HB 935 requires Maryland high school football games to have either a licensed athletic trainer or an ambulance staffed with emergency medical personnel present on-site during games. This amendment to existing school emergency plan requirements (Section 7-451 of the Education Article) directly affects all public high schools hosting football games in Maryland. The bill adds this specific medical presence requirement to the existing venue-specific emergency action plans, which already cover AED access, heat acclimatization protocols, and cardiac response plans. The law takes effect July 1, 2025, and does not change other established emergency plan provisions for athletic facilities.
HB 1090 requires Maryland's Department of Human Services to provide food supplement benefits to students enrolled in state higher education institutions who participate in a work study program for an average of 20 hours per week. It directly affects low-income students meeting specific work study criteria, extending eligibility for the entire academic year regardless of breaks. The bill also mandates the Maryland Higher Education Commission to add a question about missing meals due to cost to the college aid application by August 1, 2025, but prohibits using this question to deny financial aid. These changes take effect July 1, 2025, and amend existing Maryland law on food benefit eligibility.
HB 317 establishes a three-county pilot program to test curbside voting in Maryland, allowing voters with mobility challenges to cast ballots without entering polling places. The bill requires designated locations in one small, one medium, and one large-voter county, prioritizing accessibility for historically disenfranchised communities and proximity to public transit. Local election boards must equip these sites to maintain ballot secrecy while enabling voters to complete ballots independently or with assistance upon request. The program will operate during early voting and election day hours at locations like community centers, with specific rules to prevent electioneering near voting zones. This pilot aims to assess curbside voting's viability before potential statewide implementation.
HB 1265 updates notification procedures when students are arrested for specific serious offenses (like violent crimes or certain violations listed in Maryland law) that occur off school grounds. It requires law enforcement to notify school officials (local superintendent, principal, and school security officer) within 24 hours of an arrest, and the State’s Attorney to notify them again about case outcomes. The bill ensures this information remains confidential and cannot be added to a student’s permanent educational record. It directly affects public and nonpublic schools, law enforcement, juvenile justice officials, and students aged 5-22. The bill does not change which offenses are reportable but clarifies how schools receive timely information about student arrests.
HB 1053 clarifies that parents, other family members, or legal guardians may provide self-directed services to individuals with developmental disabilities under the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration, directly affecting recipients who choose this option. The bill amends Maryland's Health General Code (Section 7-409(a)(4)) to require two conditions: the recipient or their decision-maker must select the family provider, and the recipient must hire a support broker. This change expands existing self-directed service options without altering eligibility or funding mechanisms. The bill takes effect October 1, 2025, and applies to all current and future recipients of self-directed services under the Administration.
SB 555 modifies Maryland's Public Information Act to allow government offices (custodians) to deny public access to records related to pending or reasonably anticipated lawsuits involving the state, state agencies, or government employees acting in their official capacity. It specifically permits denials for records tied to litigation where the government or its employees are parties, but does not apply to finalized cases or court records. The bill ensures existing legal discovery rights in lawsuits remain unaffected. This change directly impacts how government entities handle public record requests during active legal disputes.
HB 693, the "Small Business Truth in Lending Act," regulates commercial financing for small businesses by requiring lenders to provide clear disclosures about costs and terms. It directly affects small businesses seeking loans (not personal loans) and non-bank lenders offering commercial financing, excluding banks, credit unions, large loans over $2.5 million, and real estate-secured deals. Key provisions mandate standardized calculations of annual percentage rates (APR), clear disclosure of finance charges (like fees and interest), and specific repayment terms for all commercial financing types, including equipment loans, factoring, and sales-based financing. The bill defines "commercial financing" broadly to cover loans where proceeds aren’t used for personal/family purposes, ensuring borrowers understand costs before signing.
HB 1270 exempts three specific wildland areas (Big Savage Mountain, Bear Pen, and Dan’s Mountain) from being designated as protected wildlands if NextEra Energy Transmission MidAtlantic, Inc. obtains a certificate of public convenience and necessity for an overhead transmission line. The bill modifies Maryland’s natural resources law to allow these areas to be excluded from wildland designation only after the Public Service Commission approves the transmission line project following public review, public hearings, and consideration of factors like reliability, economics, and environmental impacts. This change directly affects NextEra’s proposed transmission line project and the regulatory process for such infrastructure in those specific locations. The bill does not alter the standard requirements for transmission line approvals but creates a targeted exemption for these three wildland areas.
HB 1128 expands the powers of Maryland land bank authorities to better manage properties. It allows land banks to create special funds to attract private investment, make loans or grants for community projects, and form partnerships. The bill also requires land banks to include specific agreements in property sales/leases covering maintenance, use, and other conditions, and permits them to reenter properties if buyers breach these terms (e.g., failing to complete improvements or obtain permits). Additionally, it clarifies that counties or municipalities can authorize land banks to foreclose on vacant, tax-delinquent properties through a specific legal process. These changes aim to strengthen land banks’ ability to revitalize communities while protecting public interests.
SB 7, the "See Someone, Save Someone Act," requires Maryland transportation sector employees (including state workers and contractors at transit stations, airports, ports, and rest stops) to complete human trafficking identification and reporting training by 2026. Employers must certify training completion annually, establish reporting procedures for suspected trafficking to local agencies, and implement prevention policies with victim recognition and response guidance. The law also protects employees reporting in good faith from civil/criminal liability and mandates frequent multilingual public service announcements about trafficking resources at transportation hubs. The bill takes effect October 1, 2025, and applies to all relevant transportation employers and their staff.
HB 807 establishes a State Chief Data Officer position within Maryland's Department of Information Technology and creates the Office of Enterprise Data to standardize how state agencies manage, share, and use data. It requires every state agency to appoint an Agency Data Officer to align with the statewide strategy, while creating three new programs: a data governance program for consistent management, a data sharing program to improve access and security, and a data literacy program to train employees. The bill directly affects all state agencies by mandating new roles and standardized data practices across government operations. It also renames and restructures the Council on Open Data into the Council for Open Data Advancement with updated responsibilities.
HB 348 authorizes Maryland's State Highway Administration to deploy speed monitoring systems in designated "safety corridors" identified in its Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, primarily targeting high-risk areas for vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists. The bill modifies existing traffic laws to require that fines from violations detected by these safety corridor systems be paid directly to the State Highway Administration (not the court), and clarifies that such citations must specify the system type. It also updates legal references to include "safety corridor speed monitoring systems" in traffic citation and penalty procedures. This bill directly affects drivers in these designated corridors and changes how enforcement revenue is handled. The policy change focuses on administrative handling of citations, not new speed limits or penalties.
