Maryland Bills

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Feb 28, 2025

HB 864: St. Mary's County - Judgeships - Circuit Courts

HB 864 increases the number of resident judges for St. Mary’s County Circuit Court from 3 to 4, effective October 1, 2025. The bill directly affects St. Mary’s County’s judicial system by adding one permanent judgeship to address caseload needs. It amends Maryland’s Courts and Judicial Proceedings Code (Section 1-503) to reflect this change in the county’s authorized judgeship count. This is a procedural adjustment to judicial staffing, not a new policy or program.

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Feb 28, 2025

HB 281: Criminal Procedure - Admission of Out-of-Court Statements - Assault in the Second Degree

HB 281 modifies Maryland's criminal procedure rules to allow certain out-of-court statements in assault in the second degree cases. It permits statements (like sworn testimony, written affidavits, or recorded statements) to be admitted as evidence if the defendant caused the witness's unavailability through wrongdoing. Before admission, a judge must hold a separate hearing to verify the defendant's wrongdoing by a preponderance of evidence, applying strict evidence rules. This directly affects defendants charged with assault in the second degree and the prosecution's ability to use such statements in trial. The bill takes effect October 1, 2025.

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Feb 28, 2025

HB 166: Maryland Public Ethics Law - State Officials of and Candidates to be State Officials of the Judicial Branch - Conflicts of Interest and Financial Disclosure Statements

HB 166 updates Maryland's ethics law to require judicial bodies - not the State Ethics Commission - to manage financial disclosures for judicial officials and candidates. Specifically, it shifts responsibility from the Ethics Commission to the Commission on Judicial Disabilities or Judicial Ethics Committee for maintaining and publicly posting financial records of judicial candidates and officials. The bill repeals the existing requirement that the Supreme Court send these disclosures to the Ethics Commission and mandates that judicial bodies make all required statements available for public inspection. This change ensures judicial candidates and officials file disclosures directly with the judicial branch, with records maintained and accessible through those channels instead of the Ethics Commission. The law applies to all candidates running for judicial office and current judicial branch officials.

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Feb 28, 2025

HB 449: Condominiums - Property Insurance Deductibles - Unit Owner Responsibility

HB 449 raises the maximum deductible amount a condominium unit owner must pay when damage originates from their unit, increasing the limit from $10,000 to $25,000. This directly affects unit owners whose unit causes damage (e.g., a plumbing leak), requiring them to cover the deductible up to $25,000 before remaining costs become shared common expenses. The bill mandates that condominium boards annually inform owners in writing of their deductible responsibility and the specific amount. It applies to standard residential condominiums and does not change insurance requirements for nonresidential units.

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Feb 28, 2025

HB 780: Urban State Highways - Speed Limits - Exemptions

HB 780 allows Maryland's State Highway Administration to lower speed limits by 5 mph on designated urban highways without conducting an engineering and traffic study. It directly affects drivers and pedestrians on urban highways meeting specific criteria (e.g., located in municipal boundaries, near public facilities with high pedestrian traffic, or with curbs/gutters). The bill modifies existing law to exempt these speed reductions from the standard engineering review requirement. This change takes effect October 1, 2025, applying to urban highways under the State Highway Administration's jurisdiction.

Topics ✓ Transportation

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Feb 26, 2025

HB 233: Labor and Employment - Mandatory Meetings on Religious or Political Matters - Employee Attendance and Participation (Maryland Worker Freedom Act)

HB 233, the Maryland Worker Freedom Act, prohibits employers from penalizing employees or job applicants who decline to attend or participate in mandatory workplace meetings where the employer expresses views on religious or political topics. It specifically bans actions like firing, disciplining, or refusing to hire someone for such refusal, covering matters like elections, political parties, religious practices, or support for organizations. The law does not apply to religious employers or schools exempt under federal civil rights law, nor does it restrict voluntary meetings or legally required communications. This bill directly affects all Maryland workers and job seekers in non-exempt workplaces by protecting their choice to opt out of such employer-sponsored discussions.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Feb 25, 2025

HB 582: Labor and Employment - Exemptions From Overtime Pay - Administrative, Executive, or Professional Capacity

HB 582 updates Maryland's overtime pay exemptions for workers in administrative, executive, or professional roles by raising the minimum salary threshold to $1,128 per week (or the current federal standard under 29 C.F.R. § 541.600). It directly affects employers who classify such employees as exempt from overtime, requiring them to meet this new compensation standard. The bill modifies existing law to align Maryland's threshold with federal guidelines and takes effect October 1, 2025. This change ensures these exempt workers earn at least the updated minimum salary before overtime pay is required.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Feb 21, 2025

HB 221: Department of Information Technology - Maryland Digital Service - Establishment

HB 221 establishes the Maryland Digital Service as a centralized unit within the Department of Information Technology. It requires state agencies to collaborate with this new unit to improve digital services for Maryland residents and staff through user-centered design, accessible platforms, and streamlined website consolidation. Key provisions mandate the service to prioritize multilingual, disability-accessible government websites, reduce redundant digital systems, and enforce accessibility standards across all state digital projects. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025, directly affecting all state agencies and the public accessing government digital services.

Topics ✓ Technology

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Feb 21, 2025

HB 363: Common Ownership Communities - Candidate or Proposition Signs - Display Period

HB 363 modifies Maryland law to set minimum time periods for displaying election-related signs in common ownership communities (condos, co-ops, and HOAs). It requires that if a community restricts sign display time, the period must be at least 30 days before an election or vote on a proposition (or before early voting starts) and extend through 7 days after the election. The bill ensures residents can display candidate or proposition signs during these specified windows, overriding community rules that impose shorter periods. It directly affects homeowners in these communities by standardizing election sign access, while still allowing restrictions in common areas under federal/state/local law.

passed · Maryland · Senate Feb 21, 2025

SB 44: Reckless and Negligent Driving - Death of Another - Must-Appear Violation (Sherry and Christian's Law)

SB 44 (Sherry and Christian's Law) requires individuals charged with reckless or negligent driving that causes a death to appear in court instead of paying fines upfront. It directly affects drivers convicted of causing fatal accidents through reckless or careless driving. The bill mandates court appearances and prohibits prepayment of fines, though judges may waive the appearance requirement for "good cause" after setting a court date. The law amends Maryland's transportation code to enforce these specific procedural changes for such offenses.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Transportation

passed · Maryland · Senate Feb 21, 2025

SB 545: Criminal Law - Child Pornography - Prohibitions and Penalties

SB 545 amends Maryland's criminal code to prohibit possessing or viewing images depicting minors in sexual conduct, sadomasochistic abuse, or sexual excitement - whether actual or computer-generated images that appear indistinguishable from real children under 16. It specifically targets material that looks like real children (excluding drawings, cartoons, sculptures, or paintings) and adds penalties: up to 5 years for first-time possession/viewing (misdemeanor) and up to 10 years for repeat offenses (felony). The bill includes exceptions for parents possessing non-exploitative images of their own children and allows a defense if someone destroys the material or reports it to police. These changes update sections 11-207, 11-208, and add new section 11-208.2 to the Maryland Annotated Code.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

passed · Maryland · Senate Feb 21, 2025

SB 413: Consumer Protection - Consumer Contracts - Limitations Periods

SB 413 prohibits consumer contracts from including shorter time limits for filing lawsuits than Maryland law requires. It directly affects consumers and businesses entering contracts for personal, family, or household goods/services (like cell phone plans or home services), making any such short time limit clause void and unenforceable. The bill ensures courts cannot uphold these clauses or allow defendants to use them as a defense, requiring all consumer contracts to comply with Maryland’s standard statute of limitations. This applies only to contracts signed on or after October 1, 2025, with no retroactive effect.

Bill results