Del. Bernice Mireku-North

Maddy summaryHB 1431 restricts federal immigration enforcement agencies from accessing Maryland state and local government databases without a valid warrant. It requires state/local law enforcement agencies, DMV, and other government units to deny federal requests for personal information, photos, or facial recognition data unless accompanied by a federal or Maryland court warrant. The bill also mandates annual reporting to the legislature on all such federal requests received, including how many were denied or granted with warrants. This directly affects Maryland state agencies, local governments, and federal immigration officers seeking access to these databases.

Maddy summaryHB 1006, the "Protecting Sensitive Locations Act," requires Maryland's Attorney General to create guidelines limiting immigration enforcement at specific sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, places of worship, childcare centers, and domestic violence shelters. State agencies operating at these locations must either adopt policies aligned with the guidelines or submit written justification and existing policies if they choose not to comply. The bill directly affects all Maryland state agencies managing facilities listed in the law, such as public schools, community health centers, and emergency shelters. Its key mechanism is mandating agency adherence to the guidelines or transparent documentation of non-compliance. The law aims to reduce immigration enforcement disruptions at places where vulnerable populations seek essential services.

Maddy summaryHB 55 allows individuals with completed misdemeanor or felony sentences to petition courts for expungement (clearing criminal records) at any time if they demonstrate "good cause." Courts must consider factors like the crime's nature, the person's rehabilitation, public safety risk, and how the conviction impacts employment, housing, and education. If denied, the decision cannot be appealed, and the person cannot reapply for five years for the same conviction. This bill directly affects people with past convictions seeking to improve their job prospects, housing options, and access to public assistance.

Maddy summaryHB 959 establishes Maryland's participation in the School Psychologist Interstate Licensure Compact, allowing licensed school psychologists to practice across member states without repeating licensing requirements. It directly affects school psychologists seeking to work in multiple states, military families relocating with licensed professionals, and school districts facing staffing shortages. The bill creates a standardized pathway for "equivalent licensure," requiring states to recognize licenses from other member states while maintaining local practice standards and health/safety protections. It also sets up a Compact Commission to manage the agreement and outlines requirements for license renewal and disciplinary actions. This streamlines mobility for professionals while ensuring services meet each state's regulatory standards.

Maddy summaryHB 1014, the "Fair Share for Maryland Act of 2025," makes significant changes to Maryland's tax code affecting residents, businesses, and estates. It adjusts estate tax calculations to maintain Maryland's tax rate despite potential federal changes, imposes a business transportation fee on corporations and pass-through entities, and expands eligibility for the earned income tax credit by lowering income thresholds for individuals without qualifying children. The bill also requires annual inflation adjustments for tax credit phase-out amounts, limits net operating loss deductions, and modifies child tax credit eligibility. These changes directly impact Maryland taxpayers, businesses, and families relying on state tax credits.

Maddy summaryHB 387 imposes an excise tax on firearms dealers' gross receipts from firearm sales within Maryland and to Maryland residents. The tax revenue will fund three existing state programs: the Coordinated Community Supports Partnership Fund (Education), the Maryland Trauma Physician Services Fund (Health), and the Maryland Violence Intervention and Prevention Program Fund (Public Safety). The bill creates new tax provisions under "Title 7.7" in the Tax-General Article to collect and distribute these funds, replacing previous language in multiple code sections. This directly affects firearms dealers through the new tax obligation and directs funding to community safety and health programs. The policy change is a concrete tax mechanism for reallocating firearm sales revenue to specific public safety initiatives.

Maddy summaryHB 69 establishes a new "Postconsumer Recycled Content Program" for Maryland, requiring producers of certain plastic beverage containers and rigid plastic containers to meet minimum recycled content standards before selling in the state. Producers must register annually with the Department of the Environment and pay a fee, with funds supporting the program and a dedicated recycling trust fund. The bill sets specific recycled content percentages for covered products, allows limited waivers for producers facing supply challenges, and mandates the Department to publish compliance data online. It amends existing environmental laws to implement these requirements and strengthen recycling markets.

Maddy summaryHB 696 eliminates citizenship requirements for members of certain Maryland state boards, committees, commissions, task forces, and workgroups. It replaces these requirements with a mandate that appointees should reflect the "full diversity of the State to the extent practicable." The bill affects multiple state entities across health, environment, labor, and other sectors by changing appointment rules in over 20 specific code sections. This policy change directly impacts who can be appointed to these bodies, prioritizing diversity considerations over citizenship status.

Maddy summaryHB 232 establishes Maryland's Beverage Container Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Program. It requires beverage producers to register, pay fees, and join a stewardship organization to manage recycling, while mandating that containers sold in Maryland display refund information and that retail prices include the refund value (with limited exceptions). Retailers must include refund details on sales receipts, and local governments can create redemption facilities to help meet state recycling targets. The program aims to increase beverage container recycling, reduce litter, and fund public water refill stations through a new grant program, directly affecting producers, retailers, and consumers.

Maddy summaryHB 823 requires developers of generative AI systems (like those creating text, images, or video) to publish detailed documentation about their training data before releasing or significantly updating these systems. Specifically, developers must post on their website by January 1, 2026, and after each major update, including data sources, how the data supports the AI's purpose, and dataset size (static or estimated for dynamic data). The law applies to public-facing AI systems released after January 1, 2022, but excludes specialized uses like hospital medical tools, aircraft safety systems, federal national security applications, and privacy protection tools. This mandate aims to increase transparency about the data powering AI systems that generate content for public use.