Rep. Jesse Pippy

Maddy summaryHB 951 expands Maryland’s definition of "school system" to include higher education institutions where students participate in dual enrollment programs. It adds specific offenses - such as crimes of violence, certain drug violations, and sexual offenses - to the list of "reportable offenses" that law enforcement must notify school personnel about. The bill requires law enforcement to inform the State’s Attorney when a student is a suspect in these offenses, and authorizes the State’s Attorney to notify school superintendents if a student is suspected or arrested for such offenses. These changes apply to both traditional K-12 schools and dual enrollment programs, aiming to improve communication between law enforcement and schools regarding student safety.

Maddy summaryHB 156, the "Fairness in Girls’ Sports Act," requires Maryland public and nonpublic high schools competing against public schools to designate interscholastic and intramural junior varsity and varsity sports teams based solely on biological sex. It prohibits schools from allowing students assigned male at birth to participate on teams designated for students assigned female at birth. The bill also prevents government agencies or athletic organizations from penalizing schools for maintaining separate teams for females, and allows students or schools harmed by violations to file civil lawsuits seeking damages, attorney fees, or injunctions. This law directly affects high school athletic programs and takes effect July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 652 prohibits Maryland's Department of Juvenile Services from hiring or retaining employees convicted of specific serious crimes, directly affecting individuals seeking or holding jobs in juvenile services. The bill bans hiring for 14 offenses including abduction, kidnapping, murder, rape, child abuse, sexual offenses against minors, and certain violent assaults. An exception allows hiring if the conviction was reversed or vacated. The law takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1385 requires Maryland county school boards to create and implement policies promoting parental involvement in students' education. The bill mandates that these policies include specific provisions: parents must have access to curricula and instructional materials (via website or written copy), the right to withdraw students from certain activities or instruction, consent for gender pronoun usage differing from biological sex, and access to all student records. It also establishes a formal complaint process where parents can report violations to the county superintendent, who must investigate and respond within 14 days, followed by an appeal to the county board. The policy directly affects parents, students, and school personnel across Maryland’s public school system.

Maddy summaryHB 1154 modifies Maryland's home detention rules for incarcerated individuals. It requires the Commissioner of Correction (or their designee) to remove someone from home detention if they violate program conditions (newly specified in subsection B). The bill also expands the Commissioner's authority to remove individuals "at any time and for any reason" (newly added in subsection A), replacing the prior standard. This change directly affects people in Maryland's home detention program and takes effect October 1, 2025. The bill makes removal procedures more flexible for program administrators.

Maddy summaryHB 1358 prevents the Division of Correction from counting time spent in a home detention program toward a sentence for individuals convicted of violating the program's conditions. It requires courts to consider the nature and circumstances of any pending cases when setting conditions for pretrial release. The bill also clarifies that time spent in home detention as a pretrial condition does not count toward a sentence if a defendant is returned to custody for violating those conditions. These changes directly affect individuals in home detention programs and courts handling pretrial release decisions.

Maddy summaryHB 1356 prohibits District Court commissioners from releasing defendants on personal recognizance or unsecured bail if the defendant was previously charged with a crime after being released on unsecured bail within the past 5 years, or failed to appear in court while on unsecured bail. The bill requires judges to authorize pretrial release for such defendants only on secured bail with conditions designed to prevent flight or community danger. It directly affects individuals with specific prior court-related violations involving unsecured bail. The law takes effect October 1, 2025, and amends Maryland's Criminal Procedure code (Section 5-202(h)).

Maddy summaryHB 1349 prohibits using drones to intentionally enter another person’s property within 50 feet of a dwelling with the intent to coerce, intimidate, harass, or secretly photograph/video the property or people there. It directly affects drone operators who target residential areas for these purposes, while exempting those with property owner consent or operating under federal law. Violations are classified as misdemeanors punishable by up to one year in jail, a $5,000 fine, or both. The law aims to protect residents from unauthorized drone surveillance and harassment by defining clear criminal boundaries for drone use near homes. It takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 952 expands the list of offenses requiring juveniles to be placed on Maryland's sex offender registry, adding specific crimes like certain sexual assaults, child pornography violations, and offenses against minors. It also allows school administrators (local superintendents or their designees) to access the registry for school safety purposes. Juveniles on the registry must update their information and provide a digital photo every three months until they turn 18 or when juvenile court jurisdiction ends, whichever occurs later. The bill takes effect October 1, 2025, and applies to juveniles adjudicated delinquent for qualifying offenses.

Maddy summaryThis bill, known as the Ratepayer Protection Act of 2025, prevents Maryland state and local governments from suing businesses for financial or economic damages caused by global warming or climate change. It achieves this by adding a new legal provision that explicitly bars government agencies from filing such lawsuits, while clarifying that the law does not stop governments from enforcing existing environmental, health, or zoning regulations. The legislation defines "business" broadly to include various entities and financial institutions, and it takes effect on October 1, 2025.