Education

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 25, 2026

HB 352: Concentration of Poverty School Grant Program - Personnel and Per Pupil Grants - Eligible Uses

HB 352 removes a fiscal year 2027 deadline that previously limited how schools could use personnel and per-pupil grants under Maryland's Concentration of Poverty School Grant Program. The bill specifically allows eligible schools with high poverty rates to use these funds for fine arts instructional programs, as defined in COMAR Title 13A, Subtitle 04, Section 13A.04.16.01. This change applies to schools serving a high concentration of eligible students and takes effect July 1, 2026. The bill modifies existing law to expand allowable uses of grant funds without altering the program's core structure or eligibility criteria.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationExpands grant usage to include fine arts programs in high-poverty schools, enhancing student access to arts education within existing funding framework.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

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passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 20, 2026

HB 1310: Public High Schools - Student Transcripts - Traumatic Loss Notation

HB 1310 allows high school students in Maryland who experience the death of a parent due to reproductive cancer (breast, cervical, or uterine cancer) to request a standardized notation on their official transcript. This notation, which must use privacy-protective language like "Documented Compelling Personal Circumstance" or "Exceptional Hardship Acknowledgement," explains potential impacts on academic performance, achievement, or attendance. Schools must add the notation upon receiving a written request with proof of the parent’s death (via death certificate or healthcare provider letter), and counselors must inform eligible students and surviving parents about this option. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026, and does not require schools to disclose the specific nature of the loss.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationAllows students to document trauma-related academic impacts on transcripts, supporting student well-being and educational access without penalizing performance.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

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passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 20, 2026

HB 1274: Education - Posthumous Diploma Awards - Established (Eric's Law)

HB 1274 authorizes Maryland public school systems to award three types of diplomas to deceased students: standard diplomas (for students near graduation in 12th grade), posthumous honorary diplomas (for students in 11th/12th grade close to graduation), and in memoriam diplomas (for students in grades K-10 or county residents). To qualify, students must have been enrolled in a Maryland public school, met credit requirements, and been in good standing at the time of death. Schools may only issue these diplomas upon written request from a parent, guardian, or next of kin, and all awarded diplomas are ceremonial with no academic credit or impact on graduation rates. The bill amends Maryland’s education code to establish these specific eligibility criteria and procedures.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationAuthorizes diplomas for deceased students meeting academic requirements, enhancing recognition and closure for families while affirming educational achievement.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

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passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 20, 2026

HB 900: Legislative Scholarship Programs - Eligibility and Use - Real Estate Appraisal Program

This bill modifies Maryland's legislative scholarship programs to exempt certain applicants from competitive examination requirements and to allow scholarship funds to be used for real estate appraisal training. Specifically, it removes the exam requirement for students who have completed at least one year at an eligible institution, those who graduated high school five years prior, applicants to approved private career colleges, and community college students. Additionally, it authorizes senatorial and Delegate scholarships to cover expenses for completing the Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria program. The changes apply to both new scholarship applications and the existing scholarship programs, affecting current and future recipients who meet the specified eligibility criteria.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill expands educational access by exempting certain students from exam requirements and adds real estate appraisal training to scholarship funds, supporting career education.75% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

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passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 20, 2026

HB 505: Public and Nonpublic Schools - Student School Transfers - Academic Records Documentation

HB 505 requires public and nonpublic Maryland schools to accept specific unofficial documents as proof of academic records when a student transfers, *only* if the sending school denies an official transcript due to a dispute between the school and the student. The bill specifies that receiving schools must accept: unofficial transcripts, student-provided report cards, standardized test scores, copies of awards, or unofficial AP/IB results. This directly affects transferring students facing transcript denial, sending schools involved in disputes, and receiving schools that must follow these documentation rules. The policy change aims to prevent educational disruption during transfers by providing alternative verification methods.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRemoves barrier for student transfers by accepting alternative academic records when disputes prevent official transcripts, directly expanding educational access.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

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passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 20, 2026

HB 534: Nonpublic Schools - Transcripts - Prohibition on Punitive Measures Related to Student Debt

HB 534 prohibits nonpublic schools participating in Maryland’s state-funded education programs from withholding transcripts or taking punitive actions against students (or their parents/guardians) due to unpaid debts owed to the school. Specifically, it bans schools from refusing to issue transcripts, conditioning transcript access on debt payment, charging extra fees for transcripts related to debt, or using transcripts as a debt collection tool. The law directly affects students and families at participating nonpublic schools, ensuring transcript access remains separate from financial obligations. It defines "debt" to exclude standard transcript fees, clarifying that schools cannot charge additional costs for transcripts tied to unpaid balances. This policy change ensures transcript access is not withheld as a financial penalty.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationPrevents nonpublic schools from withholding transcripts over unpaid debt, ensuring uninterrupted educational access for students without financial barriers.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

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passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 19, 2026

HB 29: Public High Schools - Post College and Career Readiness Pathways - Alterations

HB 29 requires Maryland county school boards to provide free access to three types of post-college and career readiness pathways for students who meet statewide college and career readiness standards: competitive college prep programs (like IB or AP), early college/dual enrollment options, and career/technology education programs. It allows counties to set income eligibility guidelines for the college prep pathway costs (but mandates free access for students at or below federal poverty level), while requiring all other pathways to be free for all qualifying students. The bill also mandates schools to offer counseling to help students choose pathways, ensure graduation requirements are met through these pathways, and maintain full student services regardless of pathway enrollment. This applies to all Maryland public high school students meeting the readiness standards, effective July 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates free access to college/career pathways for eligible students, expanding educational access and funding without restricting programs.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

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passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 19, 2026

HB 490: Education - The Blueprint for Maryland's Future - Revisions

HB 490 revises provisions of Maryland's Blueprint for Maryland's Future education reform. It repeals an annual requirement for county boards to submit technology spending reports, extends the timeline for calculating compensatory education enrollment, and removes a termination date for Concentration of Poverty Grant funds. The bill also adjusts teacher certification rules, extends deadlines for National Board Certified teachers to become licensed principals, and updates definitions for wraparound services in community schools. These changes primarily affect school districts, educators, and state agencies administering education funding and programs under the Blueprint framework.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesRemoves termination date for Concentration of Poverty Grant funds, ensuring continued state funding for education programs without defunding.80% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationRemoves termination for Concentration of Poverty Grant funds, extends teacher certification deadlines, and continues Blueprint funding streams per bill revisions.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

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passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 16, 2026

HB 355: Education - Sexual Abuse and Assault Awareness and Prevention Program - Human and Sex Trafficking

This bill requires Maryland public and private schools to include human and sex trafficking awareness in their existing sexual abuse and assault prevention education programs for students in grades 6 through 8. The program must be taught by trained instructors as part of the health curriculum, expanding current requirements that already cover sexual abuse prevention. It applies to all schools meeting the definition of "nonpublic school" under Maryland law, including those participating in state textbook and technology grant programs. The changes take effect July 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationExpands mandatory health curriculum in grades 6-8 to include trafficking awareness, strengthening student safety education within schools.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

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passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 12, 2026

HB 538: 4-Year Institutions of Higher Education - Mandatory Disclosures for New and Prospective Students (Informed Enrollment Act)

HB 538, the Informed Enrollment Act, requires Maryland colleges and universities that admit first-time undergraduate students to provide prospective and current students with clear, standardized information about costs, graduation rates, post-graduation salaries, and debt outcomes. Starting July 1, 2027, institutions must prominently display a link to the federal U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard on their public websites, accompanied by a plain-language explanation of the data it offers. They must also share this link and explanation during student orientation, in recruitment materials, on social media at least once per semester, and on campus career center websites. The law automatically terminates if the federal College Scorecard resource is discontinued, ensuring it only applies while the federal data remains available.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates transparency in college costs/outcomes, empowering students with data for informed enrollment decisions, aligning with educational access expansion.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

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