SB 349 increases penalties for drivers who elude police officers and cause a death, reclassifying this as a felony. First-time offenders face up to 5 years in prison or a $5,000 fine, while repeat offenders face up to 10 years. The bill maintains existing misdemeanor penalties for eluding that causes bodily injury or no injury. It applies to drivers who fail to stop after a police officer signals to stop, whether the officer is in uniform or in a marked police vehicle.
This bill would create a toll-free voter hotline for incarcerated individuals to access voting information, request election materials, and report voting rights violations. It would remove the current ban preventing people convicted of a felony and serving a prison sentence from registering to vote. The law would allow incarcerated individuals to register while imprisoned, changing eligibility rules that currently exclude them. The bill is pending and would take effect January 1, 2027, if passed.
HB 397 allows individuals convicted of failing to report to confinement (a misdemeanor) to petition for expungement of their record. It adds this specific offense to Maryland’s list of eligible cases under expungement law. The bill requires a 5-year waiting period after completing all sentence terms before filing such a petition. This applies only to misdemeanor convictions for not showing up to jail as ordered by a court.
SB 97 establishes a voluntary program to help individuals released from Maryland state prisons access essential benefits more smoothly. It requires the Departments of Human Services, Public Safety, and Health to create a coordinated system where correctional facilities assist "returning citizens" (those expected to be released within 90 days) in applying for SNAP, Temporary Cash Assistance, and Maryland Medical Assistance *before* release. Key provisions include a standardized prerelease application process, help obtaining required documents (like birth certificates and Social Security cards), and secure data sharing to ensure benefits are active upon release. The program must be implemented by October 1, 2026, with departments required to finalize a data-sharing agreement by April 2027. This directly affects people transitioning from incarceration to community life in Maryland.
SB 82 amends Maryland law to specifically prohibit creating, aiding, or possessing counterfeit leases or rental agreements with fraudulent intent. It directly affects individuals who attempt to defraud landlords or tenants through fake housing documents. The bill adds "lease" and "rental agreement" to the list of forgery targets (alongside checks, deeds, and other documents), making it a felony to create such counterfeits (up to 10 years in prison or $1,000 fine) and a misdemeanor to knowingly possess them (up to 3 years or $1,000 fine). The law takes effect October 1, 2026.
HB 414 changes Maryland's jury service rules by removing a disqualification for people currently on parole or probation for crimes punishable by more than one year in prison. Previously, individuals serving such sentences (including parole) were barred from jury duty, but this bill eliminates that specific barrier. The bill maintains disqualifications for crimes involving perjury, witness intimidation, jury intimidation, or certain offenses under Maryland's Criminal Law (Title 8). It also preserves requirements that jurors must understand English to complete qualification forms. This change would allow more people with past convictions to serve on juries, provided they meet all other eligibility criteria.
HB 438 establishes the Adult Prison School Board Model Development Committee to create a school board system for correctional education in Maryland's prisons and juvenile facilities. The committee, composed of state officials, correctional education representatives, and experts (including formerly incarcerated individuals and nonprofit advocates), must develop a funding and operational plan by June 2028, examining costs for staff, materials, and budget management. This procedural bill does not enact immediate policy changes but sets a timeline for recommendations to the Governor and legislature. It expires automatically on June 30, 2028, after its two-year study period.
HB 667 requires Maryland to create a dedicated facility for female incarcerated individuals transitioning from prison, directly affecting women at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women eligible for prerelease. The bill mandates a separate facility with specific security features (based on low violence/escape risk and good behavior), located in Baltimore City on at least 3 acres away from other prisons, and designed to accommodate 1.25 times the current eligible population. It sets strict deadlines for planning (by June 2021), construction (starting September 2021), and operation (by June 2023), with detailed requirements for housing, accessibility, program spaces, and medical services. The Department of General Services must oversee procurement, and the Correctional Ombudsman must verify compliance with these requirements.
HB 463 prohibits incarcerated individuals serving sentences for specific first-degree murder convictions from earning time-off credits (diminution credits) that reduce their prison terms. It directly affects people convicted of murder under Maryland law, including those convicted of murder involving a child under 16 (under older statutes), repeat child murder offenders, or any first-degree murder (§2-201 of the Criminal Law Article). The bill amends Maryland’s Correctional Services law to block these credits for the specified offenses, effective October 1, 2026. This change applies only to sentences for offenses committed on or after that date, not past cases.
SB 89, the "Voting Rights for All Act," would require Maryland's State Board of Elections to create a toll-free hotline for incarcerated individuals to access voting information, request election materials, and report voting rights issues. It would remove a previous rule that barred people convicted of a felony and serving a prison sentence from registering to vote, allowing them to become registered voters while incarcerated. The bill also repeals a law that made voting while incarcerated a felony offense. These changes would directly affect incarcerated individuals in Maryland convicted of felonies and are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027.
