Rep. Scott Phillips

Maddy summaryHB 1100 requires Maryland's Department of Health, working with the Commission on Health Equity, to create a public data dashboard showing health disparities. The dashboard must display age-adjusted health data broken down by race, ethnicity, and gender, covering specific areas like health insurance access, cardiovascular disease, mental health, cancer, and HIV/AIDS. The Department must update the dashboard at least every 30 days and post the latest version prominently on its website. This law directly affects Maryland residents by making health equity data more accessible to the public, researchers, and health officials.

Maddy summaryHB 666 requires Maryland's Medicaid program (Maryland Medical Assistance Program) and most health insurance plans to cover calcium score testing for individuals with specific heart disease risk factors. It directly affects people with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or a family history of early heart disease - requiring coverage if they have at least three of these risk factors. The law mandates coverage starting January 1, 2026, for Medicaid and all health insurance policies issued or renewed after that date. This change applies to insurers, nonprofit health plans, health maintenance organizations, and managed care organizations operating in Maryland. The bill does not alter coverage for other medical services but specifically adds calcium scoring to required benefits.

Maddy summaryThis bill repeals Maryland's Section 18-601.1 of the Health-General Article, which previously prohibited individuals with HIV from knowingly transferring the virus to others and imposed criminal penalties (fines up to $2,500 or up to 3 years in jail). It directly affects individuals living with HIV who might have been subject to this specific criminal provision. The key mechanism is the removal of the legal prohibition and associated penalties from Maryland's code, effectively eliminating this criminal charge. This change focuses solely on repealing the existing law, not altering broader HIV transmission policies or public health approaches.

Maddy summaryHB 675 modifies Maryland's Rape Kit Testing Grant Fund to specifically fund testing of untested sexual assault evidence kits collected before October 1, 2020, and support related services. The bill directs the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention to distribute funds annually to law enforcement agencies for testing, while prohibiting the fund from supporting the Sexual Assault Evidence Kit Tracking System (Section 31-33). It also allocates funding to the State Sexual Assault Coalition for a victim notification hotline providing advocacy, information on untested kits, and guidance navigating the tracking system (Section 9-19). The Executive Director must ensure all pre-2020 kits are tested or determined non-testable by fiscal year end, with funds maintained at prior-year levels unless reduced (Section 5-6). This directly affects law enforcement agencies, victims of sexual assault, and the State Sexual Assault Coalition.

Maddy summaryHB 707 (Eric’s ID Law) requires Maryland’s Motor Vehicle Administration to add a voluntary notation for nonapparent disabilities - such as developmental or intellectual disabilities - on driver’s licenses, ID cards, and moped permits. Applicants can choose to indicate this disability without providing proof or paying extra fees, and the notation will appear on the document’s bottom. The law prohibits the Administration from disclosing this information to insurers or using it to refer applicants to medical boards. It also mandates public outreach to inform people about this option. This directly affects individuals with nonapparent disabilities who apply for or renew these documents.

Maddy summaryHB 860 prohibits common carriers (such as bus companies, railroads, taxis, and ride-sharing services like Uber/Lyft) from damaging public infrastructure - like bridges or highways - so severely that closure is required. It declares such damage a "public nuisance," allowing state or local governments to sue for repairs, injunctive relief, and $1,000 daily penalties until infrastructure is restored. The bill directly affects transportation companies operating on public roads or bridges, requiring them to cover costs for damage causing closures. It does not create new infrastructure but establishes clear legal consequences for existing damage. The law takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 236 allows individuals to seek a peace order against someone who conducts intentional visual surveillance (like hidden cameras) in areas of their residence where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as yards or outbuildings. It expands existing peace order protections by adding this specific behavior as a grounds for a petition and requires courts to order the respondent to remove or reposition surveillance devices within 15 days and stop further surveillance. The bill directly affects residents experiencing unauthorized visual monitoring of private property areas, offering a legal remedy through the court system. It amends Maryland’s peace order law to include these specific provisions without changing criminal penalties for the underlying surveillance acts.

Maddy summaryHB 744 updates Maryland's traffic safety laws by increasing penalties for dangerous driving. It defines reckless driving as driving 30+ miles per hour over the speed limit (previously undefined), adds 2 points to a driver's record for negligent driving, and adds 6 points for speeding over 30 mph above the limit. The bill also redefines aggressive driving as committing two or more specific traffic violations (like tailgating or illegal passing) during a single driving period, with fines up to $1,000. These changes directly affect drivers convicted of these offenses, with the law taking effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 506, the Chesapeake Bay Legacy Act, creates the Maryland Leaders in Environmentally Engaged Farming (LEEF) Program to reduce nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay watershed through voluntary farm conservation practices. The bill establishes a special fund for the program, redefines "healthy soils" for existing soil programs, and exempts certain fishing license holders from needing food establishment licenses. Key provisions include tiered recognition for farms adopting conservation practices, requirements for the Department of Environment to authorize water quality trading credits, and new rules for fisheries management and aquaculture leases. The bill directly affects Maryland farmers, state environmental agencies, and fishing industry participants by changing how conservation incentives and regulations are implemented.

Maddy summaryHB 930 establishes Maryland's Public Health Abortion Grant Program to improve access to abortion care by redirecting excess funds from health insurance coverage. It requires insurance carriers in Maryland to transfer 90% of unused funds from their abortion coverage accounts (after covering patient costs) into a new special fund. This fund will support abortion clinical services, particularly where federal funding is restricted, benefiting individuals seeking abortion care in Maryland. The program mandates annual reporting by insurers and transfers existing excess funds starting in 2025.