Income Tax - Student Loan Debt Relief Tax Credit - Alterations
HB 1297 modifies Maryland's student loan debt relief tax credit by changing how unused credit amounts are recaptured. It requires taxpayers to repay only the unused portion of the credit (not the full amount) if they don't use it for student loan repayment within 3 years. The bill also authorizes the Maryland Higher Education Commission to grant extensions of this 3-year period for taxpayers unable to repay due to specific federal delays, such as litigation over the SAVE repayment plan, Department of Education understaffing, or waiting for public service loan forgiveness. This directly affects Maryland residents with qualifying student loan debt who claim the tax credit.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Feb 12, 2026
Last action Apr 13, 2026
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What changed between versions
First - Income Tax - Student Loan Debt Relief Tax Credit - Alterations
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Third - Income Tax - Student Loan Debt Relief Tax Credit - Alterations
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2 edits
MINOR
The bill has progressed from its initial introduction to adoption and a favorable committee report, with a new second reading date set. The substantive text of the student loan debt relief tax credit remains unchanged, preserving the eligibility criteria, funding limits, and recapture rules established in the original version.
Scope change
The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; only the procedural status and metadata of the legislation have been updated.
TIMELINE
Added a favorable committee report status and a second reading date of March 27, 2026, indicating the bill has passed its first legislative hurdle.
TECHNICAL
Updated the bill header to reflect 'CHAPTER ______' instead of 'A BILL ENTITLED', a standard formatting change when a bill is adopted and assigned a chapter number.
Floor votes · House of Delegates Mar 30, 2026
How they voted
128–8
Passed · 6 other
Total votes 142
Mar 30, 2026
D
Democratic103
97% Yea
R
Republican39
71% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
7
Key actions
4
Committee
4
Apr 13, 2026
Committee
Referred Rules
upper
Apr 13, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third Reading Passed
lower
Apr 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
lower
Apr 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable Report by Ways and Means
lower
Mar 30, 2026
House Of Delegates · Passed
House of Delegates Vote: pass (128-8-6)
house of delegates
Feb 12, 2026
Committee
First Reading Ways and Means
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Julie Palakovich Carr
DDemocratic
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