Del. Heather Bagnall Tudball

Maddy summaryHB 386 prohibits the use of pesticides containing PFAS chemicals (a class of fluorinated chemicals) at specific locations, including schools, healthcare facilities, day cares, residential lawns, and commercial mosquito spraying, beginning June 1, 2026. The Maryland Department of Agriculture must create and maintain a list of all PFAS pesticides by January 1, 2026, and distribute it to certified applicators. The bill also bans new registrations of PFAS pesticides for sale in Maryland starting June 1, 2027, and prohibits all use of these pesticides statewide after June 1, 2028. This directly affects pesticide manufacturers, certified applicators, and entities using pesticides in the specified locations.

Maddy summaryHB 830 requires Maryland health insurers, nonprofit health plans, and health maintenance organizations to cover genetic testing for individuals with a personal or family history of cancer, as recommended by healthcare providers and aligned with medical guidelines. It also mandates coverage for follow-up cancer imaging (like mammograms or colonoscopies) if genetic testing indicates increased cancer risk, with no copayments, coinsurance, or deductibles for these specific services. The law applies to all health plans issued, delivered, or renewed in Maryland starting January 1, 2026, directly affecting patients with cancer risk factors and their insurers.

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.

Maddy summaryHB 667 establishes November 1 as a permanent state legal holiday and employee holiday in Maryland, replacing the current requirement that the Governor annually proclaim the date. The bill repeals Section 7-420 (which mandated the Governor’s yearly proclamation for Maryland Emancipation Day) and updates two key sections of Maryland law to include November 1 as a fixed holiday for state employees and government operations. This means state offices will close and employees will receive the day off every year on November 1, without needing a new gubernatorial order each year. The change takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 468 establishes a 5-day initial limit for emergency mental health evaluation petitions in Maryland, allowing courts to extend them in 5-day increments (up to a 30-day total) for "good cause." It requires courts to include expiration dates on petitions and clarifies when peace officers may use reasonable force to execute them. The bill directly affects individuals seeking emergency evaluations, courts issuing petitions, and law enforcement officers carrying out the process. Key changes standardize timeframes, mandate expiration dates, and specify extension procedures for mental health emergencies.

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 743 establishes the Health Care Quality Fund for Community-Based Behavioral Health Programs within Maryland’s Department of Health. The fund is financed by civil penalties collected from behavioral health programs (paid to the Comptroller and distributed to the fund) and interest earnings, with money used to support training, grants, and projects improving behavioral health care quality. It directly affects behavioral health programs paying penalties and community programs receiving funding, while ensuring the fund is permanent (nonlapsing) and supplemental to existing state funding for behavioral health administration. The bill creates a dedicated funding stream to enhance service quality without replacing current appropriations.

Maddy summaryHB 1439 exempts health benefit plans issued through professional employer organizations (PEOs), coemployers, or employee leasing organizations from certain Maryland health insurance requirements that apply to other plans. This directly affects small employers (defined as those with an average of 50 or fewer employees) who use PEOs to provide health benefits to their workers. The bill modifies Maryland’s insurance code to create a specific exemption, removing the need for PEOs to comply with standard health plan rules under Section 15-1204.1(a)(2). This change simplifies access to health benefits for small businesses using PEO services without altering the core requirements for other health plan providers.

Maddy summaryHB 1382 repeals a Maryland law that criminalized knowingly transmitting HIV to another person, removing a misdemeanor penalty of up to three years in jail or a $2,500 fine. It requires the Maryland Department of Health to review HIV-related laws and regulations for outdated or discriminatory provisions and recommend updates by December 1, 2025. The review is contingent on the Department confirming it can complete the work with existing resources by July 5, 2025. The repeal of the criminal prohibition takes effect on October 1, 2025, while the review requirement would take effect on July 1, 2025, if the resource condition is met.

Maddy summaryHB 1129 proposes amending Maryland’s constitution to replace gendered pronouns (like "his" and "him") with gender-neutral language in sections describing constitutional officers. It specifically targets Articles II (Executive Department), V (Attorney General), VI (Treasury), and IX (Militia), updating phrases such as "his election" to "the Governor’s election" and "himself" to "themselves." The bill does not alter the roles, powers, or eligibility requirements for these offices - only the language used to describe them. This is a purely linguistic change aimed at modernizing constitutional text to be inclusive of all gender identities.