Rep. Christopher Bouchat

Maddy summaryHB 133 reduces Maryland's individual and corporate income tax rates, with key changes to capital gains taxation. It exempts the first $10,000 of net capital gains from tax for residents aged 65 or older and removes income tax on capital gains from primary home sales (under $1.5 million), retirement accounts, and certain agricultural or conservation land. The bill also repeals the sales tax on data, information technology services, and software publishing. These changes directly affect Maryland residents and businesses subject to state income and sales tax.

Maddy summaryHB 221 proposes a constitutional amendment allowing Maryland voters to change their political party affiliation and vote for that new party during a primary election. Specifically, it would let voters update their party at early voting centers or polling places on election day, rather than requiring changes before registration closes. This directly affects voters participating in Maryland's primary elections by providing a new in-person option to switch parties during the voting process. The bill requires voter approval in the November 2026 general election before the change could take effect.

Maddy summaryHB 165 requires sheriffs in 12 Maryland counties to receive salaries equal to their respective State's Attorneys starting in 2027. The bill amends specific sections of Maryland law to replace current salary formulas with this alignment for counties including Allegany, Carroll, Cecil, Dorchester, and others. For example, Carroll County's sheriff salary will match the State's Attorney's salary beginning in 2027, ending previous step-based or percentage-based calculations. This change directly affects county sheriffs and State's Attorneys in those jurisdictions, standardizing their compensation relative to each other. The bill does not alter current salaries until the 2027 effective date.

Maddy summaryThis bill repeals Maryland's Section 18-601.1 of the Health-General Article, which previously prohibited individuals with HIV from knowingly transferring the virus to others and imposed criminal penalties (fines up to $2,500 or up to 3 years in jail). It directly affects individuals living with HIV who might have been subject to this specific criminal provision. The key mechanism is the removal of the legal prohibition and associated penalties from Maryland's code, effectively eliminating this criminal charge. This change focuses solely on repealing the existing law, not altering broader HIV transmission policies or public health approaches.

Maddy summaryHB 929 allows an individual accused of abuse to consent to a permanent protective order against themselves. This directly affects the alleged abuser (who can now agree to the order) and the victim (who may request it). The bill adds consent as a new legal basis for courts to issue permanent protective orders, alongside existing grounds like conviction for abuse or the victim's request. Any permanent order issued this way must mirror the original temporary order's protections and remains in effect unless the victim asks to terminate it.

Maddy summaryHB 786 authorizes Maryland's Appellate Court to hold sessions at any secondary (e.g., high schools) or postsecondary (e.g., colleges) educational institution in the state, not just the University of Maryland Baltimore Campus and University of Baltimore as previously allowed. This change requires the Chief Judge to coordinate with school administrators to designate specific institutions for sessions. The bill modifies existing law to expand where the court can operate while maintaining the requirement that sessions must be held for at least ten months annually in Annapolis unless designated otherwise. It does not alter court procedures or affect the public directly, only changing the court's scheduling flexibility.

Maddy summaryHB 442 allows statements made by children under 13 to qualified forensic interviewers to be used as evidence in court for specific cases involving child abuse, sexual offenses, or neglect. It applies when the child is a victim or witness in cases under Maryland law (e.g., abuse under §3-601, sexual offenses under §3-303, or neglect under §3-602.1). For admissibility, the statement must be made to a trained forensic interviewer (not law enforcement, working at a child advocacy center), and the court must provide notice to the defendant and follow specific procedures, including requiring corroborating evidence if the child does not testify. This bill directly affects child victims/witnesses in criminal or juvenile court cases and changes how their out-of-court statements can be presented in court.

Maddy summaryHB 1383 requires Maryland's State Board of Education to establish minimum technical standards for the state's online special education systems, specifically the Maryland Online Individualized Education Program (IEP) and Maryland Online Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). It directs the State Department of Education to study and report on security, real-time monitoring capabilities, document processing, and compliance with privacy laws by October 2025. The State Board must then report to the Governor and General Assembly by December 2025 on the study results and proposed regulations. This bill directly affects public schools, educators, and families using these online systems by mandating functional improvements to ensure reliable, accessible special education services. The policy change focuses on concrete technical requirements rather than program content.

Maddy summaryHB 1558 restricts fundraising activities for Maryland state elected officials during legislative sessions. It prohibits the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller, Treasurer, and state legislators (or their staff acting on their behalf) from receiving contributions, hosting events, soliciting funds, or depositing money raised during the session - except for specific cases. Exceptions include activities solely for their own federal or local election campaigns, contributions made electronically before the session began, and gubernatorial campaign financing under the Public Financing Act. Violations result in civil penalties paid into the Fair Campaign Financing Fund.

Maddy summaryHB 763 requires Maryland public and qualifying nonpublic schools to include age-appropriate material about human and sex trafficking awareness and prevention in health curricula for students in grades 6 through 8. This amendment to existing education law builds upon current sexual abuse and assault prevention programs by adding specific content about trafficking. The law mandates that this material be taught by trained instructors and integrated into standard health education. The policy change applies to all schools participating in the Nonpublic Schools Textbook and Technology Grants Program, effective July 1, 2025.