Del. April Rose

Maddy summaryHB 1356 prohibits District Court commissioners from releasing defendants on personal recognizance or unsecured bail if the defendant was previously charged with a crime after being released on unsecured bail within the past 5 years, or failed to appear in court while on unsecured bail. The bill requires judges to authorize pretrial release for such defendants only on secured bail with conditions designed to prevent flight or community danger. It directly affects individuals with specific prior court-related violations involving unsecured bail. The law takes effect October 1, 2025, and amends Maryland's Criminal Procedure code (Section 5-202(h)).

Maddy summaryHB 1349 prohibits using drones to intentionally enter another person’s property within 50 feet of a dwelling with the intent to coerce, intimidate, harass, or secretly photograph/video the property or people there. It directly affects drone operators who target residential areas for these purposes, while exempting those with property owner consent or operating under federal law. Violations are classified as misdemeanors punishable by up to one year in jail, a $5,000 fine, or both. The law aims to protect residents from unauthorized drone surveillance and harassment by defining clear criminal boundaries for drone use near homes. It takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis bill, known as the Ratepayer Protection Act of 2025, prevents Maryland state and local governments from suing businesses for financial or economic damages caused by global warming or climate change. It achieves this by adding a new legal provision that explicitly bars government agencies from filing such lawsuits, while clarifying that the law does not stop governments from enforcing existing environmental, health, or zoning regulations. The legislation defines "business" broadly to include various entities and financial institutions, and it takes effect on October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1321 creates a refundable state income tax credit for Maryland small businesses (defined as entities with 50 or fewer employees, including those with no employees) to offset costs for specific cybersecurity measures. It allows a credit of up to $1,000 for an initial cybersecurity risk assessment and implementation, or up to $500 annually for recurring measures like antivirus software, multi-factor authentication, and data encryption. If the credit exceeds the business’s income tax liability, the excess is refundable. Businesses must submit proof of qualifying costs with their tax return to claim the credit, which applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024.

Maddy summaryHB 1397 requires Maryland's Public Service Commission to consider "grid enhancing technologies" - specifically high-performance conductors and storage used as transmission - when reviewing applications for overhead transmission line construction. This affects utility companies seeking permits for new transmission infrastructure, as the commission must now evaluate these technologies as a mandatory factor. The bill amends existing law (Section 7-207(f)) to explicitly add these technologies to the list of requirements for certificate approvals. The policy change ensures new transmission projects must address capacity, efficiency, reliability, and resilience improvements during the review process.

Maddy summaryHB 1329 allows natural gas energy systems to be constructed, permitted, and operated in Maryland with standard permitting requirements. It removes the Public Service Commission's authority to require investor-owned electric companies to build their own generating or transmission facilities under certain circumstances. The bill also states legislative support for developing additional nuclear energy (including small modular reactors) and encourages PJM Interconnection to expedite grid connections for new thermal generation projects. These changes take effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1219 requires Maryland's Public Service Commission to create regulations for generating stations co-located with data centers but not connected to the state's main power grid. It exempts these facilities from standard utility fees, renewable energy mandates, and retail customer regulations, while mandating backup power, cybersecurity measures, and annual reports on energy sources, environmental impact, and contributions to state energy goals. The bill directly affects data center operators seeking to build independent on-site power generation without grid interconnection. These regulations will take effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1132 requires Maryland public school principals to investigate every student fight or physical struggle. It prohibits school staff from disciplining students who, after an investigation, more likely than not used reasonable force to protect themselves or escape an attack. If a student was wrongly disciplined for such an incident, the school must remove all related records from their disciplinary file. This bill directly affects students involved in school fights, school administrators, and the accuracy of student disciplinary records.

Maddy summaryHB 1224 modifies Maryland's Forest Conservation Act to exclude new electric transmission and distribution lines (constructed on or after October 1, 2025) from the definition of "linear project." This change directly affects electric companies, as it removes their requirement to comply with tree replacement and forest conservation rules for these new infrastructure projects. The bill revises specific sections of the law to clarify that such utility lines no longer trigger afforestation obligations, while maintaining the rules for other linear projects like roads or pipelines. The effective date is October 1, 2025, meaning the exemption applies only to new projects built after that date.

Maddy summaryHB 1414 amends Maryland's building energy standards to exclude certain public safety, emergency, and public utility buildings from the definition of "covered building." This means police stations, fire departments, emergency shelters, and utility facilities (like power substations) will no longer be subject to the state's energy performance requirements. The bill modifies existing law by adding specific exclusions to the "covered building" definition, removing these facilities from the annual emissions reporting and reduction targets that apply to other large commercial buildings. The policy change takes effect October 1, 2025, without altering the energy standards for other covered buildings.