Rep. Jay Jacobs

Maddy summaryHB 508 requires Maryland police departments to remove certain investigation records from an officer’s personnel file 3 years after a determination that the officer was not administratively charged, the complaint was deemed unfounded, or the officer was exonerated. It directly affects police officers whose misconduct complaints were cleared through administrative or trial processes. The key provision mandates this removal for records related to internal affairs investigations, disciplinary decisions, or hearing records, excluding cases where formal charges were filed. This change aims to limit the long-term impact of unsubstantiated or cleared complaints on officers’ records. The bill takes effect October 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes Maryland's home detention rules by giving the Commissioner of Correction (or their designee) the authority to immediately remove an incarcerated person from home detention for any reason, not just violations. It specifically requires removal if someone violates a condition of their home detention placement. The bill directly affects individuals currently participating in Maryland's home detention programs. The changes take effect October 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 544 prohibits smoking, vaping, or consuming cannabis in the passenger area of a motor vehicle when a minor (under 18) is present. This applies to all occupants, including drivers and passengers, and creates a new misdemeanor offense for violations. Penalties include up to one year in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both. The bill, introduced in January 2026, will take effect on October 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 463 prohibits incarcerated individuals serving sentences for specific first-degree murder convictions from earning time-off credits (diminution credits) that reduce their prison terms. It directly affects people convicted of murder under Maryland law, including those convicted of murder involving a child under 16 (under older statutes), repeat child murder offenders, or any first-degree murder (§2-201 of the Criminal Law Article). The bill amends Maryland’s Correctional Services law to block these credits for the specified offenses, effective October 1, 2026. This change applies only to sentences for offenses committed on or after that date, not past cases.

Maddy summaryHB 475, the Juvenile Offender Protection Act, prohibits Maryland's Department of Juvenile Services from hiring or retaining employees convicted of specific serious crimes, including abduction, kidnapping, murder, rape, sexual offenses against minors, and certain assaults. It directly affects individuals seeking or holding jobs with the Department of Juvenile Services who have prior convictions for the listed offenses. The law adds these restrictions to Maryland's Code, with an exception allowing hiring if the conviction was reversed or vacated. The bill takes effect October 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 521 repeals a surcharge on electric and gas utility bills that previously funded energy efficiency programs supporting Maryland's greenhouse gas reduction goals. The bill removes the requirement for utilities to recover costs related to these programs through customer bills, eliminating a mandatory surcharge that had been in place since at least 2008. This directly affects residential and commercial utility customers who previously paid this fee, as it no longer requires utilities to include these costs in billing. The repeal also removes disclosure requirements about the surcharge's purpose and duration.

Maddy summaryHB 460 limits solar energy generating station construction in Maryland's priority preservation areas (protected lands established before 2025) to 2% of the total acreage, down from a previous 5% cap. It requires counties to report when this 2% limit is reached and prohibits local zoning laws from blocking solar projects meeting specific criteria. The bill also mandates the Maryland Department of the Environment to study the environmental impact of disposing of solar panels at end-of-life and report findings by September 2027. This directly affects counties, developers, and landowners in priority preservation areas by restricting solar development space and creating new reporting requirements. The policy change aims to balance renewable energy growth with conservation of sensitive lands.

Maddy summaryHB 482, the "Fair Districts for Maryland Act," proposes constitutional changes to overhaul Maryland's redistricting process. It establishes an independent Legislative and Congressional Redistricting and Apportionment Commission to draw both state legislative and congressional districts, replacing the current Governor-led process. The bill mandates new boundary rules requiring districts to respect natural geography, community interests, and geographic compactness, while explicitly prohibiting consideration of voter registration, past voting patterns, or political party affiliation. If the General Assembly fails to adopt a redistricting plan within 45 days of the census, the Commission would submit a plan to the Supreme Court for approval. This directly affects all Maryland residents by changing how voting districts are drawn, aiming to reduce partisan influence in the redistricting process.

Maddy summaryHB 798 requires Maryland's Office of Overdose Response (with the Department of Health) to create and maintain a public interactive dashboard tracking how settlement funds from opioid-related lawsuits are spent. The dashboard must show, by state, county, and municipality: payment schedules, past spending, spending plans, funded initiatives, and public hearing details. Local governments receiving these funds must submit required financial data through an online portal to the Department for inclusion on the dashboard. The dashboard will be developed and maintained using existing Opioid Restitution Fund money from the state budget, not new appropriations. This bill focuses solely on transparency, with no new policy changes or funding mechanisms.

Maddy summaryHB 894 creates a new permit process for incidental bat take in Maryland, replacing the existing Delmarva fox squirrel provision. It requires applicants (like developers or landowners) to submit a detailed conservation plan showing how they’ll minimize harm to bats, secure funding, and justify why alternatives weren’t used. The Secretary of Natural Resources must then verify the plan won’t harm bat recovery, impacts will be minimized, and funding is secured before issuing a permit. This directly affects projects in areas with bat habitats where accidental harm might occur during construction or land development.