Sen. Jason Gallion

Maddy summarySB 480 requires Maryland's Department of General Services to establish a Clean Energy Procurement Program by January 1, 2026, to evaluate biogas as an alternative to natural gas for state transportation and building operations. The program mandates issuing a competitive bid solicitation for biogas contracts, collecting data on natural gas use, and requiring the University System of Maryland to complete a lifecycle analysis of biogas (with the Power Plant Research Program covering analysis costs). The Department must analyze the environmental and economic benefits of expanding biogas use, while ensuring biogas is competitively priced, high quality, and available. The program runs until December 31, 2028, supporting Maryland’s net-zero emissions goals by assessing biogas feasibility for state operations.

Maddy summarySB 479 amends Maryland's building energy performance standards to exclude public safety, emergency, and public utility buildings from the definition of "covered building." This means fire stations, police facilities, emergency shelters, and utility buildings will not be subject to the energy efficiency requirements that apply to other large commercial or state-owned buildings (35,000+ sq. ft.). The bill achieves this by revising Section 2-1601(e) of the Maryland Annotated Code to explicitly remove these building types from coverage. The change directly affects these specific public infrastructure facilities by exempting them from annual reporting and emissions reduction targets under the law.

Maddy summarySB 779 amends Maryland’s Climate Solutions Now Act to require certain climate-related requirements to be implemented "to the extent economically practicable." It updates building energy standards to mandate a 20% greenhouse gas reduction by 2030 (compared to 2025) and net-zero emissions by 2040 for covered buildings, while requiring annual emissions reporting to the Department of the Environment. The bill also modifies statewide emissions planning deadlines and includes provisions requiring prevailing wages for contractors working on projects by investor-owned utility companies. These changes directly affect building owners, state agencies, and utility contractors. The legislation does not create new emissions targets but adjusts implementation flexibility for existing requirements under the Climate Solutions Now Act.

Maddy summarySB 735 (Geri's Law) prohibits incarcerated individuals serving sentences for first-degree or second-degree murder from earning time-off credits that reduce their prison terms. It also limits time-off credits for violent crime offenders to no more than 10% of their total sentence for violent offenses, and bars judges from allowing pretrial release for defendants charged with violent crimes if they have pending charges or recent violent convictions. The bill amends Maryland law to restrict credit deductions under correctional services and criminal procedure codes, specifically targeting violent offenses defined in the Criminal Law Article. These changes apply directly to individuals convicted of murder or violent crimes in state or local correctional facilities.

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.

Maddy summarySB 642 modifies Maryland law to specifically prohibit liability waivers for indoor trampoline parks. It makes any contract clause limiting a trampoline park's liability for injuries caused by its negligence or wrongful acts void and unenforceable. This directly affects trampoline park operators, who can no longer require customers to sign such waivers. The bill narrows a previous broader rule (which applied to all "recreational facilities") to apply only to indoor trampoline parks, leaving liability rules unchanged for gyms, pools, or other facilities. The change takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 558 requires the Maryland Department of Legislative Services to include a "family impact statement" in the fiscal note for every proposed bill. This statement must indicate whether the bill affects families, specify the type of impact (e.g., on marriage stability or family welfare), and explain the analysis method. The bill directly affects all legislative committees, as they cannot vote on a bill without this statement attached to its fiscal note. The law amends Maryland's state government code to mandate this addition, effective October 1, 2025, without changing existing fiscal note requirements for revenue or local government impacts.

Maddy summarySB 300 creates a specific felony offense for the theft of a handgun in Maryland, separate from general theft statutes. It directly affects anyone who steals a handgun or knowingly possesses one they believe was stolen. The bill amends the criminal law to establish that stealing a handgun automatically qualifies as a felony, regardless of the handgun's value, with penalties ranging from 5 years to 20 years in prison and restitution requirements based on the handgun's value. This replaces the standard theft thresholds (like the $1,500 minimum for other property) and applies strict penalties for handgun theft.

Maddy summaryThis bill reclassifies theft of firearms as a felony in Maryland, making it punishable under existing felony theft penalties regardless of the firearm's value. It directly affects individuals who steal firearms by subjecting them to felony charges instead of potential misdemeanor charges under current law. The key mechanism is amending Maryland's theft statute (Section 7-104) to explicitly include firearms in the felony classification, removing a prior exemption that allowed firearm theft to be treated as a misdemeanor if the value was below $1,500.

Maddy summaryThis Maryland law requires health insurance plans, nonprofit health service plans, and health maintenance organizations to cover hearing aids for adults who are prescribed, fitted, and dispensed by a licensed audiologist. The coverage is limited to $1,400 per ear every 36 months, but insured individuals can choose more expensive models and pay the difference without penalizing the provider. The legislation applies to all policies issued, delivered, or renewed in the state on or after January 1, 2025.