HB 222 Maryland House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

County Boards of Education - Opioid Overdose-Reversing Medications - Policy Requirements (Naloxone Access Act)

HB 222 requires Maryland public schools and colleges to update policies and education programs to address opioid overdoses. It mandates schools to store naloxone, allow authorized staff and students to possess it, and provide liability protection for good-faith use during overdoses. The bill also adds naloxone's life-saving role to K-12 drug prevention curricula (starting in third grade) and requires annual parent notifications about school naloxone policies. Additionally, schools must report overdose incidents requiring naloxone use to the State Department. This affects all public K-12 schools and state-funded colleges.
Bill status passed both 4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Aug 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
Governor
Introduced Aug 13, 2025 Last action Apr 13, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

First - Educational Institutions - Opioid Overdose-Reversing Medications - Policy Requirements (Naloxone Access Act) Third - County Boards of Education - Opioid Overdose-Reversing Medications - Policy Requirements (Naloxone Access Act) · 3 edits
MINOR
The bill was amended to specifically include high school students in the list of individuals authorized to possess and administer naloxone, expanding eligibility beyond just staff and other present individuals. The title was updated to reflect this change by adding 'County Boards of Education' and clarifying the student inclusion. Additionally, the explanatory text was adjusted to explicitly mention high school students in the context of immunity from liability.
Scope change
The scope of the bill was expanded to explicitly authorize high school students to possess and administer opioid overdose-reversing medication, whereas the previous version did not explicitly name students in the authorization list.
ELIGIBILITY

High school students are now explicitly added to the list of individuals authorized to possess and administer naloxone or other opioid overdose-reversing medication.

REQUIREMENT

The policy requirements now specifically include a record of high school students who intend to possess the medication and whether they have received appropriate training.

SCOPE

The bill title and explanatory text were updated to explicitly mention 'County Boards of Education' and 'high school students' to align with the expanded eligibility.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 27, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 5, 2026

How they voted

326
Passed · 11 other
Total votes 49
Mar 27, 2026
D Democratic36
27 Yea 9
75% Yea
R Republican13
5 Yea 6 Nay 2
46% Nay
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
18
Key actions
10
Committee
8
Apr 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Third Reading Passed
upper
Apr 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable with Amendments Adopted
upper
Apr 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee Amendment Adopted
upper
Apr 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable with Amendments {
upper
Apr 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable with Amendments Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment
upper
Mar 27, 2026
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (32-6-11)
senate
Mar 19, 2026
Committee
Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment
upper
Mar 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third Reading Passed
lower
Mar 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments {
lower
Mar 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments Report by Ways and Means
lower
Mar 5, 2026
House Of Delegates · Passed
House of Delegates Vote: pass (134-0-8)
house of delegates
Jan 14, 2026
Committee
First Reading Ways and Means and Appropriations
lower
Aug 13, 2025
Introduced
Pre-filed
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel
DDemocratic
MD
17