Del. Jason Buckel

Maddy summaryHB 1443 allows Maryland counties and municipalities to create local laws granting hiring and promotion preferences to eligible veterans and specific family members. It authorizes a 10-point credit on selection tests for veterans, spouses of veterans with service-connected disabilities, spouses of active service members, and surviving spouses of veterans. The bill specifies that current government employees and veterans convicted of crimes after military service are excluded from these preferences. Local governments must adopt a formal local law before implementing these hiring or promotion options.

Maddy summaryHB 1121 establishes a temporary pilot program to help foster youth aged 16-22 access childcare subsidies. It directly affects youth who were in state foster care at age 18 or older, removing specific barriers like proof of employment, parental information, or parental authorization from the application process. The program, running from 2026-2028, requires the Department to track subsidy usage monthly and report annually to the legislature on progress. It aims to simplify access to childcare support during critical transitions to adulthood. The bill does not change subsidy amounts but streamlines eligibility for this specific group.

Maddy summaryHB 1459 alters the composition of Maryland's Western Maryland Economic Future Investment Board and updates the Senator George C. Edwards Fund. The bill adds two new nonvoting members (one from each legislative district, appointed by House/Senate leaders) and clarifies that the Executive Director serves as a nonvoting member who can break ties. It also updates the Fund's purpose to explicitly prioritize "creating jobs and significant economic development opportunities" and extends the requirement for the Governor to include a $10 million annual appropriation for the Fund through fiscal year 2031. These changes directly affect Western Maryland counties and local entities seeking grant or loan funding for economic development projects through the Fund.

Maddy summaryHB 1475 (Mixed Delivery Model Viability Act) requires Maryland's Office of Child Care Advisory Council to study the state's publicly funded prekindergarten system, which serves children through a mix of public and private providers. The analysis will assess policy differences between public/private providers, reimbursement methods, administrative processes, language accessibility, quality rating procedures, and opportunities for resource-sharing among private providers. The Council must submit an interim report by June 1, 2026, and a final report by December 31, 2027, to the State Board of Education and General Assembly. This bill does not change current law but directs a review to identify potential improvements in program efficiency and equity for providers and families.

Maddy summaryHB 799 establishes the Maryland Innovation Initiative University Partnership Extension Program, which directly affects Bowie State University and Frostburg State University. The program requires these two universities to pay a $50,000 annual contribution to participate, while the state will appropriate $500,000 for fiscal years 2027 and 2028 to fund projects supporting new technology-based businesses, advancing technology toward market readiness, and fostering industry partnerships in Maryland. Projects must focus on entrepreneurship, regional economic impact, or collaboration with industry partners providing matching funds. The program expires automatically on June 30, 2028.

Maddy summaryHB 1200 expands Maryland's existing property tax credit program to include judicial officers, who were previously excluded. The bill modifies the tax code to allow counties or municipalities to grant a property tax credit on a dwelling owned by a judicial officer who is disabled, a surviving spouse of a judicial officer who died in the line of duty, or a qualifying cohabitant. It defines "judicial officer" and "public safety officer" to explicitly include judicial roles, requires local governments to define these terms in their laws, and applies the credit retroactively to past years. This change directly affects judicial officers, their families, and cohabitants who meet the eligibility criteria for the tax credit.

Maddy summaryHB 502 establishes the Office of Disability Employment Advancement and Policy within Maryland's Department of Disabilities and creates the "Maryland as a Model Employer Initiative." The bill directly affects state government agencies and employees with disabilities by requiring them to improve hiring, retention, and career advancement opportunities for people with disabilities. Key provisions include collecting employment data from state agencies, providing training on disability-inclusive hiring practices, and reporting annual progress to the Governor and General Assembly starting December 1, 2026. The initiative aims to reduce barriers in state employment through outreach, assistive technology access, and evaluating agency policies. The Office will begin operations on July 1, 2026, with mandatory reporting on outcomes and recommendations for improvement.

Maddy summaryHB 1255 amends Maryland law to give local jurisdictions the option of allowing appeals from historic preservation commission decisions directly to their board of appeals, rather than only to the planning commission. This primarily affects property owners, developers, or community members who disagree with a historic preservation ruling and wish to challenge it. The bill adds a new provision (Section 8-308(B)) stating that local governments may authorize such appeals to the board of appeals, expanding existing appeal pathways. The change takes effect October 1, 2025, and does not alter the substantive requirements for preservation decisions.

Maddy summaryHB 1267 allows Maryland county school boards to choose whether to observe Veterans' Day as a public school holiday, rather than requiring schools to hold special activities on that day. The bill amends existing law (Section 7-103(c)(2)(II)) to explicitly permit counties to designate Veterans' Day as a holiday, similar to how they currently handle other holidays like Martin Luther King Jr. Day. If a county chooses not to make it a holiday, schools must still dedicate part of a day to Veterans' Day activities (as currently required under Section 7-103(c)(3)(iii)). The change takes effect July 1, 2025, and does not alter the current list of mandatory school holidays or require any county to adopt this change.

Maddy summaryHB 1127 requires all Maryland county school districts to develop age-appropriate water safety and swimming instructional content for public school students, integrating it into health and physical education by July 2026. It also mandates each county board to create a plan by December 2025 outlining strategies to increase student access to swimming pools and facilities through community partnerships, cost-effective transportation, and resource coordination. The plan must identify public/private partners and recommend policy changes if needed. Implementation of the curriculum begins in the 2026-2027 school year, while the access plan requirement expires June 30, 2026. This bill directly affects all public school students in Maryland counties and their local school districts.