Del. Sandy Rosenberg

Maddy summaryHB 384 establishes the Maryland Disability Service Animal Program within the Department of Disabilities. The program requires the Department to select a nonprofit organization to train service animals and creates a dedicated fund to support eligible individuals with disabilities (as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act). Key provisions include referring individuals to the nonprofit trainer, providing funding assistance for service animal training, and encouraging successful participants to help with outreach to others. This directly affects Maryland residents with disabilities who need service animals trained to perform specific tasks for daily living.

Maddy summaryHB 56 allows the Maryland State Department of Education to directly manage master contracts for purchasing local food for schools, including food grown within 200 miles of schools, from certified local farms, and certified Chesapeake invasive species. This change removes the need for the Department to seek approval from other state procurement units for these specific purchases. The bill also requires the Department to coordinate with the Maryland Department of Agriculture and report annually to the legislature on the value and number of these contracts. The policy directly affects school meal programs, local farmers, and Chesapeake invasive species providers in Maryland.

Maddy summaryHB 333 requires Maryland's healthcare ecosystem entities - including hospitals, medical facilities, data exchanges, and other defined providers - to adopt cybersecurity standards, implement a "zero-trust" security approach, undergo third-party audits, and report incidents to the State Security Operations Center. It mandates the Maryland Health Care Commission to hire a cybersecurity expert to advise on oversight and collaborate with security offices. The bill also directs the Department of Emergency Management to convene a workgroup to study and improve healthcare cybersecurity practices. These requirements directly affect healthcare providers and data handlers but exclude insurers and pharmacy benefits managers.

Maddy summaryHB 869, the Preserve Telehealth Access Act of 2025, removes the June 30, 2025, expiration date from Maryland's law allowing audio-only telephone conversations to count as telehealth for reimbursement and coverage. The bill requires Maryland's Medicaid program and participating insurers to continue covering and reimbursing audio-only telehealth visits at the same rate as in-person services without time restrictions. This change directly affects Medicaid beneficiaries, health care providers, and private insurers operating in Maryland. The bill does not alter existing requirements that telehealth services must be medically necessary and appropriately delivered.

Maddy summaryHB 1367 requires lead testing professionals to submit verified reports of test results to the Department, property owners, and tenants, and prohibits property owners from using related parties for these inspections. It imposes a civil penalty of up to $50,000 per day for anyone who falsifies information in these required reports. The law applies directly to lead inspectors, testing professionals, and property owners who employ them. Violations are treated as separate offenses for each day the false report remains in effect. The bill amends Maryland’s lead inspection laws to strengthen accountability for false documentation, effective October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 124 requires specific disclosures in residential property contracts when a "wholesale buyer" (a buyer who assigns the contract for a fee) or "wholesale seller" (a seller who assigns their interest without holding title) is involved. It mandates that wholesale buyers disclose in writing to property owners they may assign the contract, and wholesale sellers must disclose in writing to buyers they may not convey title. Homeowners can cancel such contracts without penalty if required disclosures are missing and the contract is assigned, while buyers who cancel due to failed disclosures receive a deposit refund. The law applies only to new contracts signed on or after October 1, 2025, and does not affect existing agreements.

Maddy summaryHB 1082 establishes Maryland’s State-Based Health Insurance Subsidies Program to help residents pay for health insurance if federal advance premium tax credits (which reduce insurance costs) decrease. The program would provide direct subsidies to Maryland individuals affected by such federal changes, specifically targeting fiscal years 2026 and 2027. It uses existing funding from the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange Fund, which includes state-designated money, federal waiver funds, and other sources, to cover these subsidies without requiring new taxes. The bill amends Maryland’s insurance code to formally create this program and outlines how the state will administer it through the Health Benefit Exchange. This policy change directly affects Maryland residents purchasing individual health insurance plans who might face higher costs due to reduced federal support.

Maddy summaryHB 783 requires health professionals renewing certain licenses (such as physicians, nurses, and social workers) to complete training on both implicit bias and structural racism as part of their first license renewal after April 1, 2026. The training must be approved by Maryland's Cultural and Linguistic Health Care Professional Competency Program, replacing prior requirements that only mandated implicit bias training. This change updates Maryland law to explicitly include structural racism - a system of institutional inequalities based on race - in the training standards for health occupation licenses. The bill applies to license renewals under the Health Occupations Article and amends related sections of Maryland's code to reflect this new requirement.

Maddy summaryHB 962 addresses pediatric hospital overstay cases where children under 22 remain hospitalized after being medically cleared for discharge. It requires hospitals to place these patients in the least restrictive setting possible, allowing concurrent exploration of both in-state and out-of-state placement options. The bill establishes a Pediatric Hospital Overstay Coordinator within the Governor’s Office for Children to oversee this process and mandates a state study on residential treatment center and respite facility rates. This law directly affects hospitals, pediatric patients, and state agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services.

Maddy summaryHB 428 prohibits medical providers from placing liens on owner-occupied homes for unpaid medical debt. It requires courts to specify if a money judgment involves medical debt and mandates including the defendant’s primary residence address in such complaints. The bill adds a new provision (§ 14-203.1) stating that liens on homes where owners live cannot be created for medical debt, and courts must remove such illegal liens while potentially awarding damages. This applies prospectively from October 1, 2025, directly affecting Maryland homeowners and medical providers seeking debt collection.