Del. William Valentine

Maddy summaryHB 653 mandates that Maryland correctional facilities must transfer undocumented immigrants serving sentences for specific offenses to U.S. Homeland Security. It directly affects undocumented immigrants incarcerated in Maryland who are convicted of terrorism/espionage threats, gang-related crimes (under federal definitions), aggravated felonies, or certain sexual offenses requiring registration. The bill requires transfer if an individual meets any of five specified conditions, including active gang participation or conviction for an aggravated felony. The law takes effect October 1, 2025, and adds these requirements to Maryland's Correctional Services code.

Maddy summaryHB 1271 requires healthcare providers to perform a transabdominal ultrasound before most abortions, with a mandatory 24-hour waiting period after the ultrasound (or 2 hours if the patient lives 100+ miles from the facility). The bill mandates specific ultrasound standards, including measuring fetal development, offering to show the image or fetal heartbeat, and documenting results. Crucially, it states patients cannot be forced to accept any offered services during the ultrasound, such as viewing the image or receiving a printout. This law directly affects women seeking abortions in Maryland and the healthcare providers performing them, adding procedural requirements to the existing abortion access framework.

Maddy summaryHB 1205 requires local social services departments to provide prospective foster parents with a child’s medical, educational, and behavioral history directly relevant to their care. It increases the maximum number of children allowed in a single out-of-home placement from two to four. The bill also strengthens sibling placement requirements, mandating written justifications if siblings cannot be placed together and allowing separated siblings to petition courts for visitation rights. These changes directly affect foster parents, children in foster care, and local departments managing foster care placements.

Maddy summaryHB 1186 prohibits knowingly causing another person to ingest an abortion-inducing drug when the perpetrator knows or believes the person is pregnant and does so without consent, through fraud/coercion, or by force/threat of force. It directly affects individuals who commit such acts, criminalizing them as a felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison. The law defines "abortion-inducing drug" as any substance designed to induce an abortion and creates new criminal penalties under Maryland's Criminal Law. The bill takes effect October 1, 2025, and focuses solely on preventing coercive acts related to abortion drugs.

Maddy summaryHB 1451, the Climate Solutions Affordability Act of 2025, modifies Maryland's Climate Solutions Now Act to require certain climate measures "to the extent economically practicable." It directs building owners to annually measure and report direct emissions data to the Department of the Environment starting in 2025, and sets goals for covered buildings to achieve a 20% greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2030 (compared to 2025 levels) and net-zero emissions by 2040. The bill also updates statewide targets to reduce emissions 60% below 2006 levels by 2031 and reach net-zero statewide emissions by 2045, while adding provisions for zero-emission state vehicle fleets and school buses. These changes apply to building owners, utility contractors, and state agencies implementing climate programs.

Maddy summaryHB 1031 requires health insurers, nonprofit health plans, and health maintenance organizations in Maryland to cover prescription weight loss drugs for people diagnosed with obesity and at least one related health condition (like diabetes or high blood pressure) that can be treated with these medications. It applies to all individual, group, and blanket health insurance policies issued or renewed in Maryland on or after January 1, 2026. The law directly affects covered individuals with obesity and specific comorbidities, as well as the insurers obligated to provide this coverage. It does not change existing coverage for weight loss drugs unrelated to obesity or other qualifying conditions.

Maddy summaryHB 733 allows candidates running for county school boards in Maryland to voluntarily include their party affiliation on their candidacy forms and ballots. Local election offices must display this information if provided by the candidate and cannot disqualify a candidate for including it. The bill maintains that school board elections remain nonpartisan, meaning party labels appear only for voter information without changing the election's nonpartisan status. This directly affects candidates seeking school board seats and local election offices preparing ballots.

Maddy summaryHB 1250 requires the State Retirement Agency to estimate how teacher salary increases (both base pay and career ladder compensation) will affect employer contribution rates for teachers' retirement systems. The agency must submit a report to the Maryland General Assembly by December 15, 2025, detailing these impacts for fiscal years 2027 through 2032, using 2026 budgeted salaries as the baseline. This is a procedural requirement for analysis, not a policy change affecting current contributions or salaries.

Maddy summaryHB 989 removes a $40,000 annual sales limit on food processed under on-farm home processing licenses. The bill prohibits the Maryland Department of Health from restricting revenue from food sold by farm owners using home kitchens on their property. It requires the Department to update regulations (COMAR 10.15.04.15) by October 1, 2025, to eliminate the revenue cap. This directly affects Maryland farm owners who process and sell food from their homes.

Maddy summaryHB 803 prohibits distributing computer-generated images that appear to show real people with exposed intimate parts (like genitals or buttocks) or engaged in sexual activity, if done to harm, harass, or without the person’s consent - especially when privacy was expected. It specifically covers AI-generated content that looks indistinguishable from actual people, but excludes drawings, cartoons, sculptures, or paintings. Violators face misdemeanor charges with penalties of up to 2 years in jail or a $5,000 fine. The bill amends Maryland’s criminal code (§ 3-809) to address new risks from deepfake technology.