Del. Andrew Pruski

Maddy summaryHB 6 requires Maryland's State Department of Assessments and Taxation to create and maintain a statewide database of geographic images (including maps and aerial photos) for property appraisals. It also mandates the Department of General Services to obtain a uniform system for managing these tools. Crucially, counties and Baltimore City must reimburse the state for these costs: 100% of expenses up to $1 million, and 50% for costs exceeding that amount. The reimbursement is allocated based on each jurisdiction's share of statewide property accounts or business assessments. This bill directly affects local governments' budgets for property valuation systems.

Maddy summaryHB 23 allows counties and Baltimore City to create a special property tax rate for certain commercial and industrial properties, which must be in addition to existing taxes and cannot exceed specific limits. This special rate can only fund transportation projects (within designated districts) or county education budgets. The bill requires counties to automatically grant tax exemptions or credits for residential portions in mixed-use buildings and offers tax credits to small businesses (under 50 employees) owning qualifying commercial property. It directly affects commercial/industrial property owners, mixed-use building owners, and small businesses, while ensuring residential sections of buildings receive tax relief.

Maddy summaryHB 769 delays residential foreclosure filings by requiring a 90-day waiting period after a payment default and mandating a 45-day notice of intent to foreclose before filing. It requires lenders to provide written loan details (including payment history and current balance) in foreclosure filings and allows homeowners to raise a defense if lenders delay filing excessively. The bill specifically affects Maryland homeowners with owner-occupied residential properties (up to four units) and lenders seeking to foreclose on mortgages that are significantly overdue. These changes amend Maryland's foreclosure law to add procedural safeguards before foreclosure actions can proceed.

Maddy summaryHB 493 designates November 14 each year as "Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day" in Maryland public schools to commemorate Ruby Bridges' 1960 integration of an all-white New Orleans elementary school. It requires each county board of education to create annual educational programs for this day, including symbolic walks, civil rights history lessons, and discussions on racial equality. The State Department of Education must also develop model educational resources, like lesson plans and discussion guides, to support schools in implementing these programs. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025, and directly affects all Maryland public schools and their students.

Maddy summaryHB 763 requires Maryland public and qualifying nonpublic schools to include age-appropriate material about human and sex trafficking awareness and prevention in health curricula for students in grades 6 through 8. This amendment to existing education law builds upon current sexual abuse and assault prevention programs by adding specific content about trafficking. The law mandates that this material be taught by trained instructors and integrated into standard health education. The policy change applies to all schools participating in the Nonpublic Schools Textbook and Technology Grants Program, effective July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 385 requires businesses in Maryland using digital point-of-sale systems that automatically prompt customers to leave a tip to: (1) clearly disclose who receives the tip (e.g., employees or the business), and (2) set the default tip amount to $0. This applies to restaurants, bars, and similar service businesses processing card payments. Violating these requirements would be considered an unfair, deceptive, or abusive trade practice under Maryland law, subject to enforcement by the Division of Consumer Protection. The law takes effect October 1, 2025, with the new requirements applying starting January 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 1531 changes how landlords must serve legal notices in Anne Arundel County eviction cases for unpaid rent. It requires landlords to send a copy of the court summons to tenants by first-class mail and use a private process server (not county constables or sheriffs) to deliver the notice directly to the tenant, assignee, or subtenant. This bill applies specifically to landlords and tenants involved in rent repossession actions within Anne Arundel County. The law modifies existing Maryland property law to standardize service procedures, ensuring tenants receive direct written notice of eviction court dates.

Maddy summaryHB 868, nicknamed "Granny's Law," allows personal representatives (executors) to petition courts to interpret wills regarding health-related legacies based on the decedent’s intent to address health equity. It applies when a will leaves money to health providers or charities but doesn’t explicitly require it for health equity, even if the decedent lived with health equity interests. The bill creates a rebuttable presumption that such legacies must address health equity unless proven otherwise, and requires beneficiaries to show how the legacy was used for that purpose within three years. It also lets courts defer to personal representatives who include specific language in wills authorizing them to act without court approval for health equity efforts. The law applies retroactively to wills probated after a certain date.

Maddy summaryHB 1318 creates a new "Class C-PCL" license for premium cigar lounges in Maryland, allowing businesses that primarily sell cigars and pipe tobacco to serve beer, wine, and liquor on-site. It directly affects tobacco retailers seeking to add alcohol service, requiring them to generate at least 60% of daily revenue from cigars/accessories and install proper ventilation. The license exempts these lounges from Maryland’s Clean Indoor Air Act, but mandates visible smoking notices, employee acknowledgments of secondhand smoke exposure, and an annual $2,000 fee. Local licensing boards may issue one such license per 150,000 county residents, with a temporary ban on new alcohol licenses for tobacconists extended until June 30, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 211 grants collective bargaining rights to graduate assistants and postdoctoral associates at Maryland's public universities (including the University System, Morgan State, and St. Mary's College). The bill amends Maryland law to remove these workers from an existing exclusion, creating separate bargaining units for them - distinct from faculty or undergraduate student employees. Key provisions define "graduate assistant" as a graduate student in teaching/administrative/research roles and "postdoctoral associate" as a doctoral-level employee in research positions, explicitly including them in collective bargaining protections. This change directly affects these graduate and postdoctoral workers, allowing them to negotiate wages, benefits, and working conditions through union representation.