HB 3 Maryland House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Higher Education - Student Financial Assistance - Dependents of State or Local Public Safety Employees (Maryland Fallen Heroes Tuition Benefits Act)

HB 3, the Maryland Fallen Heroes Tuition Benefits Act, exempts financially dependent children of state or local public safety employees who died while on duty from paying out-of-state or out-of-county tuition at Maryland public colleges. It directly affects children of firefighters, police officers, EMTs, correctional officers, and Maryland National Guard members who were residents of Maryland at the time of their death. The bill amends Maryland law to define "public safety employee" broadly and requires the Commission to create implementing regulations. The exemption applies to public higher education institutions statewide and takes effect July 1, 2026.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Sep 2025

Committee Review

Apr 2026

House of Delegates Passage

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Apr 2026

Signed into Law

May 2026

Introduced Sep 4, 2025 Signed May 26, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Third - Higher Education - Nonresident Tuition - Exemption for Dependents of State or Local Public Safety Employees (Maryland Fallen Heroes Tuition Benefits Act) → Enrolled - Higher Education - Student Financial Assistance - Dependents of State or Local Public Safety Employees (Maryland Fallen Heroes Tuition Benefits Act) · 4 edits · May 26, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was finalized and enrolled, changing its title to reflect that it now includes financial assistance for spouses in addition to dependent children. The scope was expanded to explicitly cover spouses of fallen public safety employees, and new definitions were added to clarify terms like 'disabled public safety employee' and 'surviving spouse'. The act also updated the legislative citations to include amendments to a section governing scholarships for school employees.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include spouses of deceased public safety employees as eligible recipients of tuition exemptions and scholarships, whereas the original version only covered financially dependent children.

ELIGIBILITY

Added 'spouse' to the list of eligible dependents who can receive tuition exemptions and scholarships if a public safety employee dies in the line of duty.

DEFINITION

Introduced new definitions for 'disabled public safety employee', 'fund', 'school employee', 'surviving spouse', and 'victim of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks' to clarify program administration.

SCOPE

Updated the bill's purpose statement to include altering the allocation method for the Edward T. and Mary A. Conroy Memorial Scholarship Program and the Jean B. Cryor Memorial Scholarship Program.

TECHNICAL

Changed the legislative action from repealing and reenacting specific subsections of Section 18-601(a) to repealing and reenacting the entire Section 18-601 with amendments.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 24, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 12, 2026

How they voted

40–0

Passed · 9 other

Total votes 49

Mar 24, 2026

D Democratic36

30 Yea 6

83% Yea

R Republican13

10 Yea 3

76% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

May 26, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by the Governor - Chapter 798

executive

Apr 13, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed Enrolled

lower

Apr 13, 2026

Lower · Passed

Third Reading Passed

lower

Apr 13, 2026

Introduced

House Concurs Senate Amendments

lower

Apr 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

Third Reading Passed

upper

Apr 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable with Amendments {

upper

Apr 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable with Amendments Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment

upper

Mar 24, 2026

Senate · Passed

Senate Vote: pass (40-0-9)

senate

Feb 13, 2026

Committee

Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment

upper

Feb 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

Third Reading Passed

lower

Feb 10, 2026

Lower · Passed

Favorable Adopted

lower

Feb 9, 2026

Lower · Passed

Favorable Report by Appropriations

lower

Jan 14, 2026

Committee

First Reading Appropriations

lower

Sep 4, 2025

Introduced

Pre-filed

lower

6 primary · 0 co-sponsors