s health code (21-2A-01 and 21-2A-06) to align with the expanded definition of "dispenser." The policy change ensures veterinary use of controlled substances for animals is tracked within the state’s drug monitoring system.

SB 33 requires Maryland’s Office of the Comptroller and Department of Legislative Services to study the state’s business tax structure, including whether to adopt "combined reporting" (where affiliated companies file taxes together) and evaluate other tax options like gross receipts taxes. The study must examine how combined reporting affects different industries, review experiences in other states, and assess tax policies used for economic development. The agencies must submit findings and recommendations to the Governor and legislature by December 15, 2026. This bill does not change current tax laws but sets the stage for potential future reforms affecting all corporations operating in Maryland.