HB 192 Maryland House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Maryland Higher Education Commission - Religious Educational Institutions - Certificate of Approval

HB 192 exempts certain religious educational institutions from needing a certificate of approval from Maryland's Higher Education Commission to operate in the state. It applies to institutions established solely for religious education, offering only sectarian instruction aligned with their faith, and stating the religious nature of awards on diplomas. The bill specifically excludes institutions accredited by U.S. Department of Education-recognized bodies from this exemption. It also grandfathered in religious schools operating continuously in Maryland since before January 1, 2013. The law takes effect July 1, 2026.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Oct 2025

Committee Review

Feb 2026

House of Delegates Passage

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Oct 29, 2025 Last action Feb 27, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

First - Maryland Higher Education Commission - Religious Educational Institutions - Certificate of Approval → Third - Maryland Higher Education Commission - Religious Educational Institutions - Certificate of Approval · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to add procedural status information (committee report and adoption dates) and reorganized the text of Section 1 to clarify definitions and requirements for religious educational institutions. The substantive policy content regarding operating without certificates of approval remains largely the same, though line numbers and formatting were adjusted to align with standard legislative formatting.

Scope change

No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; changes are primarily formatting and procedural additions.

TECHNICAL

Added procedural status lines indicating a favorable committee report, adoption by the House, and second reading date.

Reorganized line numbers and text structure in Section 1 to align with standard legislative formatting conventions.

Removed the standalone 'A BILL ENTITLED' header and replaced it with 'CHAPTER ______' placeholder.

DEFINITION

Added explicit definition line for 'Commission' meaning the Maryland Higher Education Commission within the definitions section.

Floor votes · House of Delegates Feb 20, 2026

How they voted

135–0

Passed · 7 other

Total votes 142

Feb 20, 2026

D Democratic103

98 Yea 5

95% Yea

R Republican39

37 Yea 2

94% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 27, 2026

Committee

Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment

upper

Feb 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

Third Reading Passed

lower

Feb 24, 2026

Lower · Passed

Favorable Adopted

lower

Feb 23, 2026

Lower · Passed

Favorable Report by Appropriations

lower

Feb 20, 2026

House Of Delegates · Passed

House of Delegates Vote: pass (135-0-7)

house of delegates

Jan 14, 2026

Committee

First Reading Appropriations

lower

Oct 29, 2025

Introduced

Pre-filed

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors