Maryland Bills

signed · Maryland · Senate May 20, 2025

SB 641: Health Insurance - Required Coverage - Hearing Aids

SB 641 requires Maryland health insurers, nonprofit health plans, and health maintenance organizations to cover medically appropriate hearing aids for both minors and adults if prescribed, fitted, and dispensed by a licensed audiologist or hearing aid dispenser. The bill mandates coverage but limits insurer payments to $1,400 per hearing aid per impaired ear every 36 months. Individuals may choose more expensive hearing aids and pay the difference without penalties to the provider. This applies to all health insurance policies issued, delivered, or renewed in Maryland on or after January 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 20, 2025

HB 490: St. Mary's County - Competitive Bidding - Threshold

HB 490 raises the threshold for requiring competitive bidding in St. Mary's County from $15,000 to $50,000 for contracts involving services or supplies. This change directly affects St. Mary's County government when purchasing goods or services, reducing the number of contracts requiring public bidding. The bill amends Maryland's procurement law (Article 12, Section 301) to set this higher minimum amount specifically for St. Mary's County, while keeping the $15,000 standard for other commission counties. It does not alter bonding requirements or exceptions for design services. The law takes effect October 1, 2025.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 20, 2025

HB 331: Public Information Act - Public Access Ombudsman - Delegation of Powers

HB 331 amends Maryland's Public Information Act to explicitly allow the Public Access Ombudsman to delegate specific powers and duties to staff members within their office. This change directly affects the Office of the Public Access Ombudsman by clarifying its internal operational authority. The key provision (added to Section 4-1B-03(g) of the Maryland Annotated Code) formally authorizes the Ombudsman to assign responsibilities to staff, streamlining the office's ability to manage public records requests and investigations. The bill does not alter public rights or create new obligations for citizens or agencies.

signed · Maryland · Senate May 20, 2025

SB 748: Public Health - Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias - Information on Prevalence and Treatment

SB 748 requires Maryland's Department of Health to update public health outreach programs with information about FDA-approved treatments for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, including educating healthcare providers on early detection and the value of regular check-ups for older adults. It also mandates the creation of a public website providing downloadable data on the disease's prevalence and hospitalization rates, disaggregated by age, sex, race, ethnicity, and county. The website must include data from the prior five years and be updated annually starting in 2027. This aims to improve awareness and reduce risk in communities disproportionately affected by Alzheimer's, such as Black and Latino populations.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 20, 2025

HB 602: State Board of Nursing - Advanced Practice Nursing Licensure and Specialty Certification - Reciprocity Discussions (Maryland Border States Advanced Practice Nursing Act)

HB 602 requires Maryland's State Board of Nursing to negotiate mutual recognition agreements with nursing boards in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. The bill aims to create reciprocity for advanced practice nursing licenses and specialty certifications, specifically to increase access to qualified nurses, improve license portability across borders, and simplify telehealth services in border regions. The Board must report annually to legislative committees starting November 1, 2025, detailing progress, agreements reached, challenges, and needed policy changes. This bill directly affects nursing boards in Maryland and the five neighboring jurisdictions, focusing on streamlining licensure for advanced practice nurses without altering current licensing standards. It is a procedural measure to facilitate future agreements, not a change to existing licensure rules.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 20, 2025

HB 297: Maryland Health Benefit Exchange - State-Based Young Adult Health Insurance Subsidies Pilot Program - Sunset Repeal

HB 297 extends Maryland's State-Based Young Adult Health Insurance Subsidies Program by removing its scheduled termination date (sunset provision). The bill amends Maryland's Insurance Code to permanently authorize the program, which provides health insurance subsidies to young adults (typically ages 19-25) who purchase coverage through the state's Health Benefit Exchange. Key provisions include renaming the program from "Pilot" to "Program" and ensuring ongoing funding from state-designated sources (as specified in Section 31-107(e)(11)). This change allows the program to continue operating without a fixed end date, directly affecting young adults seeking affordable health coverage in Maryland.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 20, 2025

