Maryland Bills

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 491: St. Mary's County - Metropolitan Commission - Discontinuance of Service

HB 491 authorizes St. Mary’s County’s Metropolitan Commission to cut off water or sewer service for nonpayment (after 30 days) or for properties deemed unsafe due to disasters. It directly affects private property owners in St. Mary’s County by requiring suspension of the "ready-to-serve" charge during service interruptions. Key provisions include allowing service disconnection for unsafe conditions, mandating charge suspension until service resumes, and granting the Commission new enforcement tools like fines up to $1,000 per day for violations. The bill amends existing local laws to clarify these service discontinuation procedures and enforcement options.

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 250: Department of the Environment - Fees, Penalties, Funding, and Regulation

SB 250 updates fee structures and funding mechanisms for Maryland's Department of the Environment. It creates the Private Dam Repair Fund to provide financial assistance for repairing, upgrading, or removing private dams, requiring dam owners to pay registration fees into this fund. The bill also specifies that the Maryland Clean Air Fund must be used solely for reducing air pollution and cannot revert to the General Fund. Additionally, it alters fees for oil transfers, lead risk reduction in housing, and other environmental programs, requiring the Department to set some fees through regulation.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Environment

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 470: Vehicle Laws - Obscured, Modified, or Blocked Registration Plates and Registration Plate Covers

HB 470 prohibits drivers from obscuring, modifying, or blocking vehicle registration plates in a way that hides the plate number or makes identification difficult. It directly affects vehicle owners who currently use plate covers, tinted shields, or other modifications that prevent clear visibility of license plates. Violations are classified as moving violations, subjecting offenders to points on their driving record under Maryland law. The bill takes effect on October 1, 2025, and amends Maryland's Transportation Code to clarify this prohibition.

Topics ✓ Transportation

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 313: Motor Vehicles - Specially Designed Vintage Reproduction Registration Plates

HB 313 removes a time limit requiring Maryland’s Motor Vehicle Administration to make vintage-style license plates available, allowing them to be offered indefinitely. It requires owners of qualifying historic vehicles (including passenger cars, small trucks, historic vehicles, multipurpose vehicles, and street rods) to pay a $100 one-time fee and a $25 annual renewal fee for these plates. The fees cover administrative costs and fund Maryland’s Gasoline and Motor Vehicle Revenue Account. The plates must resemble the black-letter-on-yellow design used on vehicles in 1910. This bill directly affects owners of eligible historic vehicles seeking these specialized license plates.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 962: Public Health - Pediatric Hospital Overstay Patients and Workgroup on Children in Unlicensed Settings and Pediatric Overstays

HB 962 addresses pediatric hospital overstay cases where children under 22 remain hospitalized after being medically cleared for discharge. It requires hospitals to place these patients in the least restrictive setting possible, allowing concurrent exploration of both in-state and out-of-state placement options. The bill establishes a Pediatric Hospital Overstay Coordinator within the Governor’s Office for Children to oversee this process and mandates a state study on residential treatment center and respite facility rates. This law directly affects hospitals, pediatric patients, and state agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 901: Environment - Packaging and Paper Products - Producer Responsibility Plans

This bill establishes a producer responsibility program requiring companies that make packaging and paper products to submit approved plans to the Maryland Department of the Environment by 2034. Under the new rules, producers must either create their own recycling and collection plans or join a producer responsibility organization that manages these responsibilities on their behalf. The bill also creates a new advisory council to oversee the program, requires independent assessments of statewide recycling needs every ten years, and allows local governments to request reimbursement from producers for certain program costs. Companies cannot sell or distribute covered packaging materials in Maryland unless they have an approved plan on file with the state.

Topics ✓ Environment

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 702: County Boards of Education - Special Education Service Delivery Models - Publication Requirement

HB 702 requires Maryland county boards of education to publish a list of special education service delivery models on their websites. This list must include options available both within the public school system and for parentally-placed private school students (children with disabilities whose parents chose private schools, not those referred by public agencies). The bill mandates that counties clearly state placement decisions for public school students will follow federal special education rules and involve parent input. It takes effect July 1, 2025, and directly affects county education boards and families of children with disabilities in private schools. The law does not change service delivery but increases transparency about available options.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 428: Medical Debt - Complaints for Money Judgment and Real Property Liens

HB 428 prohibits medical providers from placing liens on owner-occupied homes for unpaid medical debt. It requires courts to specify if a money judgment involves medical debt and mandates including the defendant’s primary residence address in such complaints. The bill adds a new provision (§ 14-203.1) stating that liens on homes where owners live cannot be created for medical debt, and courts must remove such illegal liens while potentially awarding damages. This applies prospectively from October 1, 2025, directly affecting Maryland homeowners and medical providers seeking debt collection.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Housing

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 453: Anne Arundel County - Development Impact Fees

HB 453 repeals restrictions on Anne Arundel County's authority to grant exemptions or credits for development impact fees, specifically allowing the County Council to provide these for qualifying not-for-profit organizations. The bill amends County law to permit exemptions/credits for not-for-profits operating for at least three years, requiring the Council to set specific eligibility rules, credit amounts, and application procedures through ordinance. This directly affects developers of not-for-profit projects (like community centers or affordable housing) seeking relief from fees used to fund public infrastructure. The change takes effect October 1, 2025, streamlining the County's process for offering such fee relief without altering the core fee structure.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Housing

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 1045: Health Insurance, Family Planning Services, and Confidentiality of Medical Records - Consumer Protections - Updates

HB 1045 updates Maryland's health insurance and family planning laws to align with current federal standards. It specifically expands the definition of "family planning providers" to include those who lost federal Title X funding due to service scope (like abortion access or referrals), ensuring Medicaid continues reimbursing them for services. The bill requires the Maryland Medical Assistance Program to maintain access to family planning services for these providers by establishing similar requirements to other providers and prohibiting restrictions on services within a provider's scope of practice. It also clarifies that the Maryland Insurance Commissioner and Civil Rights Commission share enforcement authority over health insurance discrimination.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 253: Controlled Hazardous Substance Facility Permit - Research Facilities - Chemical Warfare Material Requirements

SB 253 exempts U.S. Department of Defense-designated research facilities from certain chemical warfare material permit requirements when incinerating such materials for research, development, or demonstration purposes. Specifically, it modifies Maryland’s environmental code (Sections 7-239.3 and 7-239.4) to exclude these facilities from standard permit conditions related to emissions monitoring, destruction efficiency, and emergency planning during R&D activities. The exemption applies only to facilities explicitly authorized by the U.S. Department of Defense for chemical warfare technology research, not to general disposal or commercial operations. This change does not alter broader environmental regulations or safety standards for non-research facilities handling chemical warfare materials.

Topics ✗ Environment

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 347: Adult Protective Services - Investigations and Disclosure of Information

SB 347 allows local social services departments in Maryland to request assistance from federal law enforcement officers during investigations of alleged abuse, neglect, or exploitation involving vulnerable adults. It directly affects vulnerable adults at risk and the local departments conducting these investigations. The bill updates key provisions by explicitly authorizing local departments to seek federal law enforcement help (in Section 14-303(c)(3)) and clarifies that agencies involved in investigations may share relevant client information. It also revises disclosure rules (Section 1-201) to ensure information sharing aligns with adult protective services investigations. These changes aim to strengthen investigative capacity while maintaining appropriate information protocols.

Bill results