HB 972 Maryland House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Maryland Fair and Agricultural Education Promise Fund - Establishment ( Charles J. Otto Agricultural Education Promise Act)

HB 972 establishes the Maryland Fair and Agricultural Education Promise Fund, a permanent fund to provide annual grants supporting agricultural fairs and education. The fund will receive lottery proceeds (before allocation to the general fund) and replace previous requirements for horse racing fund allocations. It directs specific annual grants: $825,000 to the Maryland Agricultural Fair Board, $75,000 to the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, $550,000 to the Maryland State Fair Society (for youth programs like 4-H and FFA), and $50,000 to the Maryland FFA Association. These grants aim to advance agricultural fairs, education, and youth programs across Maryland.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Apr 2026

House of Delegates Passage

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Apr 2026

Signed into Law

Apr 2026

Introduced Feb 6, 2026 Signed Apr 28, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

First - Maryland Fair and Agricultural Education Promise Fund - Establishment (Maryland Fair and Agricultural Education Promise Act) → Third - Maryland Fair and Agricultural Education Promise Fund - Establishment ( Charles J. Otto Agricultural Education Promise Act) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was significantly expanded from a version sponsored by 11 delegates to one with over 50 sponsors, indicating broader legislative support. The bill's title was updated to honor Charles J. Otto, and the legal text was reorganized to repeal and reenact different sections of state law, shifting focus from State Government articles to Business Regulation and State Finance articles. Substantively, the funding structure was modified to increase the grant to the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation from $75,000 to $100,000 and to increase the grant to the Maryland FFA Association from $50,000 to $100,000, while maintaining the $825,000 grant to the Maryland Agricultural Fair Board.

Scope change

The bill's scope of legal modification changed from affecting the State Government and State Finance articles to primarily affecting the Business Regulation and State Finance articles, altering which specific statutes are repealed and reenacted.

FISCAL

The annual grant to the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation was increased from $75,000 to $100,000.

The annual grant to the Maryland FFA Association was increased from $50,000 to $100,000.

SCOPE

The bill was reorganized to repeal and reenact different sections of the Annotated Code of Maryland, moving the primary repeal target from the State Government article to the Business Regulation article.

TECHNICAL

The bill title was updated to include 'Charles J. Otto,' and the list of sponsoring delegates was expanded significantly.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 25, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 10, 2026

How they voted

47–0

Passed · 2 other

Total votes 49

Mar 25, 2026

D Democratic36

35 Yea 1

97% Yea

R Republican13

12 Yea 1

92% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 28, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by the Governor - Chapter 163

executive

Apr 13, 2026

Lower · Passed

Returned Passed

lower

Apr 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Third Reading Passed

upper

Apr 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable Adopted

upper

Apr 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment

upper

Mar 25, 2026

Senate · Passed

Senate Vote: pass (47-0-2)

senate

Mar 23, 2026

Committee

Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment Budget and Taxation

upper

Mar 23, 2026

Lower · Passed

Third Reading Passed

lower

Mar 21, 2026

Lower · Passed

Favorable with Amendments {

lower

Mar 20, 2026

Lower · Passed

Favorable with Amendments Report by Environment and Transportation

lower

Mar 10, 2026

House Of Delegates · Passed

House of Delegates Vote: pass (138-1-3)

house of delegates

Feb 6, 2026

Committee

First Reading Environment and Transportation

lower

51 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role

Legislator

Party

State

District