HB 848: Health Insurance - Adverse Decisions - Notices, Reporting, and Examinations

HB 848 requires Maryland health insurance carriers to submit quarterly reports to the Insurance Commissioner detailing adverse decisions (denials of coverage), including specific data on denied claims, grievance outcomes, and emergency case processing times. If a carrier’s adverse decisions for a specific service type rise by more than 10% annually or 25% over three years, they must also report the reasons for the increase, such as changes in medical management. The Commissioner will compile annual summary reports from this data and may use it to initiate examinations of carriers. This bill directly affects health insurance carriers operating in Maryland, aiming to increase transparency around coverage denials without altering coverage rules.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 20, 2025

HB 722: Maryland Department of Health - Report on Oversight of Substance Use Disorder Treatment Programs and Recovery Residences

HB 722 requires the Maryland Department of Health to submit two annual reports by December 1, 2025, and 2026, detailing improvements to oversight of substance use disorder treatment programs and recovery residences. The reports must cover revisions to administrative regulations (COMAR 10.63), enhanced oversight procedures for treatment programs, and updated certification/monitoring processes for recovery residences. They must also analyze how these changes would prevent incidents like those reported at PHA Healthcare, where patients experienced relapse or death. The bill directly affects the Department of Health’s reporting obligations to specific legislative committees. It does not create new programs but mandates transparency around existing oversight mechanisms.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Maryland · Senate May 20, 2025

SB 790: Behavioral Health Advisory Council and the Commission on Behavioral Health Care Treatment and Access - Plan to Implement Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment Requirements

SB 790 requires Maryland's Department of Health to form a workgroup focused on implementing child health screenings and behavioral health services. The workgroup must include behavioral health professionals, parents, children with behavioral health needs, and advocates to develop a plan based on federal guidelines for early screenings, diagnostic tools for young children, and community-based care. The plan must address preventive care, early symptom management, and crisis services for children. The Department must submit this plan to the legislature by December 1, 2025, with the bill expiring after one year on June 30, 2026. This is a procedural bill creating a planning process, not an immediate policy change.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Maryland · Senate May 20, 2025

SB 745: Harford County - Alcoholic Beverages - Performing Arts Nonprofit Organization License - Record-Keeping Requirements

SB 745 revises record-keeping and enforcement rules for performing arts nonprofits holding alcohol licenses in Harford County. It removes incorrect references to the Comptroller of Maryland in reporting requirements, directing license holders to report to the Board or Executive Director instead. The bill eliminates the Comptroller’s authority to suspend licenses without a hearing, instead allowing the Board to hold hearings and impose fines at its discretion. The core requirement for license holders to maintain detailed sales records for two years and make them available for inspection during business hours remains unchanged.

signed · Maryland · Senate May 20, 2025

SB 5: Maryland Health Benefit Exchange – State–Based Young Adult Health Insurance Subsidies Pilot Program – Sunset Repeal

SB 5 removes the sunset provision (termination date) for Maryland's State-Based Young Adult Health Insurance Subsidies Program, making it permanent. It changes the requirement for the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange to implement the program from mandatory ("shall") to discretionary ("may"), and adds a condition that the Exchange cannot proceed if specific funding isn't available. The program provides subsidies to young adults aged 18-40 with incomes between 133% and 400% of the federal poverty level to reduce their individual health insurance premiums. This bill modifies key sections of Maryland's Insurance Code to reflect these structural changes to the program's funding and implementation.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 20, 2025

HB 603: Earned Income Tax Credit - Notice of Eligibility - Alteration

HB 603 changes how Maryland employers must inform employees about eligibility for the state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). It requires the Comptroller to send annual income eligibility limits to all employers by January 1st (via mail or electronic means), and mandates employers to provide written or electronic notices to employees with wages below that limit about both federal and state EITC eligibility. The bill also clarifies employers cannot be sued for failing to provide these notices. This affects all Maryland employers and low-income workers potentially qualifying for the EITC, effective July 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Labor & Employment

Bill results