Del. Regina Boyce

Maddy summaryHB 694 requires Maryland county school boards to annually report (starting September 1, 2025) the number of public school main entrances not accessible for people with disabilities and not meeting federal ADA standards, publishing this data on their websites. It also mandates that local school systems send their updated emergency plans to the state Department of Education by September 1 each year (starting 2025), with the department analyzing these plans and reporting compliance status to the legislature by December 1 annually. The bill further ensures that students with disabilities have emergency evacuation plans included in their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plans. These provisions directly affect all Maryland public school systems and county boards of education.

Maddy summaryHB 1306 requires Maryland’s Department of Health to establish three specialized clinics for sickle cell disease treatment in Montgomery County, Harford County, and an Eastern Shore county by 2027. These clinics must operate under a hub-and-spoke model, providing comprehensive care including pain management, mental health services, genetic counseling, and telehealth access to specialists, while addressing social barriers like transportation and housing. The bill also creates a scholarship program for medical residents specializing in hematology with a sickle cell focus, requiring them to practice in Maryland after training. Funding of $6 million for fiscal year 2027 must cover clinic operations, staffing, social support services, and prioritizes hiring specialists and addressing health disparities. The Department must annually report on clinic outcomes, patient access, and efforts to reduce health disparities.

Maddy summaryHB 780 allows Maryland's State Highway Administration to lower speed limits by 5 mph on designated urban highways without conducting an engineering and traffic study. It directly affects drivers and pedestrians on urban highways meeting specific criteria (e.g., located in municipal boundaries, near public facilities with high pedestrian traffic, or with curbs/gutters). The bill modifies existing law to exempt these speed reductions from the standard engineering review requirement. This change takes effect October 1, 2025, applying to urban highways under the State Highway Administration's jurisdiction.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows terminally ill Maryland residents with decision-making capacity to request medication to end their lives through a structured process. It requires two physician consultations (including a consulting physician confirming the diagnosis), a mental health assessment, and written requests spaced at least 15 days apart. Pharmacists may dispense the medication only to qualifying patients, and the law clarifies that providers acting under these rules won’t violate assisted suicide laws. Death from self-administered medication will be recorded as natural causes for insurance and legal purposes.

Maddy summaryHB 113 would repeal Maryland's current dollar limits on noneconomic damages in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits. Specifically, it removes the $350,000 cap for personal injury cases (effective since 1986) and the $500,000 cap for newer cases (with annual $15,000 increases), allowing juries to award higher amounts for non-monetary harms like pain, suffering, or loss of companionship. This change directly affects plaintiffs in these cases and defendants (such as insurance companies) who previously benefited from the caps. The bill takes effect October 1, 2025, and applies only to cases arising after that date.

Maddy summaryHB 594 modifies Maryland's comparative negligence rules for motor vehicle accident cases involving "vulnerable individuals" (as defined in state law). It prevents a plaintiff from being barred from recovery solely due to their own negligence, unless their negligence was both a direct cause of their injury and greater than all defendants' combined negligence. Damages awarded under this law must be reduced proportionally based on the plaintiff's share of fault. The law applies only to cases arising on or after October 1, 2025, and does not affect past cases.

Maddy summaryHB 818 allows courts to award reasonable attorney fees and expenses to winning plaintiffs who sue to correct violations of rights protected by Maryland's Constitution or Declaration of Rights (e.g., cases against state agencies or local governments). It also permits fees to winning defendants only if the plaintiff's case was filed in bad faith or without legal basis. Courts must use factors from Maryland Rule 2-703(F)(3) to determine fees, and the law explicitly overrides standard fee limits under Maryland's Tort Claims Act for these cases. The bill applies only to cases filed after its October 1, 2025, effective date.

Maddy summaryHB 941 requires the Governor to include at least $5 million annually in the state budget for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) starting in fiscal year 2027, continuing until a total of $321,181,312 is appropriated. This addresses a historical funding disparity identified by the state legislature, where UMES (as Maryland’s 1890 land-grant institution) received less per-student state funding than UM College Park (the 1862 land-grant institution) from 1987-2020. Funds must be supplemental to existing appropriations and can be used for infrastructure, faculty, scholarships, or other institutional needs identified by UMES. The bill aims to fully remedy the $321 million shortfall over time through mandatory annual appropriations.

Maddy summaryHB 1422 establishes the Maryland Reparations Commission to study and recommend benefits for individuals whose ancestors were enslaved in Maryland or were impacted by historical inequitable government policies (such as housing segregation and redlining during the Jim Crow era). The Commission, composed of 15 members including state officials, historians, community representatives, and public members, will examine U.S. reparations models and potential benefits like monetary compensation, tax rebates, or housing assistance. It must submit a preliminary report by January 2027 and a final report by November 2027 to the Governor and General Assembly. The bill focuses solely on research and recommendations, not on implementing specific reparations.

Maddy summaryHB 1006, the "Protecting Sensitive Locations Act," requires Maryland's Attorney General to create guidelines limiting immigration enforcement at specific sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, places of worship, childcare centers, and domestic violence shelters. State agencies operating at these locations must either adopt policies aligned with the guidelines or submit written justification and existing policies if they choose not to comply. The bill directly affects all Maryland state agencies managing facilities listed in the law, such as public schools, community health centers, and emergency shelters. Its key mechanism is mandating agency adherence to the guidelines or transparent documentation of non-compliance. The law aims to reduce immigration enforcement disruptions at places where vulnerable populations seek essential services.