HB 1120 Maryland House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Professional Licensing Portability - Members of the Foreign Service and Spouses

HB 1120 allows members of the U.S. Foreign Service and their spouses to practice licensed professions in Maryland using a valid license from another state, without needing to obtain a new Maryland license. The bill creates new provisions (Sections 10-14A-01 to 10-14A-03) in Maryland law to establish this portability for specific occupations covered under the state's licensing codes. It directly affects Foreign Service employees and their spouses who are already licensed in another jurisdiction and relocate to Maryland for duty. The bill amends multiple sections across Maryland’s licensing codes in State Government, Business Occupations, Education, and Health to implement this change. This policy removes a barrier for these individuals to continue their professional work without repeating licensing requirements.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
Signed into Law
May 2026
Introduced Feb 11, 2026 Signed May 12, 2026
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What changed between versions

First - Professional Licensing Portability - Members of the Foreign Service and Spouses Third - Professional Licensing Portability - Members of the Foreign Service and Spouses · 5 edits
MODERATE
The bill's scope was significantly expanded to include additional sponsors, and the legislative text was reorganized to repeal and reenact statutes across multiple articles (Agriculture, Business Occupations, Business Regulation, Education, Environment, and Financial Institutions). Most notably, the bill's approach to repealing and reenacting laws was inverted; sections previously marked for repeal without amendments are now marked for repeal with amendments, and vice versa, suggesting a shift in how these specific legal provisions are being handled.
Scope change
The bill's scope of applicability was broadened by adding multiple new sponsors to the legislative text, and the substantive scope of the bill was altered by reordering and modifying the list of specific Maryland Code sections being repealed and reenacted across various government articles.
ELIGIBILITY

Added new sponsors (Adams, Arentz, Bhandari, Fennell, A. Johnson, Pippy, Rose, Queen, and Wivell) to the bill's authorship list.

REQUIREMENT

Reversed the repeal status for multiple articles; sections previously designated for 'repeal without amendments' are now 'repeal with amendments,' and sections previously 'repeal with amendments' are now 'repeal without amendments.'

TECHNICAL

Adjusted the specific Maryland Code sections listed for repeal and reenactment in the Agriculture, Business Occupations, Business Regulation, Education, Environment, and Financial Institutions articles.

Changed the subtitle reference from 'Section 10-14A-01 through 10-14A-03' to include '10-14A-05'.

TIMELINE

Added a 'Committee Report: Favorable with amendments' and 'House action: Adopted' status, indicating the bill has progressed further in the legislative process.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 27, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 11, 2026

How they voted

460
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 49
Mar 27, 2026
D Democratic36
33 Yea 3
91% Yea
R Republican13
13 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
17
Key actions
10
Committee
6
May 12, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 492
executive
Apr 13, 2026
Lower · Passed
Returned Passed
lower
Apr 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Third Reading Passed
upper
Apr 10, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Adopted
upper
Apr 10, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment
upper
Mar 27, 2026
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (46-0-3)
senate
Mar 23, 2026
Committee
Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment Finance
upper
Mar 23, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third Reading Passed
lower
Mar 23, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments {
lower
Mar 23, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments Report by Economic Matters
lower
Mar 11, 2026
House Of Delegates · Passed
House of Delegates Vote: pass (137-0-5)
house of delegates
Feb 11, 2026
Committee
First Reading Economic Matters and Health
lower
14 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors