Del. Brian Chisholm

Maddy summaryHB 356 changes prescription drug benefit eligibility for Maryland state retirees. It discontinues state prescription drug coverage for retirees (and their Medicare-eligible spouses/children) who began state service on or after July 1, 2011, effective January 1, 2019. The bill repeals three existing retiree drug assistance programs (the Prescription Drug Coverage, Catastrophic, and Life-Sustaining Assistance Programs) and removes requirements for related notices and reports. Retirees who started state service before July 1, 2011, retain access to state prescription drug benefits. The law focuses on updating eligibility rules rather than creating new benefit structures.

Maddy summaryHB 81 requires that when the government takes farm or agricultural land for public projects (like infrastructure), the property owner receives compensation based on 350% of the highest appraisal value of the land, rather than standard fair market value. This directly affects Maryland farmers and landowners whose property is condemned for public use, including cases involving transmission lines. The bill changes how "fair market value" is calculated in condemnation proceedings for qualifying agricultural property, as defined by the State Department of Assessments and Taxation. The law applies retroactively to all condemnation cases involving farm land since its effective date.

Maddy summaryHB 1307 requires Maryland law enforcement agencies, agents, and local detention facilities to notify federal immigration authorities when they hold individuals with outstanding criminal warrants and to retain custody for up to 48 hours to facilitate transfer. It mandates cooperation with federal authorities to determine if such individuals are priorities for removal under federal enforcement guidelines. The bill prohibits state, local, or county entities from adopting policies that limit this cooperation. It directly affects law enforcement agencies and detention facilities in Maryland, altering how they handle individuals with active criminal warrants in coordination with federal immigration enforcement.

Maddy summaryHB 734, the Real Time for Violent Crime Act, prohibits incarcerated individuals convicted of first- or second-degree murder from earning sentence reduction credits (diminution credits) that shorten their prison time. It also limits sentence reductions for violent crimes to no more than 10% of the total sentence for those convicted of crimes of violence (as defined in Maryland law), and restricts judges from granting pretrial release to defendants charged with violent crimes if they have pending charges or recent convictions for specific violent offenses. The bill directly affects people serving sentences for murder or violent crimes in Maryland correctional facilities and changes how courts handle sentence reductions and pretrial releases for these cases.

Maddy summaryHB 727 allows drivers or applicants to voluntarily share with Maryland's Motor Vehicle Administration that they or a minor under their care have been diagnosed with certain conditions like autism, ADHD, diabetes, or vision impairments. The Administration must add a brief, non-identifying description of this disclosure to the driver's record, without including the specific diagnosis or personal details. Drivers can later request to have this description removed from their record. The bill aims to help law enforcement better understand and assist individuals with disabilities during emergencies, effective October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 725 expands eligibility for two Maryland higher education grant programs by amending the definition of "dually enrolled student" to include students from nonpublic secondary schools and home schools. This change allows these students to apply for the Part-Time Grant Program (under §18-1401) and the Early College Access Grant (under §18-14A-01), which provide financial aid for college courses taken while still in high school. The bill modifies existing sections of Maryland’s education code (specifically §§15-127, 18-1401, 18-14A-01, 18-14A-02, and 18-14A-03) to reflect this expanded definition. The policy change directly affects home-schooled and nonpublic school students seeking college credit through dual enrollment, without altering grant amounts or application requirements. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 536 updates Maryland's school health policies to allow school personnel to administer emergency epinephrine for anaphylaxis (severe allergic reactions) without requiring a student to have a prior diagnosis or prescription. It changes the term "auto-injectable epinephrine" to "emergency use epinephrine" and renames the program to "Emergency Use Epinephrine Program" to include all FDA-approved delivery devices. The bill requires schools to train staff on recognizing anaphylaxis symptoms and administering epinephrine, and mandates reporting incidents to the state education department. These changes directly affect public and nonpublic schools, school nurses, and staff who may need to respond to allergic emergencies.

Maddy summaryHB 885 requires that investigation records related to police misconduct complaints found "unfounded" (allegations not factually supported) or "exonerated" (officer followed law/policy) be removed from an officer’s personnel record three years after the finding by an administrative committee or trial board. This directly affects police officers whose complaints are dismissed, as it limits the duration those records remain in their official files. The bill amends Maryland law to mandate this removal, ensuring such records do not permanently impact an officer’s personnel history. It does not change how complaints are investigated or processed, only the retention period for dismissed cases. The law takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 687, the Community-Oriented Policing Act, prohibits Maryland law enforcement agencies from setting or using arrest, citation, or warrant quotas for officer evaluations, promotions, or discipline. The bill specifically bans agencies from requiring officers to meet specific activity targets (like a set number of arrests) or using those numbers as the primary factor in personnel decisions. It also clarifies that agencies may still use quantitative data for management purposes, as long as it doesn’t dictate officer evaluations. The law amends Maryland’s Public Safety Code and takes effect October 1, 2025. It directly affects all local and state law enforcement agencies and their officers in Maryland.

Maddy summaryHB 588 requires law enforcement to notify school superintendents, principals, or school security officers within 24 hours when a student (ages 5-22) is arrested for specific "reportable offenses" like violent crimes or certain drug violations committed off school grounds. The bill applies to all Maryland public and nonpublic schools, directly affecting school administrators who receive these notifications. It mandates confidentiality for the arrest information (not to be added to student records) and requires the State’s Attorney to share case dispositions with schools. Schools must also provide educational programming details when sharing student information with other schools due to prior arrests. The law aims to inform schools about student arrests while protecting privacy.