Maryland Bills

passed · Maryland · Senate Mar 26, 2025

SB 488: Manufacturing Business Personal Property Tax - Optional Exemption

SB 488 exempts all personal property (including manufacturing inventory, tools, machinery, and equipment) owned by small or medium-sized manufacturing businesses from Maryland's property tax, including special taxing district taxes. The bill directly affects qualifying manufacturers who meet the definition in Section 7-508 (engaging in at least two manufacturing processes, such as transforming materials or developing new products). Businesses must apply for the exemption through the Department, and it applies to all taxable years beginning after June 30, 2025. The exemption replaces existing partial exemptions for manufacturing property under Sections 7-222 and 7-225, creating a full, optional exemption for eligible enterprises.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

passed · Maryland · Senate Mar 26, 2025

SB 843: School Construction - Local Cost-Share - Alterations

SB 843 adjusts the local cost-share requirement for school construction projects in Maryland counties meeting specific criteria. It reduces the county's local contribution (e.g., from 50% to a lower percentage) and increases state funding for projects in counties with: 1) Bottom-quartile median household income and a 50/50 cost-share formula, 2) Over 50% of students qualifying for free/reduced meals (with all schools in USDA Community Eligibility), or 3) Projects at schools with high poverty concentration (80%+), high facility ratings, or net-zero building goals. This directly affects school districts in qualifying counties by lowering their financial burden for construction projects.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education

passed · Maryland · Senate Mar 26, 2025

SB 710: Criminal Law - Motor Vehicle - Criminal Negligence (Sergeant Patrick Keep Act)

SB 710, the Sergeant Patrick Keep Act, creates a new criminal misdemeanor for driving a motor vehicle or operating a vessel in a criminally negligent manner - defined as failing to recognize a serious danger a reasonable person would have seen. It distinguishes criminal negligence (a new offense) from ordinary negligence (which remains a civil matter under Maryland’s transportation law). Penalties include up to six months in jail or a $5,000 fine for driving negligently, and up to one year in jail or $5,000 for causing a life-threatening injury through such negligence. This law applies to all drivers and vessel operators in Maryland who act with criminal negligence, not to those who are merely negligent.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice ✓ Transportation

passed · Maryland · Senate Mar 26, 2025

SB 977: Enforcement of Federal Immigration Law - Restrictions on Access to Information (Maryland Data Privacy Act)

SB 977 restricts federal immigration agents from accessing Maryland state and local government databases, facilities, or records without a valid warrant. It directly affects state law enforcement agencies, government departments (like the Motor Vehicle Administration), and federal immigration officials seeking data for enforcement. Key provisions require state employees to deny access to personal information, photos, or facial recognition data for immigration enforcement unless a federal or Maryland court warrant is presented, and mandate annual reports on all federal requests. The bill does not alter data privacy standards but limits how immigration enforcement can use state-held information.

Topics ✓ Immigration ✓ Technology

passed · Maryland · Senate Mar 26, 2025

SB 543: Election Law - Provisional Ballots - Nonpartisan Board of Education Contests

SB 543 amends Maryland election law to clarify when provisional ballots for nonpartisan school board elections can be counted. It specifies that if a voter claims a different political party affiliation than their registration but selects a nonpartisan board of education contest (like a local school board election), the vote for that specific contest must be counted. The bill requires local election boards to count only the school board vote in such cases, rather than rejecting the entire provisional ballot. This change directly affects voters who register with one party but vote in nonpartisan school board races, ensuring their school board choice is counted if they claim a different party affiliation. (Based on Sections 11-303(d)(4)(iv) and (e)(3) of the bill.)

