Maryland Bills | MyRepTracker

passed · Maryland · Senate Apr 13, 2026

SB 867: Economic Development - Maryland Aerospace and Technology Commission - Alterations

SB 867 expands the Maryland Aerospace and Technology Commission's mission to specifically promote innovation in space science, space technology, and aeronautics. It restructures the Commission's membership by adding representatives from the commercial space industry (up to three) and higher education institutions, while requiring the Commission to appoint an Executive Director. The bill authorizes the Commission to provide grants to eligible entities - including aerospace businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, and universities conducting aerospace research in Maryland. These changes aim to strengthen Maryland's aerospace sector by formalizing grant programs and broadening stakeholder representation on the Commission.

Topics ✓ Technology

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 1445: Maryland Medical Assistance Program and Developmental Disabilities Administration - Home- and Community-Based Services Eligibility Determinations (Maryland Protecting People With Disabilities Act)

HB 1445, the "Maryland Protecting People With Disabilities Act," changes eligibility rules for home- and community-based services under Maryland's Medicaid program (Maryland Medical Assistance Program). It requires the state to continue services uninterrupted during appeals if an individual loses eligibility, prohibits automatic termination solely due to administrative errors (procedural disenrollment), and mandates data sharing between providers and the Department of Health. The bill directly affects people receiving Developmental Disabilities Administration services and Medicaid beneficiaries who risk losing community-based care due to eligibility disputes. Key provisions include extending appeal timelines (replacing 90-day deadlines with continuous service until appeal resolution) and requiring the state to reserve waiver slots for those who lost eligibility unfairly. These changes aim to align with the Olmstead v. L.C. Supreme Court ruling protecting community integration rights.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 797: Employment Discrimination - Fire and Rescue Public Safety Employees - Use of Medical Cannabis

HB 797 prohibits employers from discriminating against fire and rescue public safety employees who use medical cannabis, provided they have a valid written certification from a licensed healthcare provider under Maryland's medical cannabis program. The bill modifies existing law to clarify that an employer cannot take adverse employment actions (like termination or denial of promotion) solely due to medical cannabis use, as long as the employee meets the state's certification requirements. It updates definitions in Maryland law to ensure fire and rescue employees qualify for the same protections as other medical cannabis patients under the existing program. The law does not override workplace safety rules or require employers to accommodate cannabis use during work hours.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment

in committee · Maryland · Senate Apr 13, 2026

SB 965: Motor Vehicles - Out-of-State Drivers - Automated Enforcement (Out-of-State Driver Accountability Act)

SB 965 requires local governments operating automated traffic enforcement systems (like speed cameras or red-light cameras) to submit quarterly reports to Maryland’s Vision Zero coordinator about citations issued to vehicles registered in other states. The reports must include the out-of-state license plate number, whether the ticket was paid, and whether it remains overdue. Local governments must track these citations cumulatively over time, showing total issued, paid, and overdue tickets. This bill creates a data collection system for out-of-state traffic citations but does not change traffic enforcement rules or penalties.

Topics ✓ Transportation

passed both · Maryland · Senate Apr 13, 2026

SB 961: Income Tax Credit - Venison Donation - Alterations

SB 961 modifies Maryland's tax credit for hunters donating processed deer meat. It removes the previous $300 annual limit on the credit, allowing hunters to claim the full credit for eligible expenses without the cap. The bill maintains a $75 per deer processing expense limit and requires donations to go to IRS 501(c)(3) organizations. Hunters must still comply with hunting laws, and donation programs must report donor information to the Comptroller annually. The change takes effect July 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

passed · Maryland · Senate Apr 13, 2026

SB 782: Telecommunications Infrastructure - Protections

SB 782 requires junk dealers, scrap metal processors, and antique dealers in Maryland to register with local law enforcement when purchasing telecommunications equipment, providing details like the seller’s name, address, and purchase date. It prohibits these businesses from buying such equipment except by mailing checks to the seller’s address and bans selling or disposing of the equipment for 30 days after purchase. The bill also defines telecommunications infrastructure broadly (including cell towers, fiber cables, and antennas) and prohibits reckless or malicious damage to it, with violations punishable as felonies. Penalties for noncompliance include license revocation, fines up to $2,000, or felony charges with up to 6 months in jail and $5,000 fines.

