Sen. Ben Brooks

Maddy summarySB 789 modifies Maryland's Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program by requiring the Higher Education Commission to designate certain private colleges as "hunger-free campuses" while explicitly prohibiting those same private institutions from receiving grant funding. The bill adds specific requirements for designation, including establishing a hunger task force, designating staff to assist students with SNAP enrollment, providing campus food pantries, and conducting annual hunger surveys. It also adjusts funding levels, mandating $150,000 annually for fiscal years 2023-2026 and $250,000 for fiscal years 2027 onward in the state budget. This bill directly affects private higher education institutions by creating eligibility for designation but blocking their access to program grants.

Maddy summarySB 529 requires engineering license applicants in Maryland to pass a basic "Fundamentals of Engineering" exam administered by the State Board before taking the main "Principles and Practice of Engineering" exam. This change affects individuals seeking to become licensed professional engineers in Maryland. The bill modifies existing licensure rules to mandate this two-step exam sequence, while also clarifying how college engineering coursework may count toward the required work experience. The new requirement takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 378 establishes a Family Literacy Pilot Program through the Maryland State Library Agency, allowing incarcerated individuals to record themselves reading children's books to their children. The program directly affects incarcerated parents, their children, and correctional facilities participating in the pilot. Key provisions include selecting four facilities (representing Maryland's regions and including both male and female facilities), providing free children's books in multiple languages, securing parental permission, and enabling incarcerated individuals to prepare and share recordings. The State Library Agency must report on the program's results to the General Assembly by December 1, 2028, and the program expires automatically on December 31, 2028.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Maryland public school systems to issue simultaneous bids for boys' and girls' high school sports officiating services for "similar" sports (defined as those with comparable rules, season, official count, and competition time). It prohibits schools from awarding contracts where officials for girls' sports receive different pay rates or fees than those for boys' sports in comparable events. The law applies to new procurement contracts starting July 1, 2025, with existing contracts allowed to be extended until 2029. It directly affects all local school systems purchasing officiating services for high school athletic events.

Maddy summarySB 68 requires Maryland's State Department of Education to develop a comprehensive plan by July 1, 2026, for establishing "Restorative Practices Schools" in public schools. The bill defines restorative practices as relationship-focused discipline models that prioritize repairing harm over punishment, prohibits corporal punishment, and mandates county school boards to adopt the plan if they choose to implement such schools. It also requires annual public reporting on discipline data, disaggregated by race, gender, disability status, and socioeconomic factors, to track implementation and outcomes. The law directly affects all Maryland public schools, county boards of education, and students through new discipline policies and reporting requirements.

Maddy summarySB 491 defines "honorable discharge" for Maryland state benefits to include discharges solely based on sexual orientation or gender identity, discharges related to statements/acts about orientation/identity (if prohibited at the time), or discharges tied to PTSD/TBI diagnoses or disclosed sexual trauma at VA facilities. This change directly affects veterans applying for Maryland state programs like housing, education, or employment benefits. Veterans must now submit documentation explaining their discharge basis to qualify under this expanded definition. The law takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 309 requires Maryland's Department of Veterans and Military Families to create an online registry for veterans, military service members, and their families. The registry will collect basic contact information (name and email) and optional status details (such as veteran status, active duty service, or family relationship). It must provide updates on available services, benefits, and news relevant to these groups. The department must also report annual metrics on registry participation - including total users, status breakdowns, and new/removed users - to the Governor and legislature by December 31 each year. The bill takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 175 prohibits the sale, transfer, or distribution of corrugated stainless steel tubing for fuel gas systems that doesn’t meet the LC1027 standard from the International Fuel and Gas Code or pass a 36-coulomb electrical arcing test. It requires that such tubing must meet these standards for new gas systems in homes or businesses, major renovations (over 50% of building square footage), or when adding new gas lines. The law applies to buildings not covered by federal gas piping codes and imposes $1,000 civil penalties for violations. It takes effect October 1, 2027, directly affecting contractors, suppliers, and building owners installing gas systems.

Maddy summarySB 354 establishes a Maryland Inventory of Cemeteries and Burial Sites Workgroup to study how to create a statewide cemetery inventory system. The workgroup, including representatives from historical trusts, cemetery oversight, cultural commissions, preservation groups, and local communities, will standardize cemetery definitions, review current documentation practices, and study systems in other states. It will evaluate existing local inventories, recommend data categories and maintenance methods, identify the best entity to manage the system, and propose funding options for a state system starting in 2027. The workgroup must submit its recommendations to the Governor and legislature by December 1, 2025, and the bill expires June 30, 2026.

Maddy summarySB 308 would require Maryland election directors to appoint chief election judges at each polling place from the majority political party and the principal minority party, whenever feasible. If election directors cannot secure appointments from both parties at least 45 days before early voting begins, they must appoint one chief judge from one of those parties and one unaffiliated with either party. This rule applies to all polling places statewide and affects how local election officials staff voting locations. The changes would take effect on October 1, 2025.