passed · Maryland · Senate Mar 26, 2025

SB 534: Election Law - Election Judges - Compensation

SB 534 requires local election boards in Maryland to pay election judges only *after* they serve on election day or early voting day, rather than upfront for training. It sets minimum compensation at $250 per day for new judges and $350 per day for returning judges (an additional $100), plus $50 for completing required training. Public school students can now earn service-learning graduation hours while also receiving election judge pay. The bill changes existing election law to ensure payments align with actual service and affects local election boards, all election judges, and eligible public school students. It takes effect October 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Labor & Employment

passed · Maryland · Senate Mar 26, 2025

SB 845: Local Education Agencies - Educator Screening - Educator Identification Clearinghouse (School Personnel Vetting and Hiring Transparency Act)

This bill requires all Maryland public school districts to join the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) and use its Educator Identification Clearinghouse for background checks. It mandates that school districts screen all current educators by July 1, 2025, and all new educator applicants after that date through this centralized system. The law replaces local screening processes with a standardized national clearinghouse to verify educator backgrounds. This affects every local education agency in Maryland and their hiring and employment practices for school staff. The requirement takes effect on July 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Education

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 25, 2025

HB 335: Baltimore County - Nuisance Actions - Community Association

HB 335 allows eligible community associations in Baltimore County to seek court orders to abate neighborhood nuisances (like blight or safety hazards) that harm residents. It redefines "community association" to require a minimum of 25 households, annual dues, and specific operational criteria, while clarifying that "local code violations" exclude rent escrow issues. The bill mandates 60 days of certified mail notice to property owners and the county code enforcement agency before legal action can begin, and removes a prior requirement for courts to set bond amounts for associations filing such cases. This directly affects community associations meeting the new definition and property owners where nuisances occur.

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 25, 2025

HB 748: Municipalities - Enforcement Officers - Body-Worn Cameras

HB 748 authorizes Maryland municipalities to adopt policies allowing enforcement officers (like police or code enforcement staff) to use body-worn cameras during duties. It requires any municipality adopting such a policy to publish a detailed written policy covering 17 specific areas, including when recording is mandatory or prohibited, data storage, privacy protections, and consequences for policy violations. The policy must address camera testing, failure procedures, consent requirements, and secure handling of recordings. This bill directly affects local governments and enforcement officers by establishing a framework for camera use. The policy must be published before implementation, with the law taking effect October 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Technology

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 25, 2025

HB 371: Prince George's County - Speed Monitoring Systems - Maryland Route 5 PG 308-25

HB 371 authorizes Prince George's County to install and operate speed monitoring systems (cameras) on Maryland Route 5, subject to specific placement and signage rules. The bill requires that fines collected from speed violations on this route must fund highway and pedestrian safety improvements directly on or near Maryland Route 5 in Prince George's County. It also mandates real-time speed displays for drivers using these systems. The bill modifies existing Maryland law to ensure revenue from these cameras is dedicated to local safety projects, not general funds.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Transportation

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 25, 2025

HB 1350: Criminal Law - Fourth Degree Sexual Offense - Out-of-State Convictions

HB 1350 amends Maryland law to allow out-of-state or federal/military/tribal court convictions of certain sexual offenses to count as prior convictions for sentencing enhancements. Specifically, it expands the definition of "prior conviction" under Section 3-308(d)(2)(ii) to include crimes that would qualify as fourth-degree sexual offenses in Maryland (such as those under sections 3-303, 3-304, or 3-307-3-310). This affects repeat sex offenders who have prior convictions from other jurisdictions, enabling prosecutors to seek increased penalties (up to 3 years in prison) for subsequent offenses. The law takes effect October 1, 2025, and applies to cases where the prior offense would have been a Maryland violation had it occurred here.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 25, 2025

HB 963: Montgomery County - Highways - Maximum Speed Limits MC 1-25

HB 963 would allow Montgomery County authorities to lower maximum speed limits on county highways to 15 mph without first conducting an engineering and traffic investigation, which is currently required for most jurisdictions. This bill amends Maryland's Annotated Code (Section 21-803(a)(4)) to specifically exempt Montgomery County from the investigation requirement, while maintaining the same 15 mph minimum limit for other counties. The change applies only to Montgomery County and does not affect speed monitoring systems for reduced limits. The bill takes effect October 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Transportation

Bill results