Del. Kym Taylor

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 summaryHB 786 authorizes Maryland's Appellate Court to hold sessions at any secondary (e.g., high schools) or postsecondary (e.g., colleges) educational institution in the state, not just the University of Maryland Baltimore Campus and University of Baltimore as previously allowed. This change requires the Chief Judge to coordinate with school administrators to designate specific institutions for sessions. The bill modifies existing law to expand where the court can operate while maintaining the requirement that sessions must be held for at least ten months annually in Annapolis unless designated otherwise. It does not alter court procedures or affect the public directly, only changing the court's scheduling flexibility.

Maddy summaryHB 437 amends Maryland's criminal code to clarify and expand protections against surreptitious visual surveillance with a sexual motive (prurient intent). It specifically defines "private place" to include residences, tanning rooms, dressing rooms, bedrooms, and restrooms, and defines "private area" as genitals, buttocks, or female breast below the areola. The bill makes it a misdemeanor (up to 1 year in jail or $2,500 fine) to conduct such surveillance without consent in these areas, and allows victims to sue for damages and attorney fees. It directly affects individuals who might engage in non-consensual surveillance in locations where people reasonably expect privacy.

Maddy summaryHB 293 allows courts in Maryland to order child victims of abuse to testify via closed-circuit TV outside the courtroom when their presence with the defendant would cause serious emotional distress that prevents them from communicating. This applies to cases under Maryland’s Family Law or Criminal Law regarding child abuse, but only if the defendant has legal representation. The bill specifies that defendants cannot be in the same room as the child during testimony, and limits who may be present (attorneys, therapists, or others supporting the child). It also prohibits two-way video that would let the child see or hear the defendant during testimony. The law takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1440 requires Maryland circuit courthouses built or renovated after October 1, 2025, to provide private lactation rooms with specific amenities (lockable doors, sink, refrigerator, and electrical outlet for breast pumps). It also allows breastfeeding mothers and individuals with legal custody of children under age 4 requiring continuous care during court hours to be excused from jury service. The bill amends Maryland law to mandate these accommodations and establishes clear criteria for jury excusal, limiting excusals to twice per person unless extraordinary circumstances exist. These changes directly affect parents, nursing individuals, and court operations.

Maddy summaryHB 646 extends the deadline for a task force studying the creation of a Division of Returning Citizens and expanded reentry services. The bill delays the task force's report submission date from December 31, 2025, to October 31, 2026, and extends the task force's termination date from 2026 to 2027. This procedural bill amends previous legislation (Chapters 936 and 937 of the 2024 Acts) without changing the task force's purpose or creating new services. It directly affects the existing task force by providing additional time to complete its work.

Maddy summaryHB 1057 requires Maryland's Department of Human Services to reallocate a portion of its annual budget starting in fiscal year 2026 to provide child care stipends to private treatment foster care homes. These homes, which care for children with special physical, emotional, or behavioral needs, will receive funding similar to public treatment foster care homes to cover child care expenses. The bill mandates that the Secretary of Human Services include this funding request in annual budget proposals and adopt procedures ensuring private homes meet the same equity standards and anti-discrimination requirements (prohibiting discrimination based on race, gender, disability, etc.) as public homes. The policy change takes effect July 1, 2025, aiming to create funding parity for private providers.

Maddy summaryHB 1506 raises the maximum fine for municipal violations in Maryland from $1,000 to $5,000 for both misdemeanor offenses (under Section 6-101) and civil infractions (under Section 6-102). It directly affects municipalities enforcing local ordinances and residents who violate them, covering common issues like zoning disputes and littering. The bill increases penalty amounts but does not change which violations qualify as offenses or add new enforcement mechanisms. The change applies to all municipal ordinances classified as misdemeanors or infractions under existing law. The amendment takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires boaters involved in accidents causing injury or death to stop near the scene, return to remain there until assisting others, and provide their name, address, and vessel ID to injured persons. It defines "serious bodily injury" (e.g., risk of death, permanent disfigurement) and sets penalties: up to 1 year/$3,000 for injury, 5 years/$5,000 for death, or 10 years/$10,000 if the operator knew injury/death was likely. Boaters must also report serious accidents (death, disappearance, injury requiring medical care beyond first aid) within 48 hours to Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources. The law applies to all vessel operators in Maryland waters who cause accidents meeting these injury/death thresholds.

Maddy summaryHB 503, the Housing Development Act, requires Maryland’s Department of Housing and Community Development and Department of Planning to calculate regional housing infrastructure gaps (such as water, sewer, and road capacity shortfalls) and assign these gaps to specific counties and cities. Local governments must then take steps to reduce these gaps and are required to expedite approvals for certain housing projects - particularly those addressing the gaps - without denying them without specific justifications. The bill directly affects all counties and incorporated municipalities in Maryland, especially those identified as having significant housing infrastructure deficits. It creates a new framework for streamlining housing development by shifting approval responsibilities to local jurisdictions based on regional needs.