SB 597 establishes the Maryland Artificial Intelligence Partnership within the University System of Maryland to serve as a central hub for coordinating AI initiatives across the state. It creates an Artificial Intelligence Incubation Lab to help state agencies adopt AI responsibly, and redesignates the Cybersecurity Public Service Scholarship Program as the Emerging Technology Public Service Scholarship Program to include AI training. The bill also requires Morgan State University's Center for Equitable AI to support state agencies with AI research. These changes directly affect Maryland public university students (through expanded scholarship eligibility), state agencies (via lab support), and the University System of Maryland (as host for the Partnership and Lab).
SB 720, the "Artificial Intelligence Ready Schools Act," requires Maryland’s State Department of Education to create and maintain online guidance for schools, educators, parents, and students on the safe, ethical, and equitable use of AI in K-12 education. It mandates county school boards to adopt AI policies within 120 days of guidance release, designate AI coordinators, and procure AI tools aligned with state standards. The bill also requires Morgan State University to annually certify AI tools and establishes statewide teacher training in AI literacy by July 2027, with compensation for educators participating. Local school systems must integrate AI into workforce preparation standards by June 2027, coordinated with the Maryland Center for Computing Education. The law directly affects all Maryland public schools, educators, students, and technology vendors supplying educational AI tools.
This bill establishes the Maryland Advanced Manufacturing Grant Program within the Maryland Technology Development Corporation to support companies specializing in regenerative medicine and other advanced manufacturing sectors. The program will provide grants that recipients can use exclusively for acquiring or renovating manufacturing space, improving infrastructure, and purchasing necessary equipment. A dedicated fund will be created to hold grant money, with interest earnings credited back to the fund rather than the state's general fund. The Corporation will work with the Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission to set eligibility criteria, application procedures, and award amounts, with the program taking effect on July 1, 2026.
SB 763 establishes the Maryland Growth Initiative within the Maryland Technology Development Corporation to support early-stage companies transitioning from startup development to scaling. It creates a dedicated $5 million annual fund from state budget appropriations (reinforced by interest earnings and private investment) to provide post-seed funding, helping qualifying companies grow in Maryland without relocating. The initiative must prioritize companies that previously received funding from the corporation or are minority-owned businesses, while maintaining a curated list of eligible firms between startup and scaling phases. The fund operates as a non-lapsing account, with all interest earnings automatically added back to the fund.
SB 114 establishes the Maryland 3-1-1 Oversight Board to manage a statewide expansion of nonemergency 3-1-1 services. The bill requires all Maryland counties to implement AI-powered chatbots (by June 2027) and voicebots (by December 2028) that provide multilingual support, route calls accurately, and escalate complex issues to live agents. These systems must align with accessibility and equity standards, using curated government data for responses. The bill directly affects all 23 Maryland counties, residents using 3-1-1 services, and state agencies managing the program, with full statewide implementation required by July 2028.
HB 718 requires public institutions of higher education in Maryland (excluding Morgan State University, the University System of Maryland, St. Mary’s College, and Baltimore City Community College) to adopt email security policies aligned with state government standards. It mandates that all employee email systems automatically filter spam and non-state-business emails (like unsolicited marketing) while permitting minimal personal use that doesn’t impact resources or violate professional norms. The bill extends existing state IT requirements to these institutions, ensuring email systems support official work only and include specific security measures. This directly affects higher education employees and administrators responsible for managing institutional email systems.
SB 601 requires all Maryland local school systems to designate a cybersecurity point of contact by 2027 and comply with state minimum cybersecurity standards established by the Department of Information Technology. Schools must conduct a cybersecurity maturity assessment every two years and certify compliance annually by June 30, starting in 2027. The bill repeals a previous requirement that county boards prioritize purchasing digital devices with certain funds and instead mandates annual reporting on cybersecurity expenditures. It also directs the Department of Information Technology to annually review and update the state cybersecurity standards. This bill directly affects all public school systems in Maryland, focusing on strengthening cybersecurity practices rather than device procurement.
SB 56 authorizes Maryland's Longitudinal Data System Center to share student and workforce data with third-party data centers for multistate research and reporting, replacing its previous ability to share data with the U.S. Census Bureau. The bill requires third-party centers to meet strict security and privacy standards - including using de-identified data, avoiding individual identification, and signing written agreements - before sharing any data. This directly affects the Center (which must now follow these new rules), third-party data centers (which must comply with the requirements), and the privacy of Maryland students and workers whose data is shared.
SB 200 renames Maryland's "Council on Open Data" to the "Council for Open Data" and restructures its membership from 37 to 11 members. The Council now includes 10 state agency heads, the State Chief Data Officer (as chair), three locally appointed officials representing specific county groups, and five private-sector members appointed by the Governor. Its key duties include setting open data standards for portals, ensuring privacy/security, advising on budget needs, and promoting data-sharing partnerships. This directly affects state agencies, local governments (through appointed county representatives), and private-sector stakeholders participating in governance.
SB 216 updates Maryland's unemployment insurance confidentiality rules to align with federal requirements. It clarifies that claim details (including benefit amounts, address, and work refusal history), wage information, and other personal data are protected as "confidential unemployment insurance information." The bill allows limited disclosure to child support enforcement agencies when permitted under federal law, while adding penalties for unauthorized leaks by current or former Maryland Department of Labor employees. These changes directly affect unemployment claimants, employers, and child support agencies by defining how personal financial data may be shared.