passed · Maryland · Senate Apr 13, 2026

SB 841: Utility RELIEF (Reducing Energy Load Inflation for Everyday Families) Act

SB 841 changes how Maryland uses fees paid by utilities to fund renewable energy projects. Instead of direct grants, it requires the Maryland Energy Administration to run annual competitive auctions where developers bid to build renewable energy projects. The bill sets specific targets for project capacity, deadlines for completion, and eligibility rules for bidders, including prioritizing projects benefiting low-income or overburdened communities. It redirects existing compliance fees - previously used for solar grants - into this auction system to accelerate renewable energy development.

Topics ✓ Energy ✓ Environment

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 1223: Prince George's County Workgroup on Farmers Markets and Street Vending Zones PG 411-26

HB 1223 authorizes counties to designate areas adjacent to farmers markets as street food vending zones. Vendors selling prepared food (not raw agricultural products) in these zones must reside within the area defined by the farmers market's rules, comply with food safety laws, and meet the market's membership requirements. This directly affects local street food vendors operating near farmers markets in Prince George's County and other counties adopting this framework. The law takes effect October 1, 2026.

passed both · Maryland · Senate Apr 13, 2026

SB 246: Health Services Cost Review Commission - Term of Office of Members

SB 246 amends Maryland law to change how members of the Health Services Cost Review Commission serve after their term ends. Currently, members could serve until a successor was appointed and qualified; this bill limits post-term service to a maximum of six months. It also repeals the previous rule allowing members appointed after a term began to serve until a successor was appointed. The change affects Commission members and the Governor, who appoints them, streamlining leadership transitions. This is a procedural adjustment to the Commission's membership terms, not a substantive policy change to health services.

failed · Maryland · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 299: Fraud Prevention, Prevailing Wage, and Living Wage - Prohibitions, Penalties, and Enforcement

HB 299 prohibits employers from knowingly creating or using false records or statements that cause underpayment of unemployment insurance contributions or overpayment of benefits exceeding $15,000 annually. It requires civil penalties from fraud violations to be deposited into the Unemployment Insurance Fund and mandates the Labor Commissioner and Attorney General to enforce wage laws, including prevailing wage and living wage requirements. The bill also authorizes license revocation for workplace fraud violations and strengthens coordination between state agencies investigating fraud. This primarily affects employers, contractors, and licensed businesses subject to wage and unemployment insurance laws in Maryland.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 106: State Personnel - Collective Bargaining - Nontenure Track Faculty

HB 106 grants collective bargaining rights to nontenure track faculty at Maryland's public higher education institutions, specifically at the University System of Maryland, Morgan State University, and St. Mary’s College of Maryland. It creates a separate bargaining unit for these faculty members - including full-time, part-time, and adjunct employees with academic responsibilities like teachers and researchers - who were previously excluded from collective bargaining under state law. The bill amends existing statutes to explicitly include nontenure track faculty in bargaining units, allowing them to negotiate wages, hours, and working conditions through union representation. This change takes effect July 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Labor & Employment

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 450: Criminal Procedure - Protection of Identity of Victim of Sexual Assault or Stalking

HB 450 protects victims of sexual assault or stalking by requiring courts and parties in criminal or juvenile cases to redact identifying information (like names or addresses) from public court records and filings. It directly affects victims, courts, and legal parties by prohibiting disclosure of such information to nonparties unless the court finds "clear and convincing evidence" of good cause to allow it. The bill mandates redaction of victim identifiers in all filings - including charging documents - and requires courts to redact existing records upon written request from the victim. Exceptions only apply when a court specifically authorizes disclosure after reviewing evidence of necessity. The law takes effect October 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice