HB 340 would allow Maryland to join the School Psychologist Interstate Licensure Compact, enabling licensed school psychologists from member states to practice in Maryland without reapplying for separate state licenses. This directly affects school psychologists seeking to work across state lines, particularly in areas facing staffing shortages. The compact establishes standardized requirements for multistate licensure and creates a commission to manage the agreement, while ensuring states maintain authority to protect public safety through their own scope-of-practice laws. The goal is to improve access to school psychological services by streamlining licensing for qualified professionals.
HB 6 requires Maryland's public colleges and universities to collect and report data on students' parental status, including whether they are parents, guardians, or caregivers of children. Public institutions must adopt a plan by October 2026 that provides referrals to government assistance programs (like WIC, child care scholarships, and Medicaid), campus accommodations, and health services for pregnant and parenting students. The Maryland Higher Education Commission will collect this data annually starting in 2027 and submit reports to legislative committees. This bill directly affects all students enrolled at Maryland's public higher education institutions (including University System schools, Morgan State, and St. Mary’s College) who are pregnant or parenting.
HB 684 requires health insurance companies to notify members 60 days in advance if a provider (including primary care or behavioral health providers) is removed from their network, unless termination relates to fraud, abuse, or licensure issues. It mandates that members affected by such changes receive a 90-day special enrollment period to continue seeing those providers, along with clear contact information for filing complaints. Insurance companies must also notify the Maryland Insurance Commissioner about network changes at least 60 days before termination and update their access plans within 5 business days of the change. This bill directly affects health insurance members who lose provider access and requires insurers to follow specific transparency and transition procedures.
HB 671 requires Maryland's Governor to allocate at least 3% of funds collected from a Medicaid quality assessment on qualifying nursing facilities (45+ beds operating in the state) to fund the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman starting in fiscal year 2027. This directly affects nursing facilities that pay the assessment and ensures dedicated, supplemental funding for the Ombudsman office, which advocates for residents' rights in long-term care settings. The bill updates existing law to mandate this specific allocation from the assessment pool, specifying that these funds must be "in addition to" and not replace existing Ombudsman funding. It does not change the assessment rate (capped at 6% of facility revenue) or the reporting requirements for the Department.
SB 340 requires the Governor to allocate at least 3% of funds collected from nursing facilities' Medicaid quality assessments toward the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman's operations in the state budget. It directly affects nursing facilities with 45 or more beds operating in Maryland, which must pay the quality assessment. The bill mandates that these funds - collected quarterly based on non-Medicare patient days - must be used solely for the Ombudsman office, with no reduction to existing funding for this purpose. This creates a dedicated, ongoing funding source to support the Ombudsman's role in investigating resident complaints and advocating for long-term care rights.
HB 1372 requires the Maryland Health Care Commission, working with the Office of Health Care Quality, to create a process for publishing health facility inspection data (including inspection dates, quality ratings, next inspection dates, and compliance statements) on a public website. It establishes the Maryland Department of Health Centralization Commission, composed of legislators, department officials, and health board leaders, to advise on improving efficiency between the Department and health occupations boards. The bill also mandates that all health occupations boards meet minimum cybersecurity standards set by the Secretary of Information Technology. These changes directly affect health care facilities subject to inspections, health occupations boards, and the Maryland Department of Health.
HB 423 requires Prince George’s County public high schools to provide free drink spiking detection products (for GHB/ketamine) and fentanyl detection strips to all students starting the 2026-2027 school year. These products must be available at no cost in school health clinics or libraries. Each school must also report annually (by October 1) to Maryland’s Office of Overdose Response the quantity distributed during the prior school year. The bill applies exclusively to Prince George’s County schools and takes effect July 1, 2026.
HB 625 shifts responsibility for collecting fees from research facilities to the Maryland Department of Agriculture, replacing the current system under the Department of Health. It requires facilities submitting USDA Form 7023 (for animal testing) to pay annual contributions based on animal count: $5,000 for ≤100 animals, $10,000 for 101-500, $55,000 for 501-5,000, and $75,000 for over 5,000. Funds collected will support the Human-Relevant Research Fund established under Maryland’s Economic Development Article. The bill repeals existing health code provisions and creates new agriculture code sections for this fee structure, effective October 2026.
SB 742, the "Maryland Protecting People With Disabilities Act," modifies Maryland’s Medicaid eligibility processes to better protect individuals with disabilities who receive home- and community-based services. It extends the appeal timeframe for those losing eligibility and requires services to continue uninterrupted during appeals, preventing administrative errors from causing abrupt service loss. The bill prohibits "procedural disenrollment" (terminating coverage due to renewal process issues) and mandates the Department of Health to reserve waiver slots for people who lost eligibility unfairly. These changes align with the Olmstead decision, ensuring individuals can remain in community settings without unnecessary bureaucratic barriers. The bill directly affects Maryland Medicaid recipients with disabilities who rely on home- and community-based services.
HB 1109 creates the Maryland Medical Reserve Corps, a statewide volunteer network for emergencies like disease outbreaks or disasters, managed by the Maryland Department of Health. It requires the Department to notify county health officers about procurement opportunities for electronic health records systems, allowing counties to join without state approval if fully funded locally. The bill establishes a Public Health Workforce Development Fund (using interest earnings and transfers from another fund) and mandates the Department of Legislative Services to assess health equity impacts of new legislation. These changes directly affect county health departments, the Department of Health, and public health workforce planning.
