Maryland Bills

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 20, 2025

HB 991: State Procurement - Minority Business Enterprise Program - Extension and Reports

HB 991 extends deadlines for Maryland's Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Program, directly affecting minority-owned businesses participating in state contracts, particularly for offshore wind projects and video lottery terminals. The bill delays the termination of key MBE program provisions from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 2026, and moves report deadlines: the disparity study analysis must now be submitted by September 30, 2025 (previously 2024), and subgoal implementation reports by December 31, 2026 (previously 2025). It modifies existing statutes (Public Utilities Article §7-704.1, State Finance and Procurement §14-309, and State Government §9-1A-10) to reflect these extended timelines. The bill focuses solely on procedural timing changes without altering the program's core requirements or eligibility criteria.

Kevin Harris (D) Jamila Woods (D) Harry Bhandari (D) Deni Taveras (D) Teresa Woorman (D)

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 20, 2025

HB 1355: Health Insurance - Required Coverage - Hearing Aids

HB 1355 requires health insurers in Maryland to cover medically necessary hearing aids for adults if the devices are ordered, fitted, and dispensed by a licensed hearing aid dispenser (in addition to coverage when prescribed by an audiologist). Insurers must cover up to $1,400 per hearing aid per ear every three years, but enrollees can choose more expensive devices and pay the difference without penalty. The law applies to all health insurance policies issued, delivered, or renewed in Maryland on or after January 1, 2026. This directly affects adults with hearing loss covered by health insurance plans subject to Maryland’s insurance regulations.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 20, 2025

HB 886: State Retirement and Pension System – Deferred Vested Former Members – Return to Service

HB 886 clarifies rules for state employees who left retirement systems before June 30, 2011, but earned enough service for a vested pension, and later return to similar positions. It applies to members of Maryland’s Employees’ Pension, State Police Retirement, Correctional Officers’ Retirement, and Law Enforcement Officers’ Pension systems. To return, individuals must not have withdrawn contributions, not become retirees, and return within 4 years (or within 1 year after qualifying military service). Upon return, they must follow the same contribution and benefit rules as members who remained continuously in the system since 2011. This ensures consistency for returning members without altering their existing pension eligibility.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 20, 2025

HB 1238: Somerset County - Alcoholic Beverages - Liquor Tasting License

HB 1238 creates a new "liquor tasting license" for Somerset County, allowing businesses with existing Class A beer, wine, and liquor licenses to offer free liquor tastings. The license permits customers to try up to half an ounce per offering (with a maximum of five offerings daily) without charge, strictly for sampling purposes. Businesses must pay fees based on duration - $20 for one day, $200 for 26 days, $300 for 52 days, or $400 for 104 days - added to their standard Class A license costs. The bill applies exclusively to Somerset County and takes effect July 1, 2025.

signed · Maryland · Senate May 20, 2025

SB 547: Commission to Study Health Insurance Pooling - Establishment

SB 547 establishes a 18-member Commission to study whether pooling public employee health insurance purchasing across Maryland's State, counties, municipalities, and school boards would save costs while maintaining benefits. The Commission includes representatives from state agencies (like Budget and Management, Insurance Commissioner), local governments (counties, cities, school boards), labor unions (AFSCME, SEIU), and healthcare experts. It will analyze existing health insurance data to assess fiscal impacts and barriers to implementing a shared purchasing system. This bill creates a study group but does not change current insurance policies or require immediate action.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 20, 2025

HB 666: Maryland Medical Assistance Program and Health Insurance - Required Coverage for Calcium Score Testing

HB 666 requires Maryland's Medicaid program (Maryland Medical Assistance Program) and most health insurance plans to cover calcium score testing for individuals with specific heart disease risk factors. It directly affects people with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or a family history of early heart disease - requiring coverage if they have at least three of these risk factors. The law mandates coverage starting January 1, 2026, for Medicaid and all health insurance policies issued or renewed after that date. This change applies to insurers, nonprofit health plans, health maintenance organizations, and managed care organizations operating in Maryland. The bill does not alter coverage for other medical services but specifically adds calcium scoring to required benefits.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Maryland · Senate May 20, 2025

SB 423: Maryland Medical Practice Act and Maryland Physician Assistants Act - Revisions

SB 423 updates Maryland’s Medical Practice Act and Physician Assistants Act by removing outdated language, clarifying regulatory requirements, and improving consistency across laws governing healthcare professionals. It revises licensure rules, disciplinary procedures, and reporting obligations for physicians, physician assistants, and allied health professionals. The bill also adjusts disciplinary grounds, administrative penalties, and committee structures to modernize the regulatory framework without altering core practice standards. This revision primarily affects healthcare professionals seeking or maintaining licensure in Maryland.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 20, 2025

HB 798: Opioid Restitution Fund - Interactive Dashboard

HB 798 requires Maryland's Office of Overdose Response (with the Department of Health) to create and maintain a public interactive dashboard tracking how settlement funds from opioid-related lawsuits are spent. The dashboard must show, by state, county, and municipality: payment schedules, past spending, spending plans, funded initiatives, and public hearing details. Local governments receiving these funds must submit required financial data through an online portal to the Department for inclusion on the dashboard. The dashboard will be developed and maintained using existing Opioid Restitution Fund money from the state budget, not new appropriations. This bill focuses solely on transparency, with no new policy changes or funding mechanisms.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 20, 2025

HB 761: Maryland Uniform Disposition of Abandoned Property Act - Revisions

HB 761 updates Maryland’s abandoned property law to include digital assets like virtual currency, requiring financial institutions to treat them like traditional property (e.g., bank accounts) if unclaimed. It adds clear rules for proving ownership - such as transaction records or account activity - to prevent property from being deemed abandoned too quickly. The bill also ensures insurance policies don’t automatically terminate if an owner is uncontactable and simplifies how people reclaim forgotten property. These changes directly affect digital asset holders, banks, insurers, and the State Comptroller’s office managing unclaimed funds.

Topics ✓ Technology

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 20, 2025

HB 712: Harford County - Alcoholic Beverages - Multiple Licenses - Golf Simulator Facilities

HB 712 allows Harford County license holders with Class B alcoholic beverage permits to also operate golf simulator venues under a new Class GSF (golf simulator facility) license. The bill amends Maryland law to clarify that this GSF license counts toward the existing limit of nine total Class B licenses a single business may hold. It directly affects businesses currently holding Class B licenses who wish to add golf simulator facilities to their operations. The changes take effect July 1, 2025.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 20, 2025

HB 567: Dorchester County - Alcoholic Beverages - Arts Beer and Wine License

HB 567 creates a new "arts beer and wine license" in Dorchester County, allowing nonprofit or for-profit businesses (like art centers, galleries, or museums) that display and sell original artwork in an approved arts district to sell beer and wine on-premises with snacks. The license requires businesses to primarily showcase serious artistic work (not mass-produced items), operate between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m., and pay a $250 annual fee. It specifically prohibits selling alcohol at locations without original artwork displays or transferring the license to new locations. This bill amends Maryland’s alcoholic beverage laws to establish this new license category effective July 1, 2025.

signed · Maryland · Senate May 20, 2025

SB 684: Public Health - Health Equity Dashboard

SB 684 requires the Maryland Department of Health, working with the Commission on Health Equity, to create a public data dashboard showing health disparities. The dashboard must display age-adjusted health data broken down by race, ethnicity, and gender across key areas like insurance access, cardiovascular disease, mental health, cancer, and HIV/AIDS. It mandates the dashboard be updated at least every 30 days and prominently posted on the Department's website. This law directly affects how Maryland tracks and shares health equity data, aiming to make disparities visible to the public and policymakers.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

Bill results