Sen. Sarah Elfreth

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a sales and use tax exemption for nonprofit organizations that maintain memorials on property owned by the State of Maryland. To qualify for this exemption, the organization must be exempt from federal taxation under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3), and any money raised from the sale of items must be used specifically to maintain the memorial on state-owned land. The law takes effect on July 1, 2024, allowing these organizations to sell goods without paying sales tax as long as the proceeds support the upkeep of the memorial.

Maddy summaryThis Maryland bill requires that naloxone, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, be placed in the same location as automated external defibrillators within all public buildings. The State Emergency Medical Services Board, working with the Department of Health, will manage this initiative using existing funds from the Opioid Restitution Fund. To encourage participation, the law grants legal protection from lawsuits to building owners and individuals who provide or administer this naloxone in good faith. These changes aim to increase the availability of life-saving equipment and medication in public spaces to address both cardiac arrest and drug overdoses.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a certification requirement for domestic violence programs in Maryland, mandating that they be approved by the federally recognized State domestic violence coalition to operate as comprehensive programs. It creates a special, nonlapsing grant fund within the Governor's Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services to provide financial support to these certified public and private nonprofit organizations. The fund will be used to cover program operations and establish additional shelters, with interest earnings automatically added to the fund to ensure its growth. Additionally, the legislation sets standards for program supervision and evaluation while allowing the state to seek funding from federal, local, and private sources.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the Workgroup on Home Detention Monitoring in Maryland to study pretrial home detention systems. The group includes representatives from the state legislature, public safety agencies, legal organizations, police, detention centers, and both fee-based and non-fee pretrial release programs. Its main task is to examine the costs and availability of publicly and privately provided home monitoring options. The Workgroup must submit annual reports to the General Assembly with its findings and recommendations. The law takes effect on July 1, 2024, and remains in force for three years before automatically ending.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes two new programs within the Maryland Technology Development Corporation to support technology-based start-up companies in the Baltimore area. The first program provides grants of up to $50,000 to startups founded by students or faculty at local universities, requiring that at least 20% of the funds be used to hire third-party consultants for planning and technical assistance. The second program, a pilot initiative, offers incentives to eligible universities to foster entrepreneurship, industry partnerships, and commercialization projects, particularly those involving artificial intelligence or machine learning in healthcare and biotechnology. Additionally, the legislation repeals a previous mandated appropriation for a telework assistance grant program and requires annual budget allocations for these new innovation initiatives.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates Maryland's Clean Water Commerce Account to allow the Department of the Environment to purchase nitrogen load reductions from projects that help meet the Chesapeake Bay's water quality goals. It enables flexible payment schedules that account for upfront construction costs and ties payments to verified environmental results, while also offering financial incentives to ensure projects are maintained for at least 10 years. For contracts exceeding $500,000, the law requires additional financial safeguards like performance bonds or letters of credit to guarantee that the promised environmental outcomes are actually achieved.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a mandatory annual funding requirement for the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland to support the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission. It directs the Governor to include a specific appropriation of $1 million in the state budget each year, drawn from the Cigarette Restitution Fund, with an additional option to allocate 5% of Master Settlement Agreement funds. The legislation clarifies that these funds are intended solely for agricultural development activities and must be used in addition to, rather than replacing, any existing funding for the council. This change ensures consistent financial support for the commission's operations starting in fiscal year 2024.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates Maryland laws regarding abandoned or sunken vessels and increases funding for maritime heritage preservation. It requires boat owners to provide emergency contact information when applying for vessel numbers and mandates that the Department of Natural Resources notify owners before seizing abandoned boats. Additionally, the bill establishes a voluntary turn-in program for these vessels and allocates at least $250,000 annually from the Waterway Improvement Fund to a nonprofit organization that distributes grants for preserving Maryland's maritime history.