Maryland Bills

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 17, 2025

HB 1198: Correctional Services - Comprehensive Rehabilitative Prerelease Services - Female Incarcerated Individuals (The Monica Cooper Prerelease Act)

HB 1198, the Monica Cooper Prerelease Act, requires Maryland to establish a dedicated prerelease facility for female incarcerated individuals in Baltimore City (on at least 3 acres) by 2027. The facility must serve women with low violence/escape risk and satisfactory behavior, offering evidence-based programs like education, vocational training, trauma-informed healthcare, and family reunification support. It mandates the Department of Public Safety to provide comprehensive rehabilitative services - including help with public health benefits applications - and report progress to lawmakers by 2026. This bill directly affects female inmates eligible for prerelease status, aiming to reduce recidivism through gender-responsive reentry planning.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Labor & Employment

Jheanelle Wilkins (D) Mary Lehman (D) Julie Palakovich Carr (D) Nicole Williams (D) Charlotte Crutchfield (D)

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 17, 2025

HB 155: Housing and Community Development – Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions – Issuance of Loans and Achievement of Targets

HB 155 authorizes Maryland's Department of Housing and Community Development to issue **loans (in addition to grants)** for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in multifamily residential buildings primarily serving **low- and moderate-income households**. The bill expands the types of energy savings the department can count toward greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets to include **all funding sources** meeting federal efficiency standards, such as utility programs. It requires annual reporting on funded projects and establishes 2016 energy use data from low-income residential buildings as the emissions baseline. The bill explicitly **prohibits funding for fossil fuel equipment** or efficiency improvements to existing fossil fuel systems.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Energy ✓ Environment ✓ Housing

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 17, 2025

HB 587: Education - High School Diploma - Veterans of Armed Conflicts

HB 587 allows veterans honorably discharged after withdrawing from high school to earn a high school diploma if they enlisted during specific military conflicts. It updates Maryland law to cover veterans who left accredited public or private high school to serve in any armed conflict authorized by the U.S. President or Congress (replacing the previous list of specific conflicts like WWII, Korea, and Vietnam). To qualify, veterans must apply to their county school board, which will establish procedures for awarding diplomas. The bill takes effect October 1, 2025, directly affecting veterans who left school early for military service.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Veterans

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 17, 2025

HB 644: Vehicle Laws - Speed Monitoring Systems - Residential Districts

HB 644 expands the statewide application of speed monitoring systems in residential districts, requiring all such systems to comply with existing rules previously limited to specific counties. It mandates that speed limit signs in residential areas include specific signage indicating the presence of speed monitoring systems and requires local jurisdictions to provide public notice through websites and newspapers before activation. The bill also specifies that real-time speed displays must be visible at certain locations, including highways in residential zones with 35 mph limits, to inform drivers of speed monitoring activity. These changes standardize requirements across Maryland while maintaining the existing definition of "residential district" and procedural safeguards.

Topics ✓ Transportation

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 17, 2025

HB 205: Employment Standards – Firefighters – Payment of Wages and Payroll Information

HB 205 requires counties and municipalities that employ firefighters to calculate overtime pay based on hours worked over 168 in a 28-day period (instead of the standard 40-hour workweek). It mandates that these employers provide firefighters with detailed payroll statements at hiring, pay changes, and each pay period, including hours worked, gross earnings, and deductions. If employers fail to provide required payroll information or pay due wages, firefighters or their representatives can file a grievance, triggering penalties of 30% per pay period (capped at three times the missing amount) until resolved. The bill directly affects municipal and county firefighter employees and their employers, clarifying overtime rules and strengthening payroll transparency.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 17, 2025

HB 267: Veterans Benefits Matters - Claim Servicers - Prohibitions and Requirements

HB 267 prohibits non-Veterans Affairs (V.A.) accredited individuals or organizations from charging fees for preparing, presenting, or advising veterans on benefits claims or appeals. It requires any fee-charging provider to give written disclosures about free V.A.-accredited services and include this notice in all advertisements. The bill enforces these rules through civil penalties of up to $1,000 per violation, collected by the Attorney General. This directly affects veterans seeking benefits and non-accredited claim servicers who previously offered paid assistance for appeals or claims.

Topics ✓ Veterans

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 17, 2025

HB 30: Limited Line Credit Insurance - Qualification of Applicants

HB 30 modifies Maryland's licensing requirements for insurance producers seeking limited line credit insurance licenses (excluding credit life/health insurance). It replaces the standard examination requirement with a mandatory training program provided by insurers selling credit insurance. Insurers must design comprehensive training materials, retain records for 5 years (including instructional content and participant lists), and make these available to the Maryland Insurance Administration upon request. This directly affects individuals applying for credit insurance producer licenses and insurers offering such training. The bill streamlines entry into this specific licensing category while maintaining oversight through insurer recordkeeping.

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 17, 2025

HB 781: Election Law - Polling Place Procedures - Voting by Elderly Voters and Voters With Disabilities (Accessible and Expedited Voting Act of Maryland)

HB 781, the "Accessible and Expedited Voting Act of Maryland," requires the State Board of Elections to create guidelines for local election boards to accommodate elderly voters (65+) and voters with disabilities at all early voting centers and polling places. Key provisions include establishing dedicated expedited voting lines, clear signage, priority seating, and specific plans for high-traffic locations. Local boards must implement these guidelines, collect real-time feedback from affected voters during elections, and make immediate process adjustments. The law takes effect for the 2026 statewide primary election, with annual reports to the legislature on implementation effectiveness and voter feedback.

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 17, 2025

HB 889: Fisheries - Striped Bass or Rockfish - Juvenile Survey

HB 889 requires Maryland's Department of Natural Resources to expand its annual juvenile striped bass and rockfish survey by adding sampling sites in the central Chesapeake Bay region. Specifically, the bill mandates 12-20 new survey locations in seven designated waterways: Maggoty River, Severn River, Chester River, South River, West River, Eastern Bay, and Miles River. This change supplements existing surveys in northern and southern Bay regions to improve data on young fish populations. The bill directly affects the Department of Natural Resources, which must implement these new survey requirements starting June 1, 2025. The goal is to enhance scientific understanding of striped bass and rockfish stock health in Maryland waters.

Topics ✓ Environment

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 17, 2025

HB 769: Real Property - Residential Foreclosures - Commencement Restrictions

HB 769 delays residential foreclosure filings by requiring a 90-day waiting period after a payment default and mandating a 45-day notice of intent to foreclose before filing. It requires lenders to provide written loan details (including payment history and current balance) in foreclosure filings and allows homeowners to raise a defense if lenders delay filing excessively. The bill specifically affects Maryland homeowners with owner-occupied residential properties (up to four units) and lenders seeking to foreclose on mortgages that are significantly overdue. These changes amend Maryland's foreclosure law to add procedural safeguards before foreclosure actions can proceed.

Topics ✓ Housing

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 17, 2025

HB 1521: State Board of Social Work Examiners - Membership and Examination Requirements

HB 1521 removes the requirement for social workers to pass an exam to obtain a bachelor's or master's license in Maryland. It also increases the State Board of Social Work Examiners from 12 to 14 members, adding two consumer members (raising their count from 2 to 4). The bill directly affects individuals seeking social work licenses, particularly those applying for bachelor or master level credentials, by eliminating the examination step. These changes are implemented by amending specific sections of Maryland’s health occupations law governing social work licensing and board composition.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 17, 2025

HB 570: Talbot County - Hotel Rental Tax - Time of Penalty for Nonpayment

HB 570 modifies Talbot County's hotel rental tax rules by extending the deadline for hotels to pay without penalty from 1 month to 120 days after the due date. This change directly affects hotels operating in Talbot County that fail to pay their rental tax on time. The bill amends Maryland law to align Talbot County's penalty timeline with the existing 120-day standard already used for Wicomico County, keeping the penalty rate at 10% of the unpaid tax. The change takes effect July 1, 2025.

Bill results