HB 756 Maryland House of Delegates · 2025 Regular Session

Petition for Guardianship of the Property of Alleged Disabled Person - Stay of Civil Actions and Proceedings

HB 756 allows petitioners seeking guardianship of an alleged disabled person's property to request a temporary halt (stay) of six specific civil lawsuits against that person, including rent non-payment cases, eviction proceedings, foreclosure, and property-related claims. The stay remains in effect until a guardian is appointed or the petition is denied, and requires legal notices to be served on the appointed guardian instead of the disabled person. This bill directly affects individuals facing property-related lawsuits while a guardianship petition is pending, as well as courts and guardians handling these cases. It amends Maryland’s Estates and Trusts code (§ 13-223) to create this procedural mechanism, effective October 1, 2025.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Mar 2025
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2025
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 27, 2025 Last action Mar 19, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

First - Petition for Guardianship of the Property of Alleged Disabled Person - Stay of Civil Actions and Proceedings Third - Petition for Guardianship of the Property of Alleged Disabled Person - Stay of Civil Actions and Proceedings · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to expand its scope by adding 'petitioner party to the guardianship' as eligible to request a stay, clarifying notice requirements for courts and parties, and establishing a 90-day maximum duration for stays. The amendments also correct grammatical errors and improve clarity in the service of process provisions.
Scope change
The bill's scope was expanded to include additional parties eligible to request stays and added requirements for notifying courts and other parties about guardianship proceedings.
ELIGIBILITY

Changed 'petitioner' to 'petitioner party to the guardianship' to clarify who may request a stay of civil actions.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirement that parties requesting a stay must provide notice to all parties in the action and notify the court of the appointment or denial of a guardian.

Corrected grammatical errors and improved clarity in service of process provisions regarding guardians.

TIMELINE

Established a 90-day maximum duration for stays granted under the bill.

Floor votes · House of Delegates Feb 27, 2025

How they voted

1350
Passed · 4 other
Total votes 139
Feb 27, 2025
D Democratic100
98 Yea 2
98% Yea
R Republican39
37 Yea 2
94% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
9
Key actions
4
Committee
4
Mar 10, 2025
Committee
Referred Judicial Proceedings
upper
Mar 6, 2025
Lower · Passed
Third Reading Passed
lower
Mar 4, 2025
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments {
lower
Mar 3, 2025
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments Report by Judiciary
lower
Feb 27, 2025
House Of Delegates · Passed
House of Delegates Vote: pass (135-0-4)
house of delegates
Jan 27, 2025
Committee
First Reading Judiciary
lower
5 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors