Del. Aaron Kaufman

Maddy summaryHB 642 requires Maryland electric companies to submit annual reports to the Public Service Commission by April 1. These reports must include geographic and demographic data on customers affected by: (1) service outages lasting 2+ hours, (2) scheduled maintenance outages (regardless of duration), (3) outages during severe weather (with restoration times), and (4) rate increases from the previous year. The bill directly affects all electric companies operating in Maryland and the Public Service Commission, which will use this data to assess customer impacts. It becomes effective October 1, 2026, adding this reporting requirement to Maryland’s Public Utilities law.

Maddy summaryHB 572 authorizes Maryland’s Attorney General to sue large fossil fuel companies (with over $1 billion in market capitalization involved in extracting or processing coal, oil, or gas) for unlawful conduct contributing to climate change, including fraud or deception. It creates the Climate Crimes Accountability Fund, financed by settlements or judgments from these lawsuits, to pay for programs addressing specific climate harms like flooding, extreme heat, drought, and waterborne pathogens. The fund is a special, non-lapsing account managed by the state, with interest earnings automatically added to it. All money must directly support climate harm prevention, mitigation, or repair efforts as defined in the bill.

Maddy summaryHB 155 requires all Maryland law enforcement agencies to adopt policies prohibiting officers from wearing face coverings (like opaque masks or helmets) during routine duties, with specific exceptions. The Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission must create a model policy emphasizing transparency and excluding religious items, medical masks, or safety gear (such as helmets for motorcycle operations). Officers violating this rule face potential fines or loss of civil immunity, but exceptions cover religious garments, medical protection, and occupational safety needs. The law takes effect October 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 526 requires defendants in tort cases (like car accidents or personal injury claims) to provide a settlement release draft to plaintiffs within 10 days of agreeing to pay and to pay the full settlement amount within 15 days after the plaintiff provides the signed release or court approval. It also mandates that plaintiffs protect third-party claims (such as medical bills or attorney liens) by submitting specific documentation, like lien releases or letters holding funds in an attorney trust account. If defendants miss these deadlines, interest accrues on the settlement amount at the legal judgment rate from the agreement date until payment. The law applies only to future settlements starting October 1, 2026, and excludes personal asset payments.

Maddy summaryHB 465 (Stop Silencing Survivors Act) creates legal immunity for individuals who in good faith disclose allegations of sexually assaultive behavior (defined as acts meeting Maryland’s criminal law standards for sexual offenses or equivalent offenses). It protects disclosers from liability claims unless proven to have acted with actual malice or intentionally shared false information. The bill also requires courts to award attorney fees and costs to successful defendants in such cases. This directly affects survivors reporting abuse, individuals sharing such information, and courts handling related civil cases. The law takes effect October 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 510 requires Maryland's Motor Vehicle Administration to partner with Virginia to obtain data on Maryland residents who own vehicles improperly registered in Virginia. The bill creates a searchable database of this information, making it available to law enforcement for automated speed enforcement citations. It increases penalties for drivers or owners of such vehicles, raising the maximum fine for speeding violations from $40 to $250 for offenses recorded by automated systems. This directly affects Maryland residents who register vehicles in Virginia instead of Maryland, impacting how speed violations are enforced and fined for these specific vehicles.

Maddy summaryHB 47 establishes a 24-member commission to identify Maryland state and local government properties (such as streets, parks, or buildings) bearing Confederate names, which commemorate the Confederacy or its figures. The commission must develop a framework to catalog these properties and recommend renaming options to state and local governments by October 1, 2033. Crucially, the commission cannot directly rename properties - it only provides recommendations for consideration by elected officials. The bill expires automatically on June 30, 2034, after a 7-year term.

Maddy summaryHB 334 requires state procurement officers to mandate that all bidders and contractors certify they are not violating the U.S. or Maryland Constitution and will refrain from such actions during the contract period. This applies to every entity seeking state contracts, including affiliates and divisions of bidders. The bill adds specific certification requirements to Maryland’s procurement law (sections 13-212.2 and 13-230), making constitutional compliance a condition for bidding and contract execution. It takes effect October 1, 2026, with no defined scope for what constitutes a constitutional violation. The policy change directly affects all businesses competing for state procurement contracts.

Maddy summaryHB 517 clarifies that counties and cities in Maryland can adopt stricter local emission standards or air quality rules than state or federal levels, provided their standards are equally or more stringent. It also confirms local governments retain authority to regulate solid waste management systems without being limited by certain state provisions. The bill requires the Department of the Environment to publish clear information about this local authority on its website by October 1, 2026. This law directly affects local governments seeking to implement more protective environmental regulations within their jurisdictions. It does not change existing state standards but removes ambiguity about local regulatory power.

Maddy summaryHB 560 repeals two tax exemptions for data centers in Maryland: one that exempted sales and use tax on qualifying equipment purchases and another that allowed local governments to reduce property tax on data center equipment. This bill directly affects data centers previously eligible for these breaks, requiring them to pay standard sales and use tax on equipment and full property tax on their assets. The repeal removes Sections 11-239 (Tax-General) and 7-248 (Tax-Property) from Maryland law, eliminating the eligibility requirements and certification process for these exemptions. As a result, data centers will no longer qualify for these specific tax benefits under current law.