Sen. Karen Young

Maddy summarySB 299 requires Maryland county boards of education to allow therapy dogs in public schools, subject to specific policies. The bill mandates that each county adopt a policy covering therapy dog certification, handler guidelines, school access rules, parent/student notifications, and accommodations for allergies or discomfort. Therapy dogs must be accompanied by a certified handler and meet defined emotional support criteria for students. This law applies directly to all public schools in Maryland, effective July 1, 2026. It establishes concrete requirements for school policies but does not specify outcomes or funding.

Maddy summaryMaryland's SB 245 prohibits state, local governments, county sheriffs, and their agencies from entering new agreements with federal authorities to enforce civil immigration law. It defines such agreements as contracts under federal laws like 8 U.S.C. § 1103 or § 1357. Existing agreements must be terminated by July 1, 2026, or immediately upon the bill's effective date of June 1, 2026. The law directly affects all Maryland local law enforcement entities and state agencies that previously collaborated with federal immigration enforcement.

Maddy summarySB 308 requires the Governor of Maryland to annually proclaim January as Muslim American Heritage Month and May as Jewish American Heritage Month. The bill mandates that these proclamations urge educational and cultural organizations to host programs and activities during these months. It amends Maryland law by adding specific sections (7-501 and 7-505) to the Annotated Code, establishing the annual recognition process. The law takes effect October 1, 2026, and directly affects the Governor’s office and eligible organizations. This is a commemorative measure with no new funding or regulatory requirements.

Maddy summarySB 919 requires Maryland homeowners associations (HOAs) with 100 or more lots to post specific documents online within 30 days of creation or receipt. These include declarations, bylaws, meeting minutes (for the past 5 years), recordings of virtual meetings (past 12 months), and other records typically available to lot owners. The bill also clarifies that HOAs may secure loans for reserve funding under certain circumstances and mandates electronic meeting notices and voting options. Smaller HOAs are not subject to the online posting requirement, which applies only to qualifying large associations. This aims to increase transparency in HOA operations through accessible digital records.

Maddy summarySB 750 (Ash's Law) creates a legal exception to Maryland’s animal abandonment law for people caring for community cats under Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs. It defines "community cats" (free-roaming cats cared for by neighborhood residents) and "community cat caregivers" (those providing food/shelter under TNR), requiring local governments to adopt TNR policies that: - Prohibit registration requirements for caregivers, - Allow reclaiming impounded cats without proof of ownership, - Mandate returning eartipped cats (identified via ear notch) to their original location. The law preempts conflicting local rules and directly affects community cat caregivers, animal shelters, and local governments implementing TNR programs.

Maddy summarySB 727 authorizes Maryland municipalities to use secure electronic voting systems for local elections, directly affecting cities and towns conducting municipal elections. The bill defines a "qualified electronic transmission system" as one with strict security features like end-to-end encryption, multi-factor authentication, paper ballot backups, and biometric ID verification to protect voter data and election integrity. It prohibits municipalities from using any voter information collected through these systems for purposes beyond election administration or tracking voter participation. The law takes effect July 1, 2026, and applies to all municipal elections in Maryland.

Maddy summarySB 667 establishes Maryland’s Edible Forests and Foraging Program within the Department of Natural Resources. It requires individuals to obtain a permit for foraging (harvesting noncommercial plants/mushrooms) in designated state-owned areas, with fee waivers available for those demonstrating financial need. The program mandates the department to create and maintain edible forests on state land (subject to funding), where foraging is permit-free. A dedicated fund, financed by permit fees and interest earnings, will support program costs like establishing foraging areas and edible forests.

Maddy summarySB 386 (Lower Bills and Local Power Act of 2026) requires electric companies operating high-voltage transmission lines (over 69,000 volts) in Maryland to join a regional transmission organization. It mandates that applicants seeking permits for new transmission lines must include alternative proposals using advanced transmission technologies and compare their cost-effectiveness. The bill creates a new Solar and Energy Storage Market Stabilization Program within the Maryland Energy Administration and directs funds from the Strategic Energy Investment Fund to provide refunds or credits to residential customers. These changes aim to modernize transmission infrastructure, promote technology adoption, and reduce costs for Maryland ratepayers.

Maddy summarySB 639 amends Maryland law to authorize sports wagering on historical horse races by expanding the definition of "sporting event" to include them. This change allows licensed sports wagering facilities (like casinos or racetracks with existing licenses) to accept bets on historical races under specific rules, while excluding high school events and fantasy competitions. Proceeds from these wagers would follow the same distribution rules as other sports wagering, funding the Purse Dedication Account for horse racing. The bill directly affects licensed wagering operators and the State Racing Commission, which oversees the program. It requires voter approval via referendum before taking effect.

Maddy summarySB 427 allows Maryland counties and Baltimore City to create a special tax subclass for qualified data centers' personal property (like servers and equipment), setting a separate tax rate for these facilities. To qualify, a data center must invest $2 million (in Tier I areas) or $5 million (elsewhere) and create at least five jobs within three years. Local governments can set a special tax rate for this subclass, though it must remain within the existing 2.5x cap for personal property taxes. The law takes effect June 1, 2026, applying to tax years beginning after June 30, 2026. This directly affects data centers meeting the investment and job criteria in participating jurisdictions.