Maryland Bills

passed · Maryland · Senate Mar 25, 2025

SB 176: Agriculture - Soil Conservation and Water Quality Plan - Uses of Information

SB 176 amends Maryland law to authorize the Department of Agriculture to use information collected through soil conservation and water quality plans for specific enforcement actions. This change directly affects farmers and landowners who participate in these conservation programs, as their submitted data may now be used by the Department to address regulatory violations. The key provision modifies Section 8-306(b)(18) of the Agriculture Article to explicitly permit this use of information, while maintaining existing requirements for plan development and submission. The bill does not create new obligations but clarifies how existing data can support enforcement efforts under current conservation regulations.

Topics ✓ Environment

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 25, 2025

HB 159: Arbitration Reform for State Employees Act of 2025

HB 159 requires state agencies, universities, and Maryland Environmental Service to use a neutral arbitrator when collective bargaining for state employees reaches an impasse. If negotiations aren't resolved by September 1, the parties must select one arbitrator from a list of 15 nationally recognized labor arbitrators provided by the American Arbitration Association. The bill mandates that all agreements reached through this process become binding terms of employment, with budget bills required to include full funding for these agreements. This reform directly affects state employees, their bargaining representatives, and all state entities covered under collective bargaining agreements.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 25, 2025

HB 5: Criminal Law - Child Sexual Abuse Material - Artificial Intelligence Software

HB 5 updates Maryland's criminal law to explicitly include artificial intelligence-generated images in the definition of "computer-generated image" under child pornography statutes. This means AI-created images that appear indistinguishable from real child abuse material - such as those adapted to look like actual minors - will now be covered under existing laws prohibiting possession or viewing of such content. The bill directly affects individuals who create, possess, or access these AI-generated images, applying the same penalties (up to 5 years in jail or $2,500 fine for misdemeanors) as real child pornography. It maintains exceptions for artistic works like drawings or cartoons and parental photos of children in non-exploitative contexts. The law aims to close a legal gap as AI technology advances, ensuring existing protections apply to digitally generated content.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✗ Technology

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 25, 2025

HB 408: Prince George's County - Coordinated Youth Violence Review and Response Team PG 301-25

HB 408 establishes a Prince George’s County Coordinated Youth Violence Review and Response Team to address violence against youth under 18. The team, made up of county officials including the police chief, health officer, school superintendent, and social services leaders, will use confidential case management to prevent violence. It allows the team to access certain protected police records about youth (normally kept confidential) for prevention efforts, while requiring strict confidentiality and limiting disclosure. This directly affects youth in Prince George’s County who live there, attend local schools, or participate in county youth programs.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 25, 2025

HB 1544: Public Safety - Maryland Law Enforcement Public Service Medal and Key Bridge Collapse Victims Memorial Tribute

HB 1544 establishes the Maryland Law Enforcement Public Service Medal, the state's highest honor for officers demonstrating extraordinary bravery, sacrifice, or impact on public safety during critical incidents. It requires a law enforcement agency to grant a one-grade promotion to medal recipients and creates a review committee to evaluate nominations from agencies, officials, or community groups. The bill also mandates an annual state ceremony honoring six specific workers who died in the 2024 Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, listing them on a permanent honor roll at the State House. This affects current and future law enforcement officers eligible for the medal and directly memorializes the Key Bridge victims.

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 24, 2025

HB 801: Maryland Financial Empowerment Center Network Pilot Program - Establishment

This bill establishes a 3-year pilot program creating regional financial counseling centers across Maryland. The centers will provide free, one-on-one assistance to residents on saving money, reducing debt, accessing banking services, and improving credit scores. All services must be offered in English and Spanish, with additional languages as required. Administered by the Comptroller’s office, the program runs from October 2025 through September 2028, with funding secured via state budget appropriations for fiscal years 2027-2028.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 24, 2025

HB 961: Commissioned Public Art - Artist Rights and Registration of Art

HB 961 prevents state-funded public art contracts from requiring artists to waive copyright protections. It applies to artists commissioned for projects receiving state funding, regardless of whether the state directly paid for the art. The bill bans new contracts from including clauses that force artists to give up copyright rights, and makes existing waivers (signed before October 1, 2025) unenforceable in court. The law takes effect on October 1, 2025, ensuring artists retain legal rights to their work on state projects.

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 24, 2025

HB 172: Community Health and Safety Works Grant Program and Fund - Alterations

HB 172 expands Maryland's Community Health and Safety Works Grant Program by broadening eligible projects to include community-centered crime prevention initiatives addressing environmental, health, or safety concerns. It removes requirements for projects to install license readers or camera networks, repeals minimum and maximum grant amounts, and allows the grant fund to cover administrative costs for the Department of Housing and Community Development. The bill directly affects applicants like tax-exempt nonprofits, local governments, and universities collaborating with neighborhood associations seeking funding for physical improvements or community services. Key changes include redefining "eligible project" to include comprehensive violence prevention strategies and expanding allowable uses to cover landscape design, security services, and climate-related mitigation like urban heat island reduction.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Environment ✓ Housing

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 24, 2025

HB 6: State Department of Assessments and Taxation and Department of General Services - Property Appraisal Aids - Geographic Images

HB 6 requires Maryland's State Department of Assessments and Taxation to create and maintain a statewide database of geographic images (including maps and aerial photos) for property appraisals. It also mandates the Department of General Services to obtain a uniform system for managing these tools. Crucially, counties and Baltimore City must reimburse the state for these costs: 100% of expenses up to $1 million, and 50% for costs exceeding that amount. The reimbursement is allocated based on each jurisdiction's share of statewide property accounts or business assessments. This bill directly affects local governments' budgets for property valuation systems.

passed · Maryland · Senate Mar 24, 2025

SB 656: Baltimore County Board of Education - Alterations of Elected Member Districts and Establishment of Redistricting Process

SB 656 changes how seven members of the Baltimore County Board of Education are elected, shifting from current council districts to new school board districts starting in the 2034 general election. It establishes a redistricting process requiring the County Board to propose updated school board district boundaries after each U.S. decennial census (beginning after 2030), ensuring districts are substantially equal in population, with the Baltimore County Delegation to the Maryland General Assembly introducing legislation to implement these changes within a year. The bill also sets residency requirements for elected members (living in their district for at least two years) and limits consecutive terms to three, with a four-year cooling-off period after serving three terms. This directly affects Baltimore County voters who will elect school board members from their new districts and reshapes how the school board's geographic representation is determined.

passed · Maryland · Senate Mar 24, 2025

SB 887: County Boards of Education - Reappointment of Incumbent County Superintendent - Authorization

SB 887 amends Maryland law to change how county boards of education reappoint current county superintendents. It allows boards to reappoint an incumbent superintendent at any time during their term, as long as they make the decision by March 1 of the year their contract is renewed. This replaces the previous requirement that boards had to decide by March 1 only in the year a term began. The bill affects all Maryland county boards of education (excluding Baltimore City and Prince George’s County) and directly impacts county superintendents seeking reappointment. The change simplifies the reappointment process by removing the prior deadline tied to the start of a term.

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 24, 2025

HB 1523: Howard County - Room Rental Tax - Maximum Rate and Distribution Ho. Co. 18-25

HB 1523 increases Howard County’s maximum room rental tax rate for transient accommodations (like hotels) from 7% to 8%. It directly affects short-term lodging businesses in Howard County and specifies how tax revenue is distributed: for rates between 5-7%, 2/3 goes to the Howard County Tourism Council and 1/3 to the Economic Development Authority; for rates above 7%, 100% goes to the Tourism Council. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025, and amends existing county tax code provisions without changing the underlying tax base or collection process.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

Bill results