Del. Julie Palakovich Carr

Maddy summaryHB 853 (Maryland Second Look Act) allows individuals serving prison sentences of 20+ years to petition courts for sentence reduction under specific conditions. To qualify, petitioners must have served at least 20 years and wait 5 years after any prior petition, with a maximum of three petitions total. Courts must hold hearings considering factors like rehabilitation, victim input, the individual’s age at the offense, and safety risks, and must publicly state their reasons for granting or denying relief. The law applies retroactively to eligible individuals already serving long sentences.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Maryland's tax code to exempt properties owned by public housing authorities (including Baltimore Housing Authority, Howard County Housing Commission, and Montgomery County Housing Authority) and certain nonprofit housing corporations from state and local taxes when used for housing eligible low-income residents. It requires these entities to make "payments in lieu of taxes" to local governments through negotiated agreements. The exemption applies to properties directly owned or held through subsidiary entities of these housing authorities. The changes update existing tax law under Maryland's Housing and Community Development code (Section 12-104).

Maddy summaryHB 390 expands tax exemptions for rental housing properties that maintain affordable units. It requires property owners to agree with counties to keep at least 50% of rental units affordable - defined as costing no more than 30% of a household’s income or 60% of the local median income - for a minimum of 15 years. In exchange, these properties qualify for reduced or eliminated county property taxes. The bill directly affects rental property owners seeking tax relief and county governments negotiating these agreements.

Maddy summaryHB 1020 (Fair Medical Debt Reporting Act) prohibits credit reporting agencies from including medical debt in consumer credit reports and bans lenders from using such debt to assess creditworthiness. It requires hospitals to stop reporting medical debt to credit agencies for 180 days after billing, and to delete reports if a patient is appealing insurance coverage or seeking free/reduced-cost care. The bill also mandates that hospitals include specific contract terms with debt collectors regarding medical debt, making contracts without these terms void. These changes directly affect consumers with medical bills, hospitals, credit agencies, and debt collection entities across Maryland.

Maddy summaryHB 389 exempts personal property used in "large family child care homes" (a specific type of registered child care operation) from property tax, expanding existing exemptions. It increases the maximum annual property tax credit for qualifying child care centers, day care centers, and child care homes from $3,000 to $10,000 and removes outdated requirements about when property improvements must be completed to qualify for credits. The bill directly affects child care providers operating in Maryland and local governments (cities, counties) that administer these tax credits. It clarifies that credits apply to property used for child care services regardless of improvement completion dates, streamlining access to tax relief.

Maddy summaryHB 1424, the "Protect Our Federal Workers Act," expands state financial assistance to Maryland residents affected by federal government disruptions beyond just shutdowns. It renames the "Federal Government Shutdown Employee Assistance Loan Fund" to the "Federal Government Employee Assistance Loan Fund" and broadens eligibility to include current federal employees not paid during shutdowns *and* Maryland residents recently terminated due to federal office closures, relocations, or mass layoffs. The bill allows funds from the state’s Catastrophic Event Account to cover costs for these individuals, administered by the Maryland Department of Labor. This changes existing law to provide loans for both ongoing shutdowns and post-layoff financial hardship from federal facility changes.

Maddy summaryHB 585 modifies Maryland's property tax rules for commercial properties developed under the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. It requires county assessors to value these properties using the property's actual or anticipated net operating income (after expenses), capitalized at standard market rates for similar properties, plus a 1.5-2% adjustment for affordability restrictions. Crucially, it prohibits assessors from counting the federal tax credits themselves as income when calculating value. This directly affects property assessors, developers of LIHTC properties, and owners of such housing by changing how their property taxes are calculated. The law takes effect June 1, 2025, for taxable years after June 30, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 862 establishes a temporary Child Care Affordability Commission to study and recommend solutions for improving child care affordability in Maryland. The Commission, composed of 17 members including state officials, child care providers, parents, labor representatives, and business leaders (e.g., large, medium, and small employers), will examine barriers to accessible, high-quality child care, funding gaps, and economic thresholds for families. It must submit an interim report by January 2026 and a final report by December 2026 to the General Assembly, with the bill expiring June 30, 2027. The Commission does not enact policy but will inform future legislative action on child care affordability.

Maddy summaryThis Maryland bill, known as the Stop Scam PACs Act, requires certain political organizations to include clear disclaimers on donation requests to inform donors about the nature of their contributions. The law mandates that solicitations using a candidate's name or image must state that the candidate did not authorize the request, while charity-themed solicitations must clarify that donations are not necessarily used for charitable purposes and are not tax-deductible. The State Administrator of Elections is authorized to investigate violations and may issue subpoenas to gather evidence, with the State Board empowered to impose civil penalties of up to $10,000 or temporarily ban violators from soliciting funds. This legislation applies specifically to independent political action committees and other entities required to file campaign finance reports, excluding political parties and candidate campaign committees. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 579 modifies Maryland's certification process for U Nonimmigrant Status visas (U visas), which help victims of certain crimes access legal immigration status. The bill expands who can certify victim helpfulness to include agencies like child protective services, adult protective services, and the Commission on Civil Rights (not just police). It requires certifying officials to provide specific details about the crime and victim's cooperation when completing Form I-918, Supplement B. This directly affects crime victims seeking U visas and the state agencies that issue these certifications. The bill aligns Maryland's process with federal U visa guidelines to streamline eligibility verification.