Sen. Nick Charles

Maddy summarySB 1038 modifies Maryland's child support calculation by adding a new deduction for parents with children living in their home more than 92 nights per year. The bill requires courts to subtract an allowance equal to 75% of the basic child support amount for each such child from a parent's actual income before determining the support award. This change directly affects parents who share significant parenting time with children not covered by an existing support order. The bill alters how "adjusted actual income" is calculated under Maryland's child support guidelines, without changing the base support amounts. It also clarifies that courts may deny this allowance if it would be unjust or inappropriate for the child's best interests.

Maddy summarySB 545 amends Maryland's criminal code to prohibit possessing or viewing images depicting minors in sexual conduct, sadomasochistic abuse, or sexual excitement - whether actual or computer-generated images that appear indistinguishable from real children under 16. It specifically targets material that looks like real children (excluding drawings, cartoons, sculptures, or paintings) and adds penalties: up to 5 years for first-time possession/viewing (misdemeanor) and up to 10 years for repeat offenses (felony). The bill includes exceptions for parents possessing non-exploitative images of their own children and allows a defense if someone destroys the material or reports it to police. These changes update sections 11-207, 11-208, and add new section 11-208.2 to the Maryland Annotated Code.

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 565 (Mateo's Law) requires drivers involved in motor vehicle accidents that cause death or life-threatening injury to submit to mandatory breath and blood testing for alcohol or drug impairment. It directly affects drivers in these specific accident scenarios, removing the prior requirement for police to have reasonable suspicion of impairment before ordering testing. The bill mandates breath tests for alcohol concentration and blood tests to detect alcohol or drugs, with options for both tests. Medical personnel performing these tests are protected from civil liability for non-gross-negligent actions. The law takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 521 establishes a rebuttable presumption in Maryland that joint legal custody and joint physical custody (with approximately equal time) are in a child's best interests during initial custody proceedings. It requires courts to consider specific factors like the child's maturity, parental work schedules, proximity to schools, and ability to assist with after-school care when making custody decisions. If a court decides joint custody isn't appropriate, it must document its reasoning and still ensure frequent contact between the child and the noncustodial parent. The bill directly affects parents involved in custody cases by shifting the default presumption toward joint custody while providing clear guidelines for exceptions. It takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 519 establishes a Prostate Cancer Care Access Grant Program in Maryland to improve awareness and access to prostate cancer care services for state residents. The program provides grants to support public education about prostate cancer, cover travel costs for individuals unable to access local care, and fund culturally competent initiatives in consultation with relevant organizations. It creates a dedicated, non-lapsing fund requiring $100,000 annually starting in fiscal year 2026, with interest earnings credited back to the fund. The bill modifies state finance law to exempt this fund from standard interest allocation rules, ensuring sustained funding for these targeted services.

Maddy summarySB 430 requires Maryland's Department of Housing and Community Development and Department of Planning to annually calculate regional housing infrastructure gaps - measuring the shortage of housing units needed to achieve a 1.5 jobs-to-housing ratio in each designated region. It apportions these gaps to specific counties and cities, creating an "affirmative obligation" for jurisdictions with gaps to expedite approvals of housing projects and prohibiting denials without specific justifications. The law directly affects all Maryland counties and cities, particularly those in six defined regions (like Baltimore and Washington suburbs), by mandating state-level gap calculations and altering local housing approval processes to address housing shortages near job centers.

Maddy summarySB 893 updates Maryland's insurance laws to improve how insurers handle claims, particularly for homeowners. It requires insurers to assign a licensed adjuster to investigate claims, communicate honestly with policyholders, and retain all claim-related communications for at least two years. The bill prohibits insurers from canceling or refusing to renew homeowner policies without valid reasons and bans altering adjuster reports without proper documentation. Insurers found to repeatedly violate these rules face enhanced enforcement penalties from the Maryland Insurance Commissioner.

Maddy summarySB 682 modifies Maryland's foreclosure rules for residential mortgages significantly behind on payments. It requires lenders to provide specific written loan details (like current balance, interest rate, and payment breakdown) to borrowers before filing a foreclosure lawsuit, and allows borrowers to argue that the lender waited too long (laches) as a defense. The bill also sets a minimum 90-day waiting period after a default or 45 days after sending a notice of intent to foreclose before a lawsuit can proceed, with exceptions for fraud, no payments, property destruction, bankruptcy, or vacant property. These changes aim to increase transparency and give borrowers more time to address delinquency.

Maddy summarySB 866 establishes an Ombudsman Unit within Maryland's Attorney General's Office to handle complaints from residents of common ownership communities (including condos, co-ops, and homeowners associations). The unit will review final adverse decisions by community governing bodies, refer disputes to local commissions, and provide residents with information about their rights. The bill also requires these communities to file governing documents (like rules and declarations) with the Department of Housing, which must create an online database for public access. Additionally, it mandates counties to establish local commissions to further review disputes involving community governance. These changes directly affect residents, community managers, and local government officials.