Del. Kym Taylor

Maddy summaryHB 1272 requires Maryland child welfare agencies to consider a child’s feelings and preferences when selecting kinship caregivers for out-of-home placements. It expands the definition of "kinship caregiver" to include unrelated individuals identified by the child or their parent, alongside blood relatives or those with strong family bonds. Agencies must approve such caregivers if they meet specific criteria, including understanding the child’s circumstances, having prior protective involvement, and demonstrating current ability to safeguard the child. The law takes effect October 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 765 amends Maryland's criminal code to explicitly prohibit counterfeiting or possessing counterfeit leases and rental agreements with intent to defraud. It adds "lease" (subsection a(7)) and "rental agreement" (a(13)) to the list of items protected under counterfeiting laws, which previously covered items like bonds and checks. Creating or aiding in creating such counterfeits becomes a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison or a $1,000 fine, while knowingly possessing them is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 3 years in prison or a $1,000 fine. The bill directly affects individuals who fraudulently create or use fake rental documents, such as those attempting to evade rent or commit property fraud.

Maddy summaryHB 1029 modifies Maryland's real estate laws to clarify how homebuyers can get their deposits back when canceling a home purchase under a contingency clause (e.g., for inspections or appraisals). It requires sellers to provide the escrow agent with a copy of a court complaint or mediation request within 10 days of a buyer’s termination notice. If no legal action is filed within that period, the escrow agent must return the deposit to the buyer within 5 days. This affects homebuyers, sellers, and escrow agents by creating a clearer, time-bound process for handling deposits during contract terminations. The bill takes effect October 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 83, the Family and Law Enforcement Protection Act, modifies Maryland's domestic violence protective order process to strengthen firearm safety measures. The bill requires petitioners seeking protective orders to provide specific details about a respondent's firearms - including make, model, location, and whether stored in a vehicle - if the petition alleges abuse involving firearms. Judges must then order the respondent to surrender all firearms and firearm licenses in cases where abuse involved firearm use, threats with a firearm, or serious bodily harm (with or without firearm threat). This directly affects domestic violence victims and respondents in protective order cases, creating clearer mechanisms for law enforcement to enforce firearm surrender during temporary protective orders under Sections 4-504(e) and 4-505(a)(viii) of Maryland's Family Law.

Maddy summaryHB 412 changes Maryland law to require the Child Support Enforcement Administration to verify that a person intentionally withholding child support payments has the ability to pay before suspending their driver's license. It mandates written notice to the obligor (person owing support) about their right to request an investigation on specific grounds, including inaccurate debt amounts, the child living primarily with them, payment agreements, employment impact, or undue hardship due to disability. The bill adds a formal investigation process before license suspension can occur, requiring the Administration to review these grounds and provide a 20-day appeal window to the Office of Administrative Hearings. This affects individuals with outstanding child support debt who face potential license suspension.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Maryland's legislative scholarship programs to exempt certain applicants from competitive examination requirements and to allow scholarship funds to be used for real estate appraisal training. Specifically, it removes the exam requirement for students who have completed at least one year at an eligible institution, those who graduated high school five years prior, applicants to approved private career colleges, and community college students. Additionally, it authorizes senatorial and Delegate scholarships to cover expenses for completing the Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria program. The changes apply to both new scholarship applications and the existing scholarship programs, affecting current and future recipients who meet the specified eligibility criteria.

Maddy summaryHB 931 requires nursing homes in Maryland to designate physicians as medical directors who either hold a specific certification (CMD from PALTMED) or are actively working toward it. The bill directly affects nursing homes (which must comply with the certification requirement) and physicians serving in medical director roles (who must meet the certification standard). Key provisions include mandating the Maryland Department of Health to create a public online directory listing all nursing home medical directors with their credentials and certification status, and setting a deadline of September 30, 2028, for current medical directors to obtain certification. The law takes effect October 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 310 limits the use of restrictive housing (locked cell confinement for 22+ hours daily) for incarcerated individuals in Maryland state facilities who have a developmental or intellectual disability. It requires a licensed clinical professional to assess new inmates for these disabilities during intake and to recommend against placing them in restrictive housing for more than 15 consecutive days within any 30-day period. This 15-day limit does not apply if the individual commits a "prohibited act," such as causing serious injury, making threats, or possessing weapons. The bill directly affects incarcerated people with these disabilities and mandates correctional facilities to follow this assessment and limitation process.

Maddy summaryHB 941 requires public restrooms in state and local government buildings, public transportation facilities (like stations), and public parks or recreation centers to provide specific hygiene products. It mandates an adequate supply of hand soap, toilet paper, towels or drying devices, water, waste containers, and menstrual hygiene products (such as tampons, sanitary napkins, and pads). The bill applies to all "public buildings" as defined - excluding schools - but covers facilities owned, leased, or operated by the state or political subdivisions. The law takes effect on October 1, 2026, ensuring consistent access to essential hygiene items in publicly accessible spaces.

Maddy summaryHB 324 modifies Maryland's child support laws to streamline support collection for foster children. It authorizes the Child Support Administration to secure state assignment of child support rights for children receiving foster care maintenance payments, and requires courts to automatically terminate existing child support orders for these children upon the state's request - without needing to prove a new change in circumstances. This affects foster children (who receive maintenance payments), their parents (whose support obligations may end), and the state (which gains authority to collect support). The bill updates specific sections of Maryland's Family Law code to implement these changes, effective October 1, 2026.