Rep. Sandy Bartlett

Maddy summaryHB 1344 requires Maryland's Department of General Services to assess all state-owned facilities to determine if they could be leased to child care centers (as defined in Maryland law). The department must report by December 1, 2026, including a full inventory of facilities and details on each facility's suitability and leasing availability for child care centers. The report must be submitted to the General Assembly and published online. The bill expires automatically on June 30, 2027, after a two-year term.

Maddy summaryHB 1100 requires Maryland's Department of Health, working with the Commission on Health Equity, to create a public data dashboard showing health disparities. The dashboard must display age-adjusted health data broken down by race, ethnicity, and gender, covering specific areas like health insurance access, cardiovascular disease, mental health, cancer, and HIV/AIDS. The Department must update the dashboard at least every 30 days and post the latest version prominently on its website. This law directly affects Maryland residents by making health equity data more accessible to the public, researchers, and health officials.

Maddy summaryThis bill repeals Maryland's Section 18-601.1 of the Health-General Article, which previously prohibited individuals with HIV from knowingly transferring the virus to others and imposed criminal penalties (fines up to $2,500 or up to 3 years in jail). It directly affects individuals living with HIV who might have been subject to this specific criminal provision. The key mechanism is the removal of the legal prohibition and associated penalties from Maryland's code, effectively eliminating this criminal charge. This change focuses solely on repealing the existing law, not altering broader HIV transmission policies or public health approaches.

Maddy summaryHB 675 modifies Maryland's Rape Kit Testing Grant Fund to specifically fund testing of untested sexual assault evidence kits collected before October 1, 2020, and support related services. The bill directs the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention to distribute funds annually to law enforcement agencies for testing, while prohibiting the fund from supporting the Sexual Assault Evidence Kit Tracking System (Section 31-33). It also allocates funding to the State Sexual Assault Coalition for a victim notification hotline providing advocacy, information on untested kits, and guidance navigating the tracking system (Section 9-19). The Executive Director must ensure all pre-2020 kits are tested or determined non-testable by fiscal year end, with funds maintained at prior-year levels unless reduced (Section 5-6). This directly affects law enforcement agencies, victims of sexual assault, and the State Sexual Assault Coalition.

Maddy summaryHB 1191 updates Maryland's child custody laws by requiring courts to consider specific factors when determining legal and physical custody. It strengthens protections for children by mandating courts to deny custody or visitation to parents with a history of abuse or neglect, and to prioritize safety arrangements if abuse is suspected. The bill also explicitly bars custody awards to parents convicted of murder (including out-of-state convictions) unless supervised visitation ensures the child's safety. These changes directly affect family courts and parents involved in custody disputes across Maryland. The law focuses on child safety and well-being, adding clear guidelines for judicial decisions without altering existing penalties or funding.

Maddy summaryHB 930 establishes Maryland's Public Health Abortion Grant Program to improve access to abortion care by redirecting excess funds from health insurance coverage. It requires insurance carriers in Maryland to transfer 90% of unused funds from their abortion coverage accounts (after covering patient costs) into a new special fund. This fund will support abortion clinical services, particularly where federal funding is restricted, benefiting individuals seeking abortion care in Maryland. The program mandates annual reporting by insurers and transfers existing excess funds starting in 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 678 establishes the Maryland Deaf Culture Digital Library as the state's primary resource center for deaf-related library services. It requires the Governor to include $450,000 annually in the budget for the library and mandates that the library submit its operating budget to the State Library Agency by June 1 each year. The bill directs the library to conduct needs assessments, develop staff training on deaf services, create a shared website, and form partnerships with deaf organizations and county libraries. These provisions directly affect deaf and hard of hearing Marylanders, state and county libraries, and the State Library Agency.

Maddy summaryHB 337 requires the Comptroller to distribute $500,000 annually from Maryland's Racetrax lottery game proceeds to Anne Arundel County, Howard County, and the City of Laurel. This funding is tied to Laurel Race Course's operations and must be used for community services like health care, addiction support, counseling, and transportation for residents near the racetrack or backstretch workers. Payments stop if Laurel Race Course ceases live racing or if backstretch workers no longer live on the property. Anne Arundel County must allocate its share to nonprofits serving backstretch workers, including those providing Spanish-language services.

Maddy summaryHB 1123 removes the requirement for the governor to approve medical parole decisions by the Maryland Parole Commission for inmates serving life sentences. It directly affects incarcerated individuals with severe medical conditions who qualify for medical parole. The bill mandates the Department of Public Safety to submit specific inmate names to the Commission, requires risk assessments for certain cases, and sets deadlines for parole hearings. It also authorizes the Justice Reinvestment Oversight Board to recommend funding for the Commission to support these parole processes. These changes streamline the medical parole process while maintaining safety considerations.

Maddy summaryHB 438 (Buddy's Law) increases the maximum compensatory damages for pet owners when someone negligently causes injury or death to their domesticated pet. It raises the cap from $10,000 to $25,000, covering costs like veterinary care and the pet’s fair market value before death. The law specifically applies to domesticated pets (excluding livestock) and affects owners in Maryland whose pets are harmed by negligence. The bill amends Maryland’s tort law and takes effect October 1, 2025.