Rep. Malcolm Ruff

Maddy summaryHB 387 protects artists' rights by prohibiting state-funded public art contracts from requiring artists to waive copyright protections. It also mandates that entities commissioning such art register key details - including the artist's name, location, type, title, and installation date - with the Maryland State Arts Council. The bill directly affects artists and state agencies involved in public art projects receiving state funding, regardless of whether the state directly paid for the artwork. Registration must be completed for all new commissions after the bill's October 2026 effective date. Artists may still voluntarily waive rights in writing, but contracts cannot force such waivers.

Maddy summaryHB 1054 extends the statute of limitations for prosecuting certain ethics-related crimes from 2 to 3 years. It directly affects public officials (state, agency, or local government employees) accused of violating Maryland's Public Ethics Law or committing malfeasance, misfeasance, or nonfeasance in office. The bill amends Maryland law to require that prosecutions for these offenses, or conspiracy to commit them, must be filed within 3 years of the alleged crime. This change provides a longer window for prosecutors to bring charges related to public ethics violations. The bill takes effect October 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 1351 expands Maryland's licensing requirements for home improvement contractors to include specific "disaster mitigation services," such as boarding windows, tarping roofs, demolition to prevent further damage, and securing walls after disasters. This change directly affects homeowners (who gain the right to cancel contracts for these services under certain conditions), contractors (who must now hold licenses for such work), and local counties (which can limit in-person solicitation of disaster victims by contractors). Key provisions include adding these services to the legal definition of "home improvement" under licensing rules, allowing owners to rescind contracts for disaster mitigation services, and giving counties authority to restrict contractor solicitation near disaster sites. The bill aims to regulate contractor activities during emergencies while providing clearer consumer protections.

Maddy summaryHB 382 (Maryland Broadband Opportunity and Fairness Act) requires broadband providers serving 10,000+ Maryland customers to establish low-cost internet programs by December 1, 2026. These programs must offer minimum speeds of 100/20 Mbps (for households of two or fewer) or 200/20 Mbps (for larger households), at least 1.2 terabytes of data, and low latency for eligible low-income consumers. Eligibility includes households meeting federal poverty guidelines (350% of federal poverty level), qualifying for SNAP/food assistance, Medicaid, or low-income energy programs. Providers may raise prices by no more than 2% annually with 30 days’ notice, and cannot require automatic payment plans for program enrollment.

Maddy summaryHB 476 repeals Maryland's current caps on noneconomic damages in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits. It removes the $350,000 limit for personal injury cases (since 1986) and the $500,000 limit for both personal injury and wrongful death cases (since 1994), eliminating annual inflation adjustments. This change directly affects plaintiffs filing such lawsuits and defendants facing potential larger awards. The bill takes effect October 1, 2026, applying only to cases arising after that date.

Maddy summaryHB 1310 allows high school students in Maryland who experience the death of a parent due to reproductive cancer (breast, cervical, or uterine cancer) to request a standardized notation on their official transcript. This notation, which must use privacy-protective language like "Documented Compelling Personal Circumstance" or "Exceptional Hardship Acknowledgement," explains potential impacts on academic performance, achievement, or attendance. Schools must add the notation upon receiving a written request with proof of the parent’s death (via death certificate or healthcare provider letter), and counselors must inform eligible students and surviving parents about this option. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026, and does not require schools to disclose the specific nature of the loss.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Maryland's legislative scholarship programs to exempt certain applicants from competitive examination requirements and to allow scholarship funds to be used for real estate appraisal training. Specifically, it removes the exam requirement for students who have completed at least one year at an eligible institution, those who graduated high school five years prior, applicants to approved private career colleges, and community college students. Additionally, it authorizes senatorial and Delegate scholarships to cover expenses for completing the Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria program. The changes apply to both new scholarship applications and the existing scholarship programs, affecting current and future recipients who meet the specified eligibility criteria.

Maddy summaryHB 534 prohibits nonpublic schools participating in Maryland’s state-funded education programs from withholding transcripts or taking punitive actions against students (or their parents/guardians) due to unpaid debts owed to the school. Specifically, it bans schools from refusing to issue transcripts, conditioning transcript access on debt payment, charging extra fees for transcripts related to debt, or using transcripts as a debt collection tool. The law directly affects students and families at participating nonpublic schools, ensuring transcript access remains separate from financial obligations. It defines "debt" to exclude standard transcript fees, clarifying that schools cannot charge additional costs for transcripts tied to unpaid balances. This policy change ensures transcript access is not withheld as a financial penalty.

Maddy summaryHB 628 establishes a program providing $1,000 monthly payments for three years to young adults who were in out-of-home care (like foster care) on their 18th birthday, with birthdays on or after October 1, 2026. Payments cannot be counted as income for Medicaid, the Maryland Earned Income Tax Credit, or state/federal financial aid for education. The Department of Human Services must report annually on participants' income, location, employment, and housing status starting October 2027. The program will run from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2031, with automatic termination after that date.

Maddy summaryHB 410 requires food manufacturers, processors, and retailers in Maryland to use standardized date labels on packaged food starting July 1, 2027. It mandates replacing "Sell By" with "Best If Used By" for quality dates and "Use By" for safety dates, while prohibiting the sale of items labeled with "Sell By" after that date. The bill also requires the Maryland Department of Health to create and post educational materials about these labels online by July 2027. This affects all food businesses selling packaged products to consumers, excluding infant formula, beer, and malt beverages.