Del. Matt Morgan

Maddy summaryHB 773, the "Right to Teach Act of 2025," allows public middle and high school teachers in Maryland to remove students from their classroom under specific conditions: if a student repeatedly disrupts learning (with prior documentation) or exhibits severely disruptive, abusive, or unruly behavior that significantly interferes with teaching or other students' learning. Teachers must document the behavior, submit it to the principal, and send the student to the principal or guidance counselor. The bill prohibits county school boards from disciplining teachers for following these removal procedures and requires principals to use restorative methods for students referred to counselors. This law directly affects teachers, students, and school administrators by changing classroom discipline protocols and protecting educators from retaliation. It takes effect July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1180 (Right to Learn Act) requires Maryland county school boards to notify parents of students in failing schools (defined as schools with a 1-star rating for three consecutive years) by January 1 each year, providing a list of alternative school options including nonpublic and military boarding schools. Students in failing schools must be offered the opportunity to transfer to an alternative school, with parents required to choose by April 1. The bill creates a "Right to Learn" scholarship program funding nonpublic school attendance for students eligible for free/reduced lunch or attending a failing school, with county boards reimbursing the state for scholarship costs. It also mandates county boards to provide military boarding school options to parents of students deemed violent or facing continuous disciplinary action, with the school system covering associated costs.

Maddy summaryHB 1312 modifies Maryland's property law for co-owners (cotenants) involved in partition actions (legal disputes over dividing shared property). It requires plaintiffs who don't obtain a title report to timely notify the court about all outstanding liens (like mortgages or tax liens) on the property, including supporting documentation. The bill also changes how the purchase price is calculated for cotenants seeking to buy out others: the price is now based on the property's full value minus all outstanding liens, not the full value alone. This directly affects co-owners in partition cases by clarifying lien disclosure and adjusting financial calculations.

Maddy summaryHB 1101 reduces Maryland's corporate income tax rate over time to lower tax burdens for businesses operating in the state. It phases in a gradual reduction, lowering the rate from 8.25% (effective 2025) to 7.75% (2026), 7.25% (2027), 6.75% (2028), and finally 6.25% (starting 2029). The bill directly affects corporations filing Maryland corporate income tax returns by changing their tax liability calculation. The rate changes apply to taxable income earned within Maryland, with the first reduced rate taking effect July 1, 2025. This is a straightforward tax rate adjustment with no additional provisions or program requirements.

Maddy summaryHB 735 removes psychiatry and all subcategories of psychiatric services from Maryland's Certificate of Need (CON) requirements. This means psychiatric health care facilities and providers offering mental health services no longer need state approval to establish, operate, or expand these services. The bill amends Maryland law by deleting "psychiatry" from the definition of "medical service" in Section 19-120(a)(6)(i) and removing it from the list of services requiring a CON under Section 19-120(j)(iii)(5). This directly affects psychiatric hospitals, clinics, and mental health providers by eliminating a regulatory hurdle for their operations.

Maddy summaryHB 1008 prohibits Maryland state and local governments from imposing a vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) tax, mileage-based user fees, or tolls based on GPS tracking. It also bans requiring private vehicle owners to install devices that track mileage for tax reporting. The bill specifically repeals provisions allowing VMT taxes and adds new restrictions in tax and transportation laws, effective October 2025. It does not affect existing reciprocal fuel tax agreements under current law. This directly impacts state/local authorities and private vehicle owners by preventing new mileage-based fees or tracking requirements.

Maddy summaryHB 394 creates legal liability for commercial websites that knowingly distribute obscene material to minors online, requiring them to use reasonable age verification (like government ID or commercial systems) before access. It prohibits companies or third parties performing age verification from retaining any personal identifying information after granting or denying access to the material. The bill allows minors or their guardians to sue violators for damages related to minors accessing obscene content or improper data retention. It explicitly excludes news organizations, broadcast media, and standard internet service providers from these requirements. The law takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1005 modifies Maryland's income tax code to exclude tips or gratuities from taxable income for workers in specific service industries. It directly affects employees in food service facilities (like restaurants), businesses serving alcohol, hotels, and providers of passenger-for-hire or taxicab services. The bill adds a new provision (Section 10-207(qq)) defining these industries and specifying that tips received in these roles are subtracted from federal adjusted gross income for Maryland tax purposes. This change takes effect July 1, 2025, applying to tax years beginning after December 31, 2024. The policy removes tips from taxable income for these workers, reducing their Maryland income tax liability.

Maddy summaryHB 547 requires Maryland hospitals to publicly list standard charges for common services patients can schedule in advance (like surgeries or imaging), starting in 2025. Hospitals must include at least 400 services until 2029, then 500, in machine-readable and plain-language formats. The bill also prohibits hospitals from selling patient data collected through price estimators and establishes a new Hospital Price Transparency Fund to support these efforts. This directly affects all hospitals in Maryland by mandating clearer pricing and data privacy practices.

Maddy summaryHB 766 amends Maryland's Wildlife Advisory Commission membership rules to require that the member representing the farming community be appointed from a list of candidates provided exclusively by the Maryland Farm Bureau. Previously, the Governor could solicit nominations from any farming community groups, but this bill specifies the Farm Bureau as the sole source for that seat. The bill does not change the total membership (10 members), the other representation categories (hunting, wildlife preservation, and passive recreation), or the academic researcher appointment. This change ensures the Farm Bureau directly influences the selection of its designated representative on the commission.