Del. Aletheia McCaskill

Maddy summaryHB 785 prevents cooperative housing corporations, condominium associations, and homeowners associations in Maryland from banning or restricting family child care homes in their governing documents. It prohibits these groups from limiting the number of children served in such homes below the state-approved maximum of eight children. The bill also stops local governments from imposing similar restrictions through ordinances or rules. It allows associations to charge a reasonable annual fee of up to $50 per home and require basic liability insurance, but cannot demand higher insurance amounts than state law requires.

Maddy summaryHB 699 defines "honorable discharge" for Maryland veterans' state benefits to include discharges that were less than honorable due to specific, protected factors. It directly affects veterans who received such discharges solely because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, or based on disclosures related to those factors (including statements/acts prohibited at the time), or because of PTSD/TBI diagnoses or sexual trauma disclosures made at VA facilities. The bill requires veterans to submit documentation supporting their discharge basis to access state benefits. It amends Maryland law to take effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 477 revises Maryland's child care regulations for family child care homes and centers, primarily changing adult-to-child ratios and maximum group sizes. It increases the allowable number of children under age 2 in family child care homes from 4 to 5 and updates ratios to require 1 adult for every 4 infants (under 1 year) and 1 adult for every 5 toddlers (1-2 years). These changes apply directly to licensed child care providers operating family child care homes and centers statewide. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025, and also clarifies probationary teacher qualifications for child care centers.

Maddy summaryHB 879 establishes a 13-member Task Force to study chronic absenteeism in Maryland schools, with members appointed by legislative leaders and the State Superintendent. The Task Force will analyze attendance data, identify best practices, and develop recommendations - including a standardized definition of chronic absenteeism - by December 31, 2025. It will create culturally responsive toolkits for school leaders and guidance for local systems, to be distributed by June 2026. The bill itself does not implement new policies but sets up the process for future regulations. This procedural bill expires automatically on December 31, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 840 requires Maryland's public senior higher education institutions (including the University System of Maryland, Morgan State, and St. Mary's College) to create and publish student support plans for pregnant and parenting students. The plans must include referrals to government assistance programs (like child care scholarships and Medicaid), adoption resources, priority class registration, flexible scheduling, and health care provider networks. Institutions must post these plans online by August 1, 2026. The law aims to ensure these students have access to necessary resources while complying with federal anti-discrimination protections under Title IX.

Maddy summaryHB 881 requires all child support payments received in a month to fully pass through to families enrolled in Maryland's Family Investment Program (FIP) and prohibits local agencies from counting child support when calculating Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. This bill amends Maryland law to ensure child support payments do not reduce FIP assistance amounts or SNAP benefits for eligible households. It specifically updates Section 5-310(a)(4) of the Maryland Code to disregard all child support in benefit calculations, rather than the current partial disregard. The law takes effect October 1, 2025, directly affecting low-income families receiving FIP or SNAP benefits.

Maddy summaryHB 1121 establishes a temporary pilot program to help foster youth aged 16-22 access childcare subsidies. It directly affects youth who were in state foster care at age 18 or older, removing specific barriers like proof of employment, parental information, or parental authorization from the application process. The program, running from 2026-2028, requires the Department to track subsidy usage monthly and report annually to the legislature on progress. It aims to simplify access to childcare support during critical transitions to adulthood. The bill does not change subsidy amounts but streamlines eligibility for this specific group.

Maddy summaryHB 853 (Maryland Second Look Act) allows individuals serving prison sentences of 20+ years to petition courts for sentence reduction under specific conditions. To qualify, petitioners must have served at least 20 years and wait 5 years after any prior petition, with a maximum of three petitions total. Courts must hold hearings considering factors like rehabilitation, victim input, the individual’s age at the offense, and safety risks, and must publicly state their reasons for granting or denying relief. The law applies retroactively to eligible individuals already serving long sentences.

Maddy summaryHB 979 modifies Maryland's Self-Service Storage Act to strengthen notice requirements before storage facilities sell renters' stored items to cover unpaid fees. It requires operators to provide detailed written notices (via hand delivery, verified mail, or email with prior consent) at least 10 days before a sale, including specific charges due, a 14-day payment window, and sale details. Renters who haven't paid fees for over 60 days are directly affected, as operators must now follow these strict notification steps before selling their property. The bill also mandates 3 days of public advertising for sales through local newspapers, email, or online platforms. These changes aim to ensure renters receive clear, timely information before their belongings are sold.

Maddy summaryHB 646 extends the deadline for a task force studying the creation of a Division of Returning Citizens and expanded reentry services. The bill delays the task force's report submission date from December 31, 2025, to October 31, 2026, and extends the task force's termination date from 2026 to 2027. This procedural bill amends previous legislation (Chapters 936 and 937 of the 2024 Acts) without changing the task force's purpose or creating new services. It directly affects the existing task force by providing additional time to complete its work.