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HB 716 Maryland House of Delegates · 2025 Regular Session

Housing and Community Development - Statewide Rental Assistance Voucher Program Eligibility - Alterations

HB 716 modifies Maryland's Statewide Rental Assistance Voucher Program to better support low-income renters. It adds the Department of Housing and Community Development to the definition of "public housing agency," allowing it to administer vouchers directly in areas without local agencies and project-base up to 100% of its voucher units. The bill increases the rent payment cap from 30% to 40% of a family's income, adjusts priority categories to include foster youth aged 18-24 and military veterans, and changes inspection requirements from annual to biennial. It also specifies $10 million in annual funding for 2025-2027 and updates how funds are distributed to public housing agencies. The changes take effect October 1, 2025.
Issues: ✓ HousingSupports HousingIncreases rent cap to 40% of income, expands voucher administration, and prioritizes vulnerable groups like foster youth and veterans, directly advancing affordable housing access.95% confidence ✓ VeteransSupports VeteransBill explicitly adds veterans to priority categories for rental assistance, expanding housing support services for veterans.90% confidence
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2025
House of Delegates Passage
Apr 2025
Senate Passage
Apr 2025
Signed into Law
Apr 2025
Introduced Jan 27, 2025 Signed Apr 22, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Third - Housing and Community Development - Statewide Rental Assistance Voucher Program Eligibility - Alterations → Enrolled - Housing and Community Development - Statewide Rental Assistance Voucher Program Eligibility - Alterations · 5 edits · Apr 22, 2025
MODERATE
The bill transitioned from a draft proposal to an enrolled law, finalizing its status for implementation. The primary substantive change involves a shift in legislative strategy: the bill now repeals and reenacts specific sections of the Housing and Community Development Code without amendments for the foundational definitions and program existence, while simultaneously introducing new amendments to other sections regarding funding, inspection schedules, and tenant contribution limits. This approach ensures the core legal framework remains stable while updating operational details to align with current policy goals.
Scope change
The bill's scope regarding the definition of the program and key terms remains unchanged, but the mechanism for updating specific operational rules has been altered to include new amendments alongside the repeal and reenactment.
ENFORCEMENT

Inspection frequency was changed from an annual requirement to a biennial schedule (at least every two years) to reduce administrative burden while maintaining oversight.

REQUIREMENT

The maximum rent contribution expected from families was increased from 30% to 40% of their monthly adjusted gross income.

TECHNICAL

The bill was formally enrolled, adding official proofreading signatures and the Great Seal presentation details required for final passage.

FISCAL

Specific budget line items requesting $10,000,000 for fiscal years 2025-2027 were removed from the text, likely as they are addressed separately in the annual budget bill.

SCOPE

The legislative text was restructured to repeal and reenact certain code sections without amendments, while applying new amendments to different sections, clarifying the bill's procedural intent.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 16, 2025 · House of Delegates Mar 24, 2025

How they voted

32–13
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 46
Mar 16, 2025
D Democratic33
32 Yea 1
96% Yea
R Republican13
13 Nay
100% Nay
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
19
Key actions
10
Committee
6
Amendments
2
Apr 22, 2025
Signed into law
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 234
executive
Apr 7, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed Enrolled
lower
Apr 7, 2025
Lower · Passed
Third Reading Passed
lower
Apr 7, 2025
Introduced
House Concurs Senate Amendments
lower
Apr 3, 2025
Introduced
Floor Amendment {
upper
Apr 2, 2025
Upper · Passed
Favorable Adopted
upper
Apr 2, 2025
Upper · Passed
Favorable Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment
upper
Mar 24, 2025
House Of Delegates · Passed
House of Delegates Vote: pass (99-38-2)
house of delegates
Mar 17, 2025
Committee
Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment
upper
Mar 17, 2025
Lower · Passed
Third Reading Passed
lower
Mar 16, 2025
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (32-13-1)
senate
Mar 14, 2025
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments {
lower
Mar 14, 2025
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments Report by Environment and Transportation
lower
Jan 27, 2025
Committee
First Reading Environment and Transportation
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.