Del. William Valentine

Maddy summaryHB 1148 prohibits Maryland property and casualty insurers from denying residential condominium unit insurance coverage based solely on a prior temporary lapse in coverage. It specifically prevents denial if the lapse was the applicant’s choice (not the insurer’s action) and unrelated to the applicant’s claims history or losses. This directly affects condo owners seeking new insurance policies who previously faced refusal due to short coverage gaps. The law takes effect October 1, 2025, and applies to all property/casualty insurers in Maryland.

Maddy summaryHB 704 expands eligibility for Maryland's Graduate and Professional Scholarship Program to include students attending the Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine. The bill amends existing law to add Meritus as a qualifying institution for osteopathic medicine programs, alongside established schools like the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins. This change directly affects full-time or part-time osteopathic medicine students at Meritus who meet residency, financial need, and enrollment requirements. The policy update does not alter scholarship amounts ($1,000-$5,000 annually) or the 8-semester maximum award period. The amendment takes effect July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1200 expands Maryland's existing property tax credit program to include judicial officers, who were previously excluded. The bill modifies the tax code to allow counties or municipalities to grant a property tax credit on a dwelling owned by a judicial officer who is disabled, a surviving spouse of a judicial officer who died in the line of duty, or a qualifying cohabitant. It defines "judicial officer" and "public safety officer" to explicitly include judicial roles, requires local governments to define these terms in their laws, and applies the credit retroactively to past years. This change directly affects judicial officers, their families, and cohabitants who meet the eligibility criteria for the tax credit.

Maddy summaryHB 22 requires Maryland's Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to study where incarcerated individuals lived before incarceration and where they were released. The department must collect data on pre-incarceration residence, release location, transfer timelines between facilities, and compare release locations to pre-incarceration residence, conviction location, and incarceration location. This study must be completed annually by October 1, starting in 2026, and reported to four specific legislative committees. The bill does not change policies but mandates data collection to inform future decisions about reentry services. The study directly affects the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services and provides data for state lawmakers.

Maddy summaryHB 775 requires Maryland's Commissioner of Correction to notify specific officials when an incarcerated person dies in a state correctional facility. The notification must include the cause of death but cannot share protected health information, and must be sent to state legislators representing the facility's district, the local county council or Baltimore City Council, and the county executive or Baltimore mayor. The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services must adopt regulations compliant with federal privacy laws (HIPAA) to implement this requirement. The law takes effect October 1, 2025, applying to all state correctional facilities.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires boaters involved in accidents causing injury or death to stop near the scene, return to remain there until assisting others, and provide their name, address, and vessel ID to injured persons. It defines "serious bodily injury" (e.g., risk of death, permanent disfigurement) and sets penalties: up to 1 year/$3,000 for injury, 5 years/$5,000 for death, or 10 years/$10,000 if the operator knew injury/death was likely. Boaters must also report serious accidents (death, disappearance, injury requiring medical care beyond first aid) within 48 hours to Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources. The law applies to all vessel operators in Maryland waters who cause accidents meeting these injury/death thresholds.

Maddy summaryHB 1558 restricts fundraising activities for Maryland state elected officials during legislative sessions. It prohibits the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller, Treasurer, and state legislators (or their staff acting on their behalf) from receiving contributions, hosting events, soliciting funds, or depositing money raised during the session - except for specific cases. Exceptions include activities solely for their own federal or local election campaigns, contributions made electronically before the session began, and gubernatorial campaign financing under the Public Financing Act. Violations result in civil penalties paid into the Fair Campaign Financing Fund.

Maddy summaryHB 1350 amends Maryland law to allow out-of-state or federal/military/tribal court convictions of certain sexual offenses to count as prior convictions for sentencing enhancements. Specifically, it expands the definition of "prior conviction" under Section 3-308(d)(2)(ii) to include crimes that would qualify as fourth-degree sexual offenses in Maryland (such as those under sections 3-303, 3-304, or 3-307-3-310). This affects repeat sex offenders who have prior convictions from other jurisdictions, enabling prosecutors to seek increased penalties (up to 3 years in prison) for subsequent offenses. The law takes effect October 1, 2025, and applies to cases where the prior offense would have been a Maryland violation had it occurred here.

Maddy summaryHB 1427 amends Maryland’s Zero Emission Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Council by adding the Secretary of State Police (or their designee) to its membership and requiring the council to study safety design elements and reliability of public charging stations. The bill does not change the council’s existing duties - such as developing infrastructure plans, streamlining permitting, or promoting EV adoption - but adds this specific safety and reliability focus to its recommendations. The council, which includes state agency leaders, industry representatives, and community stakeholders, will now evaluate how charging stations are designed and function to ensure public safety and consistent service. This directly affects electric vehicle charging station operators, state agencies managing infrastructure, and EV users relying on public charging networks.

Maddy summaryHB 1001 designates "The Original Maryland Orange Crush" as Maryland's official state cocktail, recognizing its origin at Ocean City's Harborside Bar and Grill. The bill amends Maryland law by adding Section 7-313 to the Annotated Code, formally naming the cocktail in state statutes. This is a symbolic designation with no regulatory or financial impact on businesses, consumers, or state operations. It affects Maryland's official state symbols but does not change any existing laws governing alcohol or cocktails. The change takes effect June 1, 2025.