Del. Lauren Arikan

Maddy summaryHB 675 requires county police departments operating correctional facilities in Maryland to enter into federal immigration enforcement agreements by January 1, 2027 (with a possible one-time waiver to July 1, 2027). Non-compliant agencies must detain individuals for up to 48 hours and transfer them to federal authorities if requested, beginning July 1, 2027. If such an agency releases an individual who is later detained by federal authorities within five years, the agency must cover associated housing and court costs. The bill directly affects county law enforcement agencies with jails, establishing specific deadlines and financial penalties for non-compliance with federal immigration cooperation requirements.

Maddy summaryHB 673 prohibits local or state governments from restricting the sale, purchase, or use of consumer goods (such as vehicles, appliances, or other products) solely based on their energy source - like gasoline, electricity, natural gas, or propane. It repeals existing Maryland laws requiring low-emission vehicle programs and sales rules for zero-emission medium/heavy-duty trucks, ending those specific regulatory requirements. The law applies retroactively to all current restrictions and directly affects consumers, dealers, and manufacturers of energy-source-dependent goods. It does not alter federal emissions standards but removes state-level barriers to using diverse energy sources for everyday products.

Maddy summaryHB 707 modifies Maryland's income tax rules to allow residents aged 65+ or disabled individuals (or their spouses) to subtract a larger portion of retirement income from taxable income. Starting in 2026, it increases the subtraction from 30% to 60% and eventually to 100% of retirement income from qualified plans (like 401(k)s or IRAs) for tax years beginning after 2025. It also clarifies that military or public safety retirement income already used for other tax subtractions cannot be double-counted. Special rules apply to retired forest/park/rangers, limiting the subtraction to $15,000 of their specific retirement income unless they or their spouse are disabled or over 65. The changes take effect July 1, 2026, for all applicable tax years.

Maddy summaryHB 729 removes two requirements for a sales tax exemption on precious metal bullion or coins. Currently, the exemption only applies if the sale price exceeds $1,000 and occurs at the Baltimore Convention Center. This bill repeals both conditions, making the exemption available for all qualifying sales regardless of price or location. It specifically defines "precious metal bullion or coins" to exclude jewelry and art, ensuring the exemption applies only to investment-grade metal products. The change takes effect July 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 708 requires all Maryland municipalities to mandate voter registration for local elections and prohibits non-U.S. citizens from registering to vote in municipal elections. It repeals existing provisions that allowed some municipalities to skip registration requirements and adds new Section 4-108.6 to state law, explicitly stating that municipalities must require registration and that only U.S. citizens may register. The bill directly affects all Maryland cities and towns (municipalities) and non-citizen residents seeking to vote in local elections. It applies solely to municipal elections, not state or federal elections.

Maddy summaryHB 690, the "Economic Competitiveness Act of 2026," lowers Maryland's corporate income tax rate gradually over several years. It directly affects corporations doing business in Maryland that pay state corporate income tax. The bill reduces the rate from 8.25% (for tax years 2026-2027) to 7.75% (2027-2028), then to 7.25% (2028-2029), 6.75% (2029-2030), and finally to 6.25% starting in 2030. The changes take effect July 1, 2026, as specified in the bill's provisions.

Maddy summaryHB 697 prohibits incarcerated individuals convicted of first-degree murder (under §2-201 of the Criminal Law Article) from earning time-off credits that reduce their prison sentences. It also denies these credits for certain child-related offenses, including specific violations under §3-303, §3-304, §3-305, §3-306, and §3-307 of the Criminal Law Article involving victims under 16 years old. The law applies to all Maryland state and local correctional facilities and takes effect October 1, 2026. It directly affects people serving sentences for these offenses by eliminating a mechanism that could shorten their confinement terms.

Maddy summaryHB 508 requires Maryland police departments to remove certain investigation records from an officer’s personnel file 3 years after a determination that the officer was not administratively charged, the complaint was deemed unfounded, or the officer was exonerated. It directly affects police officers whose misconduct complaints were cleared through administrative or trial processes. The key provision mandates this removal for records related to internal affairs investigations, disciplinary decisions, or hearing records, excluding cases where formal charges were filed. This change aims to limit the long-term impact of unsubstantiated or cleared complaints on officers’ records. The bill takes effect October 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 15 amends Maryland's Public Information Act to require certain nonprofit organizations to treat specific documents as "public records." It directly affects nonprofits receiving $50,000 or more annually from state grants, state bond proceeds, or local impact grants. The bill expands the definition of "public record" to include documents created by these nonprofits, such as employee salary lists, and mandates they follow the same disclosure rules as government entities. Nonprofits must now proactively disclose available records and limit data collection to what's necessary for governmental purposes, with policies tailored to their resources. The changes take effect October 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 521 repeals a surcharge on electric and gas utility bills that previously funded energy efficiency programs supporting Maryland's greenhouse gas reduction goals. The bill removes the requirement for utilities to recover costs related to these programs through customer bills, eliminating a mandatory surcharge that had been in place since at least 2008. This directly affects residential and commercial utility customers who previously paid this fee, as it no longer requires utilities to include these costs in billing. The repeal also removes disclosure requirements about the surcharge's purpose and duration.