Del. Vaughn Stewart

Maddy summaryHB 465 requires the State Lottery and Gaming Control Commission to adopt regulations addressing problem gambling, including establishing a voluntary exclusion list for individuals seeking to avoid gambling venues and mandating that the Commission share contact information (with consent) with the Maryland Center for Excellence on Problem Gambling. The bill also prohibits individuals under 21 from participating in fantasy sports competitions or paying entry fees, and bans sports wagering operators from offering player-specific proposition bets. Additionally, it requires sports wagering licensees to provide certain transactional data to universities for research purposes. The bill does not directly relate to college athlete protections, as the title suggests, but focuses on gambling regulations and age restrictions.

Maddy summaryHB 340 authorizes Maryland's Attorney General to sue fossil fuel companies (specifically publicly traded entities deriving ≥50% revenue from coal/oil/gas with >$1 billion market cap) for climate-related harms caused by deceptive or unlawful actions. It creates a Climate Change Restitution Fund to pay for programs addressing climate impacts like flooding, heat islands, drought, and disease spread, funded by settlements/judgments from such lawsuits. The fund is nonlapsing and managed by the Department of Budget and Management, with interest earnings credited back to it. An Advisory Council advises on fund distribution to the Governor, Attorney General, and legislature.

Maddy summaryHB 439 requires a human safety operator to be present in certain fully autonomous vehicles operating on Maryland highways. It mandates manufacturers to submit detailed incident reports to the Motor Vehicle Administration for collisions, unresolved traffic violations, disengagements (when autonomous mode is turned off), and passenger/operator harassment involving these vehicles. Reports must include collision narratives, causes, vehicle performance data, and other specific details. The law takes effect December 1, 2025, and applies to manufacturers of fully autonomous vehicles operating in Maryland.

Maddy summaryHB 330 allows Baltimore City or Maryland counties to create a special property tax rate for improvements on land within 1 mile of a rail station (including existing or planned MARC, Metro SubwayLink, or Light Rail stations). This special rate applies only to properties near rail stations and cannot exceed the standard county tax rate. Property owners in this category would also face a tax penalty, with 50% of the penalty revenue going to the state Transportation Trust Fund and 50% to the local government. The bill requires local governments to report annually on the special rate’s impact, including revenue changes and property usage.

Maddy summaryHB 392 allows fair housing testers working for approved programs (federal, state, local governments, or qualified nonprofits) to legally record oral communications during housing tests to gather evidence of discrimination. It specifically permits recording only when the tester is a party to the conversation and the purpose is to document potential fair housing violations under federal, state, or local law. Evidence obtained this way can only be used to enforce fair housing laws - not in other legal proceedings. The bill amends Maryland’s electronic surveillance laws to create this limited exception, effective October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 247 modifies Maryland's driver's license requirements for unaccompanied homeless youths under 19 who hold a learner's permit. It reduces the waiting period before they can take driver skills examinations from 9 months to 3 months, while maintaining other requirements like completing a 30-hour driver education course and 60 hours of supervised driving (including 10 nighttime hours). The bill specifically applies to youths determined homeless by a Maryland school liaison, Runaway and Homeless Youth Act program, or McKinney-Vento program. This change aims to provide greater access to driver's licenses for a vulnerable population without altering the core training and supervision standards.

Maddy summaryHB 327 creates a state income tax credit for Maryland residents aged 85 or older with adjusted gross income under $100,000 (single) or $200,000 (joint filers). It allows eligible taxpayers to claim a credit equal to 100% of long-term care insurance premiums paid for themselves, their spouse, or certain family members, capped at either 15% of premiums or $1,500 per covered person. The credit cannot be claimed for policies purchased before 2000 or for individuals already covered under prior claims. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025, for tax years beginning after December 31, 2024.

Maddy summaryHB 215 authorizes Maryland's State Board of Elections to use ranked-choice voting in the 2028 statewide primary election for selecting a political party's candidate for President of the United States. If implemented, the State Board must develop and fund a voter education campaign about ranked-choice voting and submit a report on its use by January 1, 2029. The bill also requires the State Board to adopt regulations for reviewing and certifying election-supporting technology, such as electronic pollbooks and risk-limiting audit tools. These changes will affect how presidential nomination contests are conducted and how election technology is managed in Maryland.

Maddy summaryThis bill defines the term "damages" or "losses" for specific Maryland laws protecting civil and consumer rights. It clarifies that these terms include reasonable nominal damages, which are small monetary awards given to acknowledge a rights violation even when no significant financial harm occurred. The legislation aims to ensure courts continue to provide remedies for aggrieved individuals despite recent trends in federal law that have limited such protections. By adding this definition to the Maryland General Provisions, the law directly affects cases involving civil rights and consumer protection violations.

Maddy summaryThis bill, known as the Melanie Nicholle Diaz Fire Safety Act, establishes new fire safety requirements for residential rental high-rise buildings in Maryland to improve occupant protection. It mandates the installation of specific smoke detectors in public corridors of these buildings starting July 1, 2024, and requires owners to post notices if their buildings lack complete automatic sprinkler systems. The legislation also ensures that tenants who are deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing receive appropriate notification appliances without having to pay for them or provide documentation. Additionally, the bill creates a workgroup to develop best practices for pre-1974 high-rise apartments and allows local governments to offer property tax credits for buildings that make qualifying fire safety improvements.