Maryland Tort Claims Act - Employees of an Office of a Sheriff

SB 271 amends Maryland law to explicitly include employees of a sheriff's office (in counties or Baltimore City) under the definition of "State personnel" for immunity purposes under the Maryland Tort Claims Act. This means sheriff's office employees - such as administrative staff or support personnel - will now have the same legal protection from tort liability as sheriffs and deputy sheriffs when acting within their official duties, without malice or gross negligence. The bill achieves this by revising two sections of the Maryland Code: updating Section 5-522(b) to clarify immunity scope and amending Section 12-101(a)(6) to add "an employee of the office of a sheriff" to the definition of "State personnel." The change takes effect October 1, 2025, and directly affects all sheriff's offices across Maryland.