Commercial Law - Uniform Commercial Code - Controllable Electronic Records
SB 154 adds Article 12 to Maryland's Uniform Commercial Code to establish rules for property rights in certain digital assets, including controllable electronic records, accounts, and payment intangibles. It directly affects businesses and financial institutions handling digital transactions by defining how control and ownership transfer for these assets. The bill creates a new standard for "control" (requiring exclusive power to access benefits and transfer the asset) and ensures qualifying purchasers acquire rights free of competing claims. This changes how digital property rights are managed under Maryland law, replacing ambiguous state rules with a clear, standardized framework.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Oct 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Governor
Introduced Oct 31, 2025
Last action Mar 6, 2026
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What changed between versions
First - Commercial Law - Uniform Commercial Code - Controllable Electronic Records
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Third - Commercial Law - Uniform Commercial Code - Controllable Electronic Records
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4 edits
MODERATE
This bill update reflects procedural progress in the legislative process, adding committee approval and adoption status, while reorganizing the bill's structure and definitions. The substantive legal content regarding controllable electronic records remains largely unchanged, with only formatting adjustments to the text layout and citation numbering.
Scope change
No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; changes are primarily procedural and formatting-related.
TIMELINE
Added committee report status (Favorable) and Senate adoption date (February 12, 2026), indicating the bill has passed key legislative stages.
TECHNICAL
Reorganized the bill's header and section numbering for clarity, shifting from a continuous page format to a more structured layout with chapter placeholders.
Adjusted line breaks and spacing in definitions (e.g., Account Debtor, Chattel Paper) to improve readability without altering legal meaning.
Removed internal tracking numbers and draft identifiers (e.g., 'HB 1353/25 - ECM') that were used during earlier legislative processing.
Floor votes · Senate Feb 14, 2026
How they voted
45–0
Passed · 4 other
Total votes 49
Feb 14, 2026
D
Democratic36
91% Yea
R
Republican13
92% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
10
Key actions
4
Committee
4
Feb 20, 2026
Committee
Referred Economic Matters
lower
Feb 19, 2026
Upper · Passed
Third Reading Passed
upper
Feb 17, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Adopted
upper
Feb 16, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Report by Finance
upper
Feb 14, 2026
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (45-0-4)
senate
Jan 14, 2026
Committee
First Reading Finance
upper
Oct 31, 2025
Introduced
Pre-filed
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Ron Watson
DDemocratic
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