HB 439 Maryland House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Maryland Advisory Council on Deaf and Hard of Hearing - Renaming

HB 439 is a renaming bill that updates the official names of two Maryland state entities. It changes "Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing" to "Office of the Deaf, Deafblind, and Hard of Hearing" and similarly renames the "Maryland Advisory Council on Deaf and Hard of Hearing" to include "Deafblind" in its title. The bill makes technical updates to multiple sections of Maryland law to reflect these new names across state government references. This change directly affects how these offices and councils are formally identified in state documents and communications, with no new policies or services being created.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Apr 2026

House of Delegates Passage

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Apr 2026

Signed into Law

May 2026

Introduced Jan 22, 2026 Signed May 26, 2026

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What changed between versions

First - Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Maryland Advisory Council on Deaf and Hard of Hearing - Renaming → Third - Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Maryland Advisory Council on Deaf and Hard of Hearing - Renaming · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was significantly amended to expand the legislative sponsor list and update the bill's procedural status to reflect its adoption. Substantively, the bill's scope was altered by removing a repeal of the Transportation Article (Section 7-1109) and adding a repeal of the State Government Article (Section 9-2401), while retaining the core purpose of renaming the Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing to include 'Deafblind' and altering the membership of the associated advisory council.

Scope change

The bill's scope of repeal was modified by removing provisions related to the Transportation Article and adding provisions related to the State Government Article, while the core renaming and advisory council membership changes remain.

TECHNICAL

The list of bill sponsors was expanded to include additional delegates, and the bill's procedural history was updated to show it was adopted and read a second time.

The bill title was updated from 'A BILL ENTITLED' to 'CHAPTER ______' to reflect its progression through the legislative process.

SCOPE

The repeal of Article - Transportation, Section 7-1109(b) and (c)(10) was removed from the list of sections being reenacted.

The repeal of Article - State Government, Section 9-2401(a) was added to the list of sections being reenacted.

The order of repealed sections was reorganized, moving Education and Human Services articles to different positions in the list.

REQUIREMENT

The explanatory notes regarding formatting (underlining and strike-through) were added to clarify how amendments are displayed.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 22, 2026 · House of Delegates Feb 20, 2026

How they voted

34–0

Passed · 15 other

Total votes 49

Mar 22, 2026

D Democratic36

24 Yea 12

66% 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

May 26, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by the Governor - Chapter 655

executive

Apr 10, 2026

Lower · Passed

Returned Passed

lower

Apr 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Third Reading Passed

upper

Apr 8, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable Adopted

upper

Apr 8, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment

upper

Mar 22, 2026

Senate · Passed

Senate Vote: pass (34-0-15)

senate

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 with Amendments {

lower

Feb 23, 2026

Lower · Passed

Favorable with Amendments Report by Government, Labor, and Elections

lower

Feb 20, 2026

House Of Delegates · Passed

House of Delegates Vote: pass (137-0-5)

house of delegates

Jan 22, 2026

Committee

First Reading Government, Labor, and Elections

lower

15 primary · 0 co-sponsors