Del. Kent Roberson

Maddy summaryHB 1422 establishes the Maryland Reparations Commission to study and recommend benefits for individuals whose ancestors were enslaved in Maryland or were impacted by historical inequitable government policies (such as housing segregation and redlining during the Jim Crow era). The Commission, composed of 15 members including state officials, historians, community representatives, and public members, will examine U.S. reparations models and potential benefits like monetary compensation, tax rebates, or housing assistance. It must submit a preliminary report by January 2027 and a final report by November 2027 to the Governor and General Assembly. The bill focuses solely on research and recommendations, not on implementing specific reparations.

Maddy summaryHB 1431 restricts federal immigration enforcement agencies from accessing Maryland state and local government databases without a valid warrant. It requires state/local law enforcement agencies, DMV, and other government units to deny federal requests for personal information, photos, or facial recognition data unless accompanied by a federal or Maryland court warrant. The bill also mandates annual reporting to the legislature on all such federal requests received, including how many were denied or granted with warrants. This directly affects Maryland state agencies, local governments, and federal immigration officers seeking access to these databases.

Maddy summaryHB 464 requires Maryland local school systems to provide parents of children with disabilities with written information about secondary transition services during Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. Specifically, it mandates this information be given at least once yearly and beginning when a student turns 14 years old. The bill also requires that materials be provided in the parent's native language if English is not their primary language. This applies directly to parents of students with IEPs in Maryland public schools, ensuring they receive clear, accessible planning resources for their child's post-secondary goals. The law amends existing Maryland education code sections to formalize these requirements.

Maddy summaryHB 1373 removes a prohibition that previously prevented Maryland county school boards from contracting with for-profit companies to operate virtual schools. The bill specifically revises Maryland law to allow county boards to contract with either for-profit or nonprofit entities for virtual school management, while maintaining existing requirements like no pre-K/kindergarten classes and compliance with all public school laws. This change directly affects county school boards, which now have expanded options for virtual school operators. The bill does not alter other operational rules for virtual schools, such as department approval requirements or the prohibition on serving early childhood grades. The law takes effect July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 55 allows individuals with completed misdemeanor or felony sentences to petition courts for expungement (clearing criminal records) at any time if they demonstrate "good cause." Courts must consider factors like the crime's nature, the person's rehabilitation, public safety risk, and how the conviction impacts employment, housing, and education. If denied, the decision cannot be appealed, and the person cannot reapply for five years for the same conviction. This bill directly affects people with past convictions seeking to improve their job prospects, housing options, and access to public assistance.

Maddy summaryHB 1015 requires all Maryland public middle schools to begin instruction no earlier than 8:00 a.m. and public high schools no earlier than 8:30 a.m. starting in the 2027-2028 school year. It directly affects every public middle, high, and charter school in Maryland, mandating later start times unless a waiver is granted. County boards and charter schools must also implement public awareness campaigns about sleep deprivation and the benefits of later start times. Waivers for earlier start times are permitted only for compelling reasons, such as natural disasters or severe weather, as determined by the State Board of Education.

Maddy summaryHB 875 establishes a 17-member Commission on History, Culture, and Civics in Education to recommend curriculum changes for Maryland public schools. The commission must include specific representatives from Maryland’s Indigenous tribes, LGBTQIA+ community, disabled community, teachers, Latino, African American, and Asian American/Pacific Islander communities, with a majority required to have classroom or curriculum development experience. It will examine contributions of diverse groups (including American Indians, religious minorities, women, and disabled communities) and make annual recommendations to the State Board of Education by December 30 each year. All commission meetings, materials, and reports must be publicly posted online. The bill directly affects Maryland’s K-12 education system through required curriculum updates based on these recommendations.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Maryland's property tax credit program for urban agricultural property by updating eligibility requirements and adding transparency measures for local governments. It defines urban agricultural property as land not assessed as agricultural land that is used for activities like crop production, beekeeping, composting, environmental mitigation, community development, and agritourism. The legislation requires jurisdictions offering the tax credit to notify the public at least one year before terminating the credit and provide an opportunity for public comment and appeal. Local governments retain the authority to set specific credit amounts, establish additional eligibility criteria, and prioritize renewals based on their own priorities. The changes take effect on June 1, 2025, and apply to taxable years beginning after that date.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a pilot program allowing Montgomery and Prince George's Counties to use automated distracted driving monitoring systems to enforce laws against using handheld devices while driving. The legislation authorizes these systems to issue citations for distracted driving violations and outlines how those citations are processed through the court system, including options for defendants to contest charges. It also specifies how fines collected from these violations are distributed, allowing counties to recover program costs and use remaining funds for public safety initiatives. Additionally, the bill ensures that images captured by these monitoring systems are admissible in court without requiring additional authentication.

Maddy summaryHB 495 requires Maryland schools with existing antidiscrimination policies to update those policies to include specific information, such as reporting options for sexual violence, school contact details, investigation processes, victim resources, and medical facility locations. It mandates that policies be written in plain, age-appropriate language, printed for readability, available in common languages spoken by students/staff (5%+ of population), and accessible via oral interpretation for less common languages. Schools must distribute policies annually through handbooks, email, campus postings, and websites, and provide mandatory training to students at the start of each school year and to employees within four weeks of hire. This applies to all public/private K-12 schools, preK programs receiving state funding, and colleges in Maryland.