Del. Bonnie Cullison

Maddy summaryThis bill allows terminally ill Maryland residents with decision-making capacity to request medication to end their lives through a structured process. It requires two physician consultations (including a consulting physician confirming the diagnosis), a mental health assessment, and written requests spaced at least 15 days apart. Pharmacists may dispense the medication only to qualifying patients, and the law clarifies that providers acting under these rules won’t violate assisted suicide laws. Death from self-administered medication will be recorded as natural causes for insurance and legal purposes.

Maddy summaryHB 927 requires that fiscal notes for bills reducing health and community support services funded by the Maryland Department of Health must include three specific elements: an estimate of the number of people who will lose services (by location), an assessment of how the loss affects health and well-being, and an evaluation of the financial impact on state health and social services costs. This applies to any bill that cuts funding for such services, ensuring these impacts are documented in the state's financial analysis. The bill amends existing law to add these requirements to the fiscal note process, which is used by the General Assembly to evaluate budget proposals. The changes will take effect on October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 727 allows drivers or applicants to voluntarily share with Maryland's Motor Vehicle Administration that they or a minor under their care have been diagnosed with certain conditions like autism, ADHD, diabetes, or vision impairments. The Administration must add a brief, non-identifying description of this disclosure to the driver's record, without including the specific diagnosis or personal details. Drivers can later request to have this description removed from their record. The bill aims to help law enforcement better understand and assist individuals with disabilities during emergencies, effective October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1368 modifies Maryland's process for changing sex designation on birth certificates and identification cards. It removes the prior requirement for medical treatment or diagnosis to update sex designation, instead allowing individuals (or their legal representatives for minors) to request a change through a written affidavit under penalty of perjury. The bill also updates options for indicating sex designation on driver's licenses, ID cards, and moped permits issued by the Motor Vehicle Administration. This directly affects transgender, intersex, and non-binary individuals seeking to align official documents with their gender identity, as well as parents updating birth certificate parentage information. The key change streamlines the process by eliminating medical certification as a mandatory step.

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 1084 repeals a requirement that local correctional facilities must provide at least one FDA-approved opioid medication for treatment, replacing it with a state-funded grant system. The Maryland Secretary of Health will provide annual grants to counties covering the costs of implementing medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programs for incarcerated individuals with opioid use disorder. This change shifts funding responsibility from local facilities to the state, expands the Opioid Restitution Fund’s uses, and ensures MAT access for all incarcerated individuals assessed as needing it, including pregnant individuals. The bill directly affects counties (through funding) and incarcerated people (through treatment access) in Maryland’s correctional facilities.

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 867 removes the Naturopathic Doctors Formulary Council from Maryland's State Board of Physicians and updates rules for naturopathic doctors' prescribing authority. The bill directly affects licensed naturopathic doctors in Maryland by eliminating the need for Council approval of the formulary list of drugs they can prescribe. Key changes include amending sections of the health code to clarify that naturopathic doctors may prescribe and administer drugs listed in the formulary (now defined without Council oversight) and to update definitions of "naturopathic medicine" and "prescription drugs." The bill streamlines the process by shifting formulary management from a separate Council to the State Board of Physicians.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates the legal definition of "practice audiology" in Maryland to clarify the specific duties and procedures that fall under the scope of the profession. The changes allow audiologists to evaluate, diagnose, manage, and treat auditory and vestibular conditions, as well as prescribe, order, sell, dispense, or fit hearing aids, sound processors, and cochlear implants. However, the legislation explicitly excludes surgical procedures, such as those involving lasers or scalpels, and the preparation or performance of radiographic imaging from the definition of audiology practice. These updates aim to modernize the regulatory framework for audiologists without altering the existing requirements for their licensure.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes fees on telephone and mobile service providers to fund Maryland's behavioral health crisis response system. It requires traditional phone companies to pay a fee per subscriber and prepaid wireless providers to pay a fee on each retail transaction, with all collected money going into a dedicated state trust fund. The fund is designated to cover the costs of maintaining the 9-8-8 suicide prevention hotline and supporting statewide crisis services such as call centers, mobile teams, and stabilization facilities. Additionally, the legislation mandates that the state Comptroller audit how these fees are collected and limits the amount of revenue that can be used for administrative expenses.