Del. Todd Morgan

Maddy summaryHB 463 prohibits incarcerated individuals serving sentences for specific first-degree murder convictions from earning time-off credits (diminution credits) that reduce their prison terms. It directly affects people convicted of murder under Maryland law, including those convicted of murder involving a child under 16 (under older statutes), repeat child murder offenders, or any first-degree murder (§2-201 of the Criminal Law Article). The bill amends Maryland’s Correctional Services law to block these credits for the specified offenses, effective October 1, 2026. This change applies only to sentences for offenses committed on or after that date, not past cases.

Maddy summaryHB 475, the Juvenile Offender Protection Act, prohibits Maryland's Department of Juvenile Services from hiring or retaining employees convicted of specific serious crimes, including abduction, kidnapping, murder, rape, sexual offenses against minors, and certain assaults. It directly affects individuals seeking or holding jobs with the Department of Juvenile Services who have prior convictions for the listed offenses. The law adds these restrictions to Maryland's Code, with an exception allowing hiring if the conviction was reversed or vacated. The bill takes effect October 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 510 requires Maryland's Motor Vehicle Administration to partner with Virginia to obtain data on Maryland residents who own vehicles improperly registered in Virginia. The bill creates a searchable database of this information, making it available to law enforcement for automated speed enforcement citations. It increases penalties for drivers or owners of such vehicles, raising the maximum fine for speeding violations from $40 to $250 for offenses recorded by automated systems. This directly affects Maryland residents who register vehicles in Virginia instead of Maryland, impacting how speed violations are enforced and fined for these specific vehicles.

Maddy summaryHB 521 repeals a surcharge on electric and gas utility bills that previously funded energy efficiency programs supporting Maryland's greenhouse gas reduction goals. The bill removes the requirement for utilities to recover costs related to these programs through customer bills, eliminating a mandatory surcharge that had been in place since at least 2008. This directly affects residential and commercial utility customers who previously paid this fee, as it no longer requires utilities to include these costs in billing. The repeal also removes disclosure requirements about the surcharge's purpose and duration.

Maddy summaryHB 460 limits solar energy generating station construction in Maryland's priority preservation areas (protected lands established before 2025) to 2% of the total acreage, down from a previous 5% cap. It requires counties to report when this 2% limit is reached and prohibits local zoning laws from blocking solar projects meeting specific criteria. The bill also mandates the Maryland Department of the Environment to study the environmental impact of disposing of solar panels at end-of-life and report findings by September 2027. This directly affects counties, developers, and landowners in priority preservation areas by restricting solar development space and creating new reporting requirements. The policy change aims to balance renewable energy growth with conservation of sensitive lands.

Maddy summaryHB 482, the "Fair Districts for Maryland Act," proposes constitutional changes to overhaul Maryland's redistricting process. It establishes an independent Legislative and Congressional Redistricting and Apportionment Commission to draw both state legislative and congressional districts, replacing the current Governor-led process. The bill mandates new boundary rules requiring districts to respect natural geography, community interests, and geographic compactness, while explicitly prohibiting consideration of voter registration, past voting patterns, or political party affiliation. If the General Assembly fails to adopt a redistricting plan within 45 days of the census, the Commission would submit a plan to the Supreme Court for approval. This directly affects all Maryland residents by changing how voting districts are drawn, aiming to reduce partisan influence in the redistricting process.

Maddy summaryHB 163 requires Maryland county school boards to create and adopt policies restricting students' use of personal electronic devices (like smartphones or tablets) during school hours, with specific exceptions for students with individualized education plans (IEPs), documented health needs, or educational activities. The policy must be published online, in school handbooks, and reviewed every two years by the county board or state department. School boards must also establish enforcement procedures, including potential in-school suspensions for violations. This bill directly affects all public school students and county school boards across Maryland, aiming to standardize device use rules while accommodating specific student needs.

Maddy summaryHB 798 requires Maryland's Office of Overdose Response (with the Department of Health) to create and maintain a public interactive dashboard tracking how settlement funds from opioid-related lawsuits are spent. The dashboard must show, by state, county, and municipality: payment schedules, past spending, spending plans, funded initiatives, and public hearing details. Local governments receiving these funds must submit required financial data through an online portal to the Department for inclusion on the dashboard. The dashboard will be developed and maintained using existing Opioid Restitution Fund money from the state budget, not new appropriations. This bill focuses solely on transparency, with no new policy changes or funding mechanisms.

Maddy summaryHB 559 allows specific food establishments - agritourism operations, Class 4 limited wineries, and Class 8 farm breweries - to meet Maryland's toilet requirements by using a portable chemical toilet instead of a permanent fixture. The bill amends health code to state that these businesses may comply with sanitation, ventilation, and handwashing standards (requiring soap, water, and drying supplies) using a portable unit that meets all existing criteria. This change applies only to the three designated business types and does not alter requirements for other food establishments. The bill takes effect June 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 894 creates a new permit process for incidental bat take in Maryland, replacing the existing Delmarva fox squirrel provision. It requires applicants (like developers or landowners) to submit a detailed conservation plan showing how they’ll minimize harm to bats, secure funding, and justify why alternatives weren’t used. The Secretary of Natural Resources must then verify the plan won’t harm bat recovery, impacts will be minimized, and funding is secured before issuing a permit. This directly affects projects in areas with bat habitats where accidental harm might occur during construction or land development.