Evidence - Interception of Oral Communications - Fair Housing Testing

SB 107 allows fair housing testers working for approved organizations (like government agencies, local governments, or specific nonprofits with 2+ years of experience) to legally intercept oral communications during testing. It requires testers to be a party to the conversation and limits intercepted evidence to enforcement of federal, state, or local fair housing laws. The bill modifies Maryland’s evidence code to create this exception, ensuring intercepted conversations can only be used for fair housing investigations - not in other legal cases. It directly affects fair housing testing programs and their personnel conducting discrimination tests. The law takes effect October 1, 2025.