Maryland Bills

signed · Maryland · Senate May 6, 2025

SB 123: Boating Accidents - Duty to Stop at the Scene, Render Assistance, and Provide Information - Penalties

This bill requires boat operators involved in collisions causing injury or death to immediately stop near the scene and remain until they provide assistance and information. For injuries, operators must give their name, address, and vessel ID to affected people; for deaths, the requirements are stricter. Violating these duties can result in fines up to $10,000 or jail time up to 10 years, depending on whether serious injury or death occurred. Operators must also report accidents involving property damage over $2,000 or death/disappearance within 48 hours to the state.

signed · Maryland · Senate May 6, 2025

SB 228: Limited Line Credit Insurance - Qualification of Applicants

SB 228 changes licensing rules for insurance producers selling limited line credit insurance in Maryland. It removes the requirement for these applicants to pass a state exam and instead mandates that insurers provide their own training programs covering credit insurance products. Insurers must design comprehensive training, keep records of materials and participants for five years, and share these records with regulators upon request. This directly affects individuals seeking licenses specifically for credit insurance (not credit life or health insurance), simplifying the qualification process while maintaining oversight through insurer recordkeeping.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 6, 2025

HB 967: Somerset County Code of Public Local Laws - 2025 Edition - Legalization

HB 967 legalizes the 2025 Edition of Somerset County's Code of Public Local Laws and any related supplements, confirming they contain valid laws enacted by Maryland's General Assembly. This procedural bill ensures the code is officially recognized as evidence of law in all state courts and by public officials, replacing the need for separate citation of individual statutes. It affects Somerset County by formally adopting its updated local law code, effective July 1, 2025, without creating new policies or changing existing laws.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 6, 2025

HB 1193: Housing Development Permits - Local Reporting Requirements (Maryland Housing Data Transparency Act)

HB 1193 (Maryland Housing Data Transparency Act) requires large Maryland local governments (those with at least 150,000 residents or issuing 50+ annual residential permits) to submit monthly reports to the state Department of Planning starting January 2027. These reports must include specific details for each housing development permit, such as permit numbers, approval dates, housing type (e.g., apartments, single-family), unit counts, construction costs, and processing times. The state Department of Planning must then publish this data on a public, searchable website by July 2027, organized by housing type and county. The bill aims to increase transparency around housing development by making permit data accessible to the public and policymakers.

signed · Maryland · Senate May 6, 2025

SB 872: Local Government - Hiring and Promotion Preferences for Veterans and Spouses of Service Members and Veterans (Families Serve Act)

SB 872, the "Families Serve Act," authorizes Maryland counties and municipalities to create hiring and promotion preferences for veterans and specific family members in local government jobs. It allows local governments to grant a 10-point credit on hiring tests for eligible veterans, spouses of veterans with service-connected disabilities, spouses of active-duty service members, and surviving spouses of veterans. The bill also permits an additional 2-point credit for former prisoners of war. Local governments must adopt a specific local law to implement these preferences before applying them, and it excludes current employees and veterans convicted of crimes after military service. This policy directly affects local government hiring practices and eligible veterans and their families.

Topics ✓ Veterans

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 6, 2025

HB 785: Common Ownership Communities and Zoning Authorities - Operation of Family Child Care Homes - Limitations

HB 785 prevents cooperative housing corporations, condominium associations, and homeowners associations in Maryland from banning or restricting family child care homes in their governing documents. It prohibits these groups from limiting the number of children served in such homes below the state-approved maximum of eight children. The bill also stops local governments from imposing similar restrictions through ordinances or rules. It allows associations to charge a reasonable annual fee of up to $50 per home and require basic liability insurance, but cannot demand higher insurance amounts than state law requires.

Topics ✓ Housing

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 6, 2025

HB 426: Election Law - Postelection Tabulation Audits - Risk-Limiting Audits

HB 426 changes Maryland's post-election audit process by replacing mandatory manual audits with risk-limiting audits for statewide elections. It requires the State Board of Elections, working with local election boards, to conduct a risk-limiting audit after every statewide election - auditing at least one statewide contest and one local contest per county. The bill repeals the previous requirement for manual audits of paper ballots and allows (but does not mandate) automated software audits. This directly affects the State Board of Elections and local election boards, shifting their post-election verification process to a statistically-based method focused on detecting discrepancies in key contests.

signed · Maryland · Senate May 6, 2025

SB 277: Health Equality for Service Members Act

SB 277, the "Health Equality for Service Members Act," updates Maryland law to include members of the Public Health Service and NOAA Commissioned Corps under the definitions of "uniformed services" and "veteran." This change ensures these service members qualify for state health programs, housing assistance, and veterans' benefits currently available to military veterans. The bill amends multiple sections of Maryland’s health, housing, and veterans’ codes to apply these provisions broadly. It directly affects service members in these federal health agencies who were previously excluded from state-level benefits.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Housing ✓ Veterans

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 6, 2025

HB 678: Maryland Deaf Culture Digital Library - Funding and Budget Submission

HB 678 establishes the Maryland Deaf Culture Digital Library as the state's primary resource center for deaf-related library services. It requires the Governor to include $450,000 annually in the budget for the library and mandates that the library submit its operating budget to the State Library Agency by June 1 each year. The bill directs the library to conduct needs assessments, develop staff training on deaf services, create a shared website, and form partnerships with deaf organizations and county libraries. These provisions directly affect deaf and hard of hearing Marylanders, state and county libraries, and the State Library Agency.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 6, 2025

HB 1021: Real Estate Appraisers - Licensure and Certification - Qualifications

HB 1021 removes the requirement that real estate appraiser applicants in Maryland must hold a bachelor's degree or higher to obtain a license or certificate. Instead, it mandates specific experience requirements: 1,000 hours of supervised trainee work for a license or 1,500 hours for a certificate, plus completion of approved training programs. The State Commission must approve all training courses but cannot impose a degree requirement. This change directly affects aspiring real estate appraisers in Maryland by lowering educational barriers to entry.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 6, 2025

HB 466: Health Equality for Service Members Act

HB 466, the "Health Equality for Service Members Act," expands eligibility for Maryland's health, housing, and occupation programs to include members of the Public Health Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as "veterans" under state law. The bill revises definitions to clarify that "uniformed services" encompasses all such branches - not just the armed forces - and requires health, housing, and licensing laws to apply uniformly to all covered service members. This directly affects Public Health Service and NOAA personnel who previously lacked access to state programs designed for veterans. The law modifies specific sections of Maryland’s health, housing, and occupation codes to ensure consistent coverage across all uniformed services.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Housing ✓ Veterans

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 6, 2025

HB 1223: State Board of Cosmetologists - Licensing - Eyelash Extensions

HB 1223 creates a new limited license specifically for eyelash extension services under Maryland's cosmetology licensing system. It directly affects professionals who want to offer eyelash extensions by requiring them to obtain this specialized license instead of using general cosmetology or esthetician licenses. The bill adds "providing eyelash extension services" to key definitions in Maryland law, including the scope of "practice cosmetology," "provide esthetic services," and creates a precise definition of the service itself (cleaning eyes, applying primers/adhesives/extensions, and drying). This change formalizes a separate licensing pathway for eyelash technicians, aligning their practice with existing regulatory categories.

Bill results