Del. Jazz Lewis

Maddy summaryHB 1484, the CHERISH Our Communities Act, requires businesses applying for certain environmental permits (such as for waste facilities, industrial projects, or pollution sources) to submit detailed environmental impact reports and, if located near communities with existing environmental burdens, an "existing burden report." The Maryland Department of the Environment must review these reports to determine if a project risks worsening health or environmental conditions in vulnerable communities and may deny permits under specific circumstances. The bill also mandates public notice of permit applications and directs that a portion of enforcement fines be allocated to a special fund supporting community health initiatives. This law applies specifically to projects identified as having an increased potential for adverse community impacts, aiming to prevent cumulative harm through more thorough reviews.

Maddy summaryHB 1413 requires Maryland employers to create written policies allowing employees to ignore work communications during nonworking hours (defined as time outside their scheduled shifts). It prohibits employers from demanding employee contact during these hours, except for last-minute schedule changes (within 24 hours) or urgent situations threatening health/safety, operations, or the environment. Employees can file complaints with the Maryland Department of Labor for violations, which may result in fines up to $600 per affected employee. The law applies to most private employers and state/local government units but excludes employees covered by collective bargaining agreements, taking effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 921 creates a new policy allowing Maryland state employees to take up to 5 days of paid leave when a colleague dies while working on the job in close proximity to them. This applies to all state employees (including temporary workers) across executive, judicial, and legislative branches who work in the same agency as the deceased colleague. The bill prohibits state agencies from requiring employees to use other paid leave (like vacation days) instead of this specific bereavement leave. It also requires employees to notify their supervisor before taking the leave, and directs the state secretary to create regulations governing the policy. The law takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 880 repeals Maryland's ban on outdoor cannabis advertising, specifically removing the prohibition against placing ads on building sides, billboards, or other publicly visible locations (currently under Section 36-903(a)(v)). This change directly affects cannabis businesses seeking to use traditional outdoor signage for marketing. The bill maintains existing restrictions, such as age verification for websites, prohibitions on targeting minors, and requiring 85% adult audiences for digital ads. The repeal takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 941 requires the Governor to include at least $5 million annually in the state budget for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) starting in fiscal year 2027, continuing until a total of $321,181,312 is appropriated. This addresses a historical funding disparity identified by the state legislature, where UMES (as Maryland’s 1890 land-grant institution) received less per-student state funding than UM College Park (the 1862 land-grant institution) from 1987-2020. Funds must be supplemental to existing appropriations and can be used for infrastructure, faculty, scholarships, or other institutional needs identified by UMES. The bill aims to fully remedy the $321 million shortfall over time through mandatory annual appropriations.

Maddy summaryHB 1107 limits when incarcerated minors in Maryland can be placed in restrictive housing (like solitary confinement). It prohibits using restrictive housing for discipline, punishment, staff convenience, or retaliation, and requires facilities to prove an immediate safety risk exists with no other options. The bill mandates mental health screenings within one hour of placement, restricts time in restrictive housing to a maximum of six hours, and requires facilities to develop plans for moving minors back to general population or providing alternative programming. It also allows minors to request placement in restrictive housing and revoke that request at any time, with immediate return to general population if withdrawn. This directly affects minors in juvenile correctional facilities and the Department of Juvenile Services.

Maddy summaryHB 1476 prohibits Maryland employers from disclosing or threatening to disclose an employee’s immigration status to government agencies to hide violations of labor, wage, or tax laws. It directly affects employers who might use immigration status to conceal issues like unpaid wages (under Maryland’s Wage and Hour Law) or failure to provide benefits. The bill authorizes Maryland’s Commissioner of Labor and Industry to investigate complaints, attempt mediation within 90 days, and impose civil fines up to $10,000 for repeated violations. Employers can request an administrative hearing within 15 days of a penalty notice. The law takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 387 imposes an excise tax on firearms dealers' gross receipts from firearm sales within Maryland and to Maryland residents. The tax revenue will fund three existing state programs: the Coordinated Community Supports Partnership Fund (Education), the Maryland Trauma Physician Services Fund (Health), and the Maryland Violence Intervention and Prevention Program Fund (Public Safety). The bill creates new tax provisions under "Title 7.7" in the Tax-General Article to collect and distribute these funds, replacing previous language in multiple code sections. This directly affects firearms dealers through the new tax obligation and directs funding to community safety and health programs. The policy change is a concrete tax mechanism for reallocating firearm sales revenue to specific public safety initiatives.

Maddy summaryHB 552 requires all Maryland higher education institutions to provide free fentanyl test strips (defined as "drug detection products") to students. These products must be available at no cost in campus health centers, libraries, and bathrooms. Institutions must also annually report to the Commission on naloxone use incidents and the quantity of test strips distributed. The bill directly affects colleges and universities across Maryland, aiming to improve access to overdose prevention tools for students. It takes effect July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 632, the Maryland Workplace Fraud Act of 2025, expands workplace fraud protections to cover all private employers - not just those in construction or landscaping. It removes the current industry-specific limitation by repealing Section 3-902 and revising related sections to apply broadly. The bill directly affects workers who may be misclassified (e.g., as independent contractors when they should be employees), ensuring employers properly classify all workers for benefits and labor rights. Key provisions require employers to correctly classify workers under state law, with penalties for violations, effective October 1, 2025.