HB 786 Maryland House of Delegates · 2025 Regular Session

Appellate Court of Maryland - Sessions at Educational Institutions

HB 786 authorizes Maryland's Appellate Court to hold sessions at any secondary (e.g., high schools) or postsecondary (e.g., colleges) educational institution in the state, not just the University of Maryland Baltimore Campus and University of Baltimore as previously allowed. This change requires the Chief Judge to coordinate with school administrators to designate specific institutions for sessions. The bill modifies existing law to expand where the court can operate while maintaining the requirement that sessions must be held for at least ten months annually in Annapolis unless designated otherwise. It does not alter court procedures or affect the public directly, only changing the court's scheduling flexibility.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Mar 2025
House of Delegates Passage
Apr 2025
Senate Passage
Apr 2025
Signed into Law
Apr 2025
Introduced Jan 29, 2025 Signed Apr 22, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

First - Appellate Court of Maryland - Sessions at Educational Institutions Third - Appellate Court of Maryland - Sessions at Educational Institutions · 3 edits
MINOR
This bill was amended to expand the authority of the Appellate Court of Maryland to hold sessions at a broader range of educational institutions beyond just the two law schools. The original version only allowed sessions at the University of Maryland School of Law and the University of Baltimore School of Law, while the amended version adds secondary and postsecondary educational institutions to the list of potential locations.
Scope change
The bill's scope was expanded from allowing sessions only at two specific law schools to include any secondary or postsecondary educational institution in the state designated by the Chief Judge.
SCOPE

Added authority for the Appellate Court to hold sessions at secondary and postsecondary educational institutions throughout the state, expanding beyond the original limitation to only two law schools.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirement that sessions at educational institutions must be designated by the Chief Judge in conjunction with the deans of the two law schools and the administrations of the educational institutions.

TECHNICAL

Added committee report status, house action, and second reading date to reflect legislative progress.

Floor votes · House of Delegates Feb 24, 2025

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
13
Key actions
9
Committee
6
Apr 22, 2025
Signed into law
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 140
executive
Apr 2, 2025
Lower · Passed
Returned Passed
lower
Apr 2, 2025
Upper · Passed
Third Reading Passed
upper
Mar 27, 2025
Upper · Passed
Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
upper
Mar 27, 2025
Upper · Passed
Favorable Report by Judicial Proceedings
upper
Feb 28, 2025
Committee
Referred Judicial Proceedings
upper
Feb 27, 2025
Lower · Passed
Third Reading Passed
lower
Feb 25, 2025
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments {
lower
Feb 24, 2025
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments Report by Judiciary
lower
Feb 24, 2025
House Of Delegates · Passed
House of Delegates Vote: pass (132-0-5)
house of delegates
Jan 29, 2025
Committee
First Reading Judiciary
lower
14 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors