Howard County Board of Education - Student Member - Voting Ho. Co. 7-26
HB 1171 modifies voting rights for the student member of Howard County's Board of Education. It removes specific restrictions that previously prevented the student member from voting on matters like school property decisions, superintendent appointments, employee discipline, and collective bargaining. The bill expands the student member's voting authority by eliminating those exclusions from the existing law, though they still cannot vote on student suspension/expulsion (§7-305). This change directly affects Howard County students serving on the school board, effective July 1, 2026.
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
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
First - Howard County Board of Education - Student Member - Voting Ho. Co. 7-26
→
Third - Howard County Board of Education - Student Member - Voting Ho. Co. 7-26
·
4 edits
MODERATE
The bill progressed from its first reading to adoption and final approval, adding procedural status updates like committee reports and signatures. The substantive legal text regarding the student member's voting powers remained unchanged, with only minor formatting adjustments to the bill's title and section numbering.
TECHNICAL
Added procedural status indicators such as 'Committee Report: Favorable', 'House action: Adopted', and the date of the second reading to reflect the bill's legislative progress.
Included signature lines for the Governor, Speaker of the House, and President of the Senate to finalize the bill's approval.
Adjusted the bill's title header from 'A BILL ENTITLED' to 'CHAPTER ______' and renumbered the main title section from 2 to 1 for consistency with the adopted format.
Reformatted the list of voting restrictions for the student member, shifting from a single continuous list to a structured format with distinct subsections (i) through (xiv) and renumbering the internal items.
Floor votes · Senate Mar 25, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 8, 2026
How they voted
48–0
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 49
Mar 25, 2026
D
Democratic36
100% Yea
R
Republican13
92% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
15
Key actions
10
Committee
6
May 12, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 578
executive
Apr 13, 2026
Lower · Passed
Returned Passed
lower
Apr 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Third Reading Passed
upper
Apr 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Adopted
upper
Apr 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment
upper
Mar 25, 2026
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (48-0-1)
senate
Mar 23, 2026
Committee
Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment
upper
Mar 20, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third Reading Passed
lower
Mar 20, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
lower
Mar 20, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable Report by Ways and Means
lower
Mar 8, 2026
House Of Delegates · Passed
House of Delegates Vote: pass (105-26-11)
house of delegates
Feb 11, 2026
Committee
First Reading Ways and Means
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
No sponsor information available.
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about HB 1171
Scope: MD
Hi! I can help you understand HB 1171. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline