Maryland Bills

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 982: Higher Education - Tuition Exemption for Foster Care Recipients - Eligibility

HB 982 modifies Maryland's tuition exemption program for foster care recipients by changing the eligibility age requirement. It lowers the required age from 13 to 8 for youth who were in out-of-home placement and later adopted or placed under guardianship. This change expands eligibility to include more foster youth who transitioned to permanent families after age 8. The bill affects current and future foster care recipients seeking tuition-free public college education, maintaining existing requirements like enrollment by age 25 and filing for financial aid. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ Education

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 1254: Education - Public Schools - Service Contracts

HB 1254 requires county school boards to justify service contracts (outsourcing school services) by submitting detailed cost comparisons showing at least 20% savings over using school employees, along with plans to assist affected staff. It mandates that boards demonstrate they considered alternatives like reorganizing services before contracting. The bill also directs the State Department of Education to develop a paid, in-person professional development system for paraeducators and support staff by July 2027, including training on collaboration, student safety, crisis prevention, and job skills. This new system must be provided during school hours and will directly affect all paraeducators and support professionals in Maryland public schools.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education ✓ Labor & Employment

passed both · Maryland · Senate Apr 13, 2026

SB 811: Real Property - New Home Sales - Entry of Final Sale Price in Multiple Listing Service

SB 811 requires developers, builders, brokers, and real estate agents to enter the final sale price of new homes into a multiple listing service (MLS) or similar real estate database within 30 days of closing. This applies to all new home sales in Maryland and aims to improve price transparency by making final sale data accessible to the public and professionals. The bill defines an MLS as a database used by real estate professionals for facilitating sales and market evaluations. It takes effect October 1, 2026, and directly affects those handling new home transactions.

passed both · Maryland · Senate Apr 13, 2026

SB 980: Property Tax - Credit for Dwelling House of Disabled Veterans and Surviving Spouses - Alterations

SB 980 modifies Maryland's property tax credit for disabled veterans and surviving spouses by adjusting the required disability rating thresholds. It lowers the minimum rating for the 50% credit from 75% to 70% and for the 25% credit from 74% to 69%, expanding eligibility without changing existing income limits ($100,000 for single filers, $200,000 for joint filers). The bill applies to veterans or surviving spouses owning a dwelling house who meet the revised disability criteria. This change takes effect for taxable years beginning after June 30, 2026.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Veterans

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 993: Real Property - Short-Term Rentals

HB 993 prohibits Maryland counties and municipalities from banning short-term rentals solely because the operator (e.g., a tenant or subtenant) rents the property, not because they own it. It allows local governments to restrict operators who are lessees or sublessees to operating only one short-term rental property within their jurisdiction. The bill defines "short-term rental" as housing offered for less than 31 consecutive days (excluding hotels, motels, or student housing) and clarifies that property owners can still set their own rules about rentals. This directly affects local governments' ability to regulate rentals by tenants and operators who lease the property. The law takes effect October 1, 2026.

passed both · Maryland · Senate Apr 13, 2026

SB 623: Tobacconist Businesses and Establishment of a Premium Cigar Lounge Alcoholic Beverages License (Maryland Premium Cigar Lounge Act of 2026)

SB 623 creates a new "Class C-PCL" license for premium cigar lounges in Maryland, allowing tobacco retailers (tobacconists) to serve alcohol on-premises under specific conditions. The license requires that at least 70% of daily sales come from premium cigars and tobacco products, prohibits locations adjacent to healthcare or childcare facilities, and exempts these lounges from the Clean Indoor Air Act. License holders must install air filtration systems, display smoking notices, and submit annual sales reports. Customers must bring their own alcohol and purchase tobacco products during their visit, with service permitted Monday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.

in committee · Maryland · Senate Apr 13, 2026

SB 666: Real Property - Short-Term Rentals

SB 666 prevents Maryland counties and municipalities from banning short-term rentals operated by tenants (lessees or sublessees) solely because they do not own the property. It allows local governments to restrict tenant operators to managing only one short-term rental property within their jurisdiction. Property owners retain the right to prohibit or limit tenant use of their property for short-term rentals. The bill specifically excludes hotels, motels, student housing, and similar facilities from its provisions.

passed both · Maryland · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 892: Business Regulation - Cemeteries - Actions for Sale, Transfer, or Alternate Use

HB 892 allows descendant community organizations (DCOs) to legally challenge cemetery owners who propose selling, transferring, or changing the use of cemetery land. Currently, only cemetery owners or government entities could initiate such actions; this bill expands standing to DCOs - groups with cultural ties to interred individuals or ancestral connections. The law amends Maryland statutes (Business Regulation §5-101 and Real Property §14-121) to require courts to consider DCO concerns when reviewing these proposals. This change directly affects cemetery owners seeking to repurpose land and DCOs seeking to preserve burial sites as permanent sacred spaces.

passed both · Maryland · Senate Apr 13, 2026

SB 866: Public Health - Chain Restaurants - Disclosure and Notice to Customers of Sodium and Added Sugars

SB 866 requires chain restaurants with 20 or more locations in Maryland to display warning icons next to menu items exceeding 1,150mg sodium or 25mg added sugars per serving, starting January 1, 2028. The Maryland Department of Health must create these icons and guidelines by January 1, 2027, and run a public education campaign during 2027 to explain compliance. The bill directly affects large chain restaurants by mandating clear labeling of high-sodium and high-sugar menu items. It defines "high sodium" as 1,150mg per serving and "high added sugars" as 25mg per serving for labeling purposes.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

passed · Maryland · Senate Apr 13, 2026

SB 936: Vehicle Laws - Bus Obstruction Monitoring Systems and Bus Stop Zones

SB 936 updates Maryland's vehicle laws to prohibit drivers from parking, stopping, or standing in a bus stop zone when a transit bus is present. This directly affects drivers who park in designated bus stop areas during bus stops. The bill adds a new rule (Section 21-1003(GG)) allowing exceptions only for authorized personnel or drivers actively loading/unloading passengers with hazard lights on. It also revises related provisions about bus obstruction monitoring systems and their use in enforcement, replacing outdated references to "bus lane" with "bus obstruction." The law aims to improve bus stop efficiency by reducing obstructions.

Topics ✓ Transportation

passed both · Maryland · Senate Apr 13, 2026

SB 626: Sex Designation on Certificates of Birth, Licenses, and Identification Cards and Birth Information Histories (Birth Certificate Modernization Act)

SB 626 (Birth Certificate Modernization Act) updates Maryland law to simplify changing sex designation on birth certificates and identification documents. It removes the prior requirement for medical documentation (such as surgery or hormone treatment) to update a birth certificate, instead allowing a written request under penalty of perjury. The bill also expands options for sex designation on driver's licenses, ID cards, and moped permits beyond male/female. It specifically includes intersex conditions as a valid basis for changing sex designation on records, while maintaining court orders as an alternative path. This directly affects individuals seeking to update their sex designation on official state-issued documents.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 1297: Income Tax - Student Loan Debt Relief Tax Credit - Alterations

HB 1297 modifies Maryland's student loan debt relief tax credit by changing how unused credit amounts are recaptured. It requires taxpayers to repay only the unused portion of the credit (not the full amount) if they don't use it for student loan repayment within 3 years. The bill also authorizes the Maryland Higher Education Commission to grant extensions of this 3-year period for taxpayers unable to repay due to specific federal delays, such as litigation over the SAVE repayment plan, Department of Education understaffing, or waiting for public service loan forgiveness. This directly affects Maryland residents with qualifying student loan debt who claim the tax credit.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education

Bill results