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HB 1420 Maryland House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Health Occupations - Criminal History Records Checks

HB 1420 requires criminal history background checks for applicants and renewing licensees in specific healthcare professions, including nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, and others listed in the bill. Starting July 1, 2027, new applicants must submit fingerprints and pay fees to the state’s Central Repository for a criminal records check under new Section 1A-302.1. Existing licensees renewing after January 1, 2028, must also provide proof of a criminal check. The bill establishes standardized procedures for conducting these checks while ensuring confidentiality and allowing applicants to contest results.
Issues: ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRequires criminal checks for healthcare licensees (nursing, pharmacy, etc.) to ensure patient safety, aligning with protecting patient rights in healthcare.85% confidence
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
Signed into Law
May 2026
Introduced Feb 13, 2026 Signed May 12, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

First - Health Occupations - Criminal History Records Checks → Third - Health Occupations - Criminal History Records Checks · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill progressed from its first reading to adoption and second reading, adding procedural status updates and a committee report. The substantive legal text was reorganized to repeal and reenact existing sections rather than just repealing them, and the list of affected statutes was expanded to include additional codes previously omitted.
Scope change
The bill's scope was expanded by adding several new statutes to the list of sections being amended, while the core criminal history check requirements remained consistent.
PROCEDURAL

Added committee report status, adoption action, and second reading date to the bill header.

TECHNICAL

Changed the legislative mechanism from 'repealing' to 'repealing and reenacting' for the Health Occupations Article.

Reordered the presentation of repealed and reenacted sections to group the repeal of Section 18-309(h) separately from the reenactment of other sections.

SCOPE

Expanded the list of repealed and reenacted sections to include additional statutes in the Annotated Code of Maryland.

Floor votes · House of Delegates Mar 8, 2026

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
16
Key actions
9
Committee
6
May 12, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 370
executive
Apr 7, 2026
Lower · Passed
Returned Passed
lower
Apr 6, 2026
Upper · Passed
Third Reading Passed
upper
Mar 31, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
upper
Mar 30, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Report by Finance
upper
Mar 23, 2026
Committee
Referred Finance
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 Health
lower
Mar 8, 2026
House Of Delegates · Passed
House of Delegates Vote: pass (132-0-10)
house of delegates
Feb 13, 2026
Committee
First Reading Health and Judiciary
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.