Sen. Mike McKay

Maddy summarySB 783 requires Maryland public school principals to investigate every student fight or physical struggle. It prohibits school staff from disciplining students who, after such an investigation, more likely than not used reasonable force necessary to protect themselves or escape an attack. If a student was wrongly disciplined during the investigation but later determined to have used justified force, the school must expunge all disciplinary documentation from their record. The law directly affects students involved in school conflicts, school administrators, and staff responsible for discipline, taking effect July 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 791 increases the minimum classroom teaching time requirement for Maryland public school teachers on career ladder levels 1-3 from 60% to 80% of their working time. This change directly affects teachers pursuing or holding these career ladder levels, requiring them to spend more time in classrooms and less on non-instructional duties. The bill specifies that the remaining 20% of time must be used for activities like improving instruction, tutoring struggling students, working with high-need populations, or participating in professional development. The policy takes effect July 1, 2025, without altering the career ladder's structure or progression requirements.

Maddy summarySB 762 requires Maryland law enforcement agencies to expunge administrative investigation records for police officers who are cleared by an administrative charging committee. Specifically, it mandates that records related to misconduct investigations - such as complaints and internal records - must be removed from public access three years after the committee decides not to file administrative charges. This applies only to officers who face no disciplinary action, not to those found guilty of misconduct. The bill changes existing law to allow this expungement, ensuring cleared officers' records are no longer publicly visible after the three-year period.

Maddy summarySB 644 requires Baltimore City school resource officers to carry firearms at all times while on school premises, including before/after school hours and on non-school days. This applies specifically to Baltimore City school police officers and school resource officers assigned to schools under Maryland law. The bill amends sections of the Maryland Annotated Code to mandate this firearm requirement, replacing prior language that allowed discretion. It does not change existing training requirements for officers, which include de-escalation and bias awareness. The law directly affects Baltimore City school resource officers and their on-site safety protocols.

Maddy summarySB 996 authorizes Maryland counties to adopt approval voting for local elections for county executive and legislative offices. Approval voting allows voters to support multiple candidates, with the candidate receiving the most votes winning. The bill requires counties using this method to conduct educational campaigns explaining how approval voting works, and gives the State Board authority to create regulations for its administration. This bill does not change statewide voting systems but provides counties with an optional voting method for local elections, effective June 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 557 prohibits Maryland state and local governments from imposing a vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) tax, mileage-based user fee, GPS toll, or similar tax. It also bans requiring the installation of tracking devices in privately owned vehicles to report mileage. The bill amends Maryland law to explicitly block these measures under the "Transportation Freedom Act of 2025," with one exception allowing existing fuel tax agreements under Section 9-205. This directly affects state/local authorities and vehicle owners by preventing new mileage-based taxation or tracking requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits Maryland's Department of Juvenile Services from hiring or retaining employees convicted of specific serious crimes, directly affecting job applicants and current staff. It bans hiring for offenses including abduction, kidnapping, murder, rape, child abuse, and sexual offenses against minors (as listed in Section 1(A)). An exception allows hiring if a conviction was reversed or vacated (Section 1(B)). The law takes effect October 1, 2025, aiming to protect youth in state care by restricting employment for individuals with certain criminal histories.

Maddy summarySB 716 adds nuclear energy from licensed reactors to Maryland's renewable energy portfolio standard as a Tier 1 source, requiring electric companies to meet increasing nuclear energy targets: at least 4% by 2026, rising to 16% by 2029 and 20% by 2030. The bill creates a "certified nuclear renewable energy credit" for compliance and establishes a procurement process for the Public Service Commission to review nuclear projects. It mandates electric companies to purchase nuclear energy from a dedicated escrow account and requires new nuclear projects to sell energy into markets while distributing proceeds per specific rules. This directly affects Maryland's electric utilities, nuclear energy developers, and the state's decarbonization goals under the 2025 "Decarbonization Infrastructure Solutions Act."

Maddy summarySB 933 prohibits knowingly causing another person to ingest an abortion-inducing drug when the person knows or believes the other is pregnant and does so without consent, through fraud/coercion, or through force/threat of force. It directly affects individuals who coerce others into taking such medication, defining "abortion-inducing drug" as any substance designed to induce abortion. The bill amends Maryland’s criminal code to classify violations as a felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison. The law takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 661, the "Protect Maryland Farm Lands Act," changes how farmland is compensated when taken through eminent domain. It requires the fair market value of agricultural property actively used for farming to be set at 350% of the highest appraisal value, instead of standard market value. This directly affects Maryland farmers whose land is acquired for public projects (like roads or transmission lines) and the government entities conducting those takings. The bill also allows property owners to use the assessed tax value if it exceeds the appraisal, and applies retroactively to all past and future condemnation cases involving qualifying farmland.