Del. Nino Mangione

Maddy summaryHB 630, the Maryland Phone-Free Schools Act, requires all Maryland county school boards to create and implement policies by the 2026-2027 school year that limit student cell phone use during instructional time (excluding lunch). The policy must prohibit phone use and require secure storage, ban social media apps during school hours, and include disciplinary measures like warnings for first violations. Exceptions allow phone use for students with IEPs/504 plans, health monitoring, emergencies, or for educational purposes directed by staff. The bill directly affects public school students and county boards of education across Maryland.

Maddy summaryHB 631 prohibits the State or its political subdivisions from using eminent domain to take privately owned property subject to a permanent agricultural or conservation easement. This directly affects landowners who hold such easements, protecting their property from forced acquisition for public projects. The bill amends Maryland’s real property law (specifically Section 12-101(b)(2) of the Annotated Code) to add this explicit prohibition. It does not apply to existing legal processes for state roads or Baltimore City. The law takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 770 allows Baltimore County restaurants and bars with specific licenses to sell mixed alcoholic drinks in sealed containers for takeout or delivery, under strict conditions. It requires that the drink be purchased with food (not prepackaged snacks), sold only to customers 21+ with ID, packaged in original sealed containers without straws, and delivered by staff before 11 PM. The bill also prohibits delivery to other liquor-licensed businesses or outside Baltimore County. These changes apply only if the County Board of License Commissioners adopts specific regulations addressing public health impacts. The bill modifies existing Maryland code to permit this limited delivery option for restaurants.

Maddy summaryHB 640 requires Maryland's Public Service Commission to consider how proposed overhead transmission line projects affect properties already protected by conservation easements during certificate approval reviews. It mandates applicants to evaluate alternative routes that avoid these easements or minimize impacts on them, and to document route choices. This directly affects landowners with conservation easements near planned transmission lines and utilities seeking project approvals. The bill updates existing review criteria (Section 7-207(f)) to include this new requirement, effective October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 192 requires Maryland county school boards to adopt policies banning student cell phone use during instructional time, lunch (for elementary/middle school), and passing periods (for all grades), except for students with documented health needs requiring device use under IEPs or 504 plans. The bill mandates a three-step disciplinary process: a warning for a first violation, confiscation for a second violation, and further disciplinary action for subsequent violations. Confiscated phones must be returned to parents/guardians or given to the student at day’s end if parents cannot retrieve them. The policy directly affects all public school students and school boards across Maryland, aiming to reduce classroom distractions during specified school hours.

Maddy summaryHB 200 creates a Maryland School Bus Safety Workgroup to study safety issues affecting students and drivers on school buses. The Governor appoints members (who receive no salary but travel reimbursement), and the workgroup must report findings by June 2026 to county governments, school boards, the Governor, and the General Assembly. This procedural bill does not enact new safety rules but sets up a study process to inform future decisions.

Maddy summaryThis bill (HB 231) proposes a constitutional amendment requiring the Maryland General Assembly to explicitly approve any increase in state fees or tax rates through a recorded vote (yea/nay). If the legislature does not approve such increases with a recorded vote, the changes would be invalid and cannot take effect. The amendment would apply to all fee or tax rate increases, including adjustments based on inflation or formulas. It must be approved by voters in the November 2026 election before becoming part of the Maryland Constitution. This change directly affects how state agencies implement new fees or tax adjustments.

Maddy summaryHB 137 prohibits students charged with a crime of violence (as defined in Maryland law) from attending public schools in person until the charge is dismissed or the student is found not delinquent. The bill requires local school systems to provide separate, alternative learning options for these students, such as home-based instruction or specialized programs, distinct from regular classrooms. These options must align with existing policies for students under similar legal supervision. The law applies specifically to public school students in Maryland and takes effect July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 68, the Student Protection Act of 2025, prohibits public school students identified by law enforcement as suspects in a "crime of violence" (as defined in Maryland law) from attending in-person classes until the investigation concludes. It directly affects students under criminal investigation for violent offenses, requiring schools to provide separate alternative education options instead of regular classroom instruction. The bill mandates that local school systems offer these alternatives, aligning with existing county policies for students who are registrants (e.g., sex offenders) under Maryland law. The policy takes effect July 1, 2025, with no mention of specific enforcement mechanisms beyond the required alternative education provision.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Maryland's tax exemption for parts and equipment used to repair, maintain, or upgrade aircraft. It keeps the exemption in place for smaller planes under 12,500 pounds and larger planes used primarily in interstate or foreign commerce. The law removes the requirement for the state Comptroller to report annually on lost tax revenue and job changes related to the exemption. Additionally, it extends the exemption's expiration date from June 30, 2025, to June 30, 2030.