SB 857, the Maryland Employee Civic Activity and Lawful Expression Protection Act, protects employees from employer retaliation for off-duty civic and political activities. It prohibits employers from firing, demoting, or punishing workers for engaging in protected activities like volunteering for causes, speaking publicly about issues, campaigning, or donating to political causes - unless the activity directly interferes with job duties. The law also bans employers from requiring political disclosures during hiring unless directly job-related or forcing employees to attend political events. Employees who face violations can sue directly in court for triple damages plus up to one year’s wages for wrongful termination. The law applies to all employees, including interns and part-timers, and covers both in-person and online expression.
SB 546 standardizes food labeling in Maryland by requiring manufacturers and retailers to use clear terms like "Best if Used By" for quality dates and "Use By" for safety dates on food packaging starting July 1, 2027. It prohibits the use of "Sell By" labels on food items made after that date, aiming to reduce consumer confusion about food safety and quality. The Maryland Department of Health must create and post educational materials about these date labels online by July 1, 2027. This affects food producers, retailers, and consumers by establishing consistent labeling rules for most packaged foods.
SB 797 prohibits insurers, nonprofit health service plans, HMOs, and managed care organizations from downcoding healthcare claims (reducing reimbursement without proper justification) in specific situations. The bill requires these entities to provide healthcare providers with a 30-day notice before downcoding, including the specific reason, original and revised codes, and an opportunity to submit additional documentation. It bans practices like using algorithms without clinical review, downcoding based solely on diagnosis codes, or targeting providers treating complex conditions. This directly affects healthcare providers and insurers by establishing clear rules for claim reimbursement and appeal processes.
SB 699 prohibits health insurers, nonprofit health plans, and HMOs in Maryland from charging patients more for covered physical therapy services than they charge for an annual physical or wellness visit under the same health plan. The bill requires these entities to clearly state all coverage rules, limits, and exclusions for physical therapy in their plan documents. It applies to all individual, group, and blanket health insurance policies issued in Maryland, effective January 1, 2027. This policy change directly affects health plan providers and ensures consistent cost-sharing for physical therapy compared to routine wellness visits.
This bill allows licensed clinical social workers to evaluate permanent impairments related to behavioral or mental disorders in workers' compensation claims, expanding beyond current requirements that limited this role to psychologists or physicians. To qualify, social workers must meet specific training standards in mental health conditions, hold rehabilitation counselor registration, have two years of relevant experience, and be authorized providers. It directly affects workers seeking compensation for mental health-related impairments and the social workers providing these evaluations. The law amends Maryland's workers' compensation code to include these requirements, effective October 1, 2026.
SB 695 regulates how businesses and government entities can use driver's license or ID card swiping. It prohibits swiping except for specific purposes like verifying identity during purchases, checking age for restricted goods, preventing fraud, or processing payments. Businesses may not store, sell, or share personal details (like license numbers) collected through swiping, except for limited data (name, address, date of birth, ID number) when used for fraud prevention or payment processing. Violations are treated as unfair trade practices under Maryland’s Consumer Protection Act, with enforcement by the Attorney General. The bill applies to retailers, financial institutions, and government agencies handling such data.
SB 759 prohibits Maryland state agencies and local governments from restricting certain digital asset activities, including accepting digital assets as payment, using self-hosted or hardware wallets, operating blockchain nodes, or participating in digital asset staking. It clarifies that "staking as a service" (where providers operate nodes for users) is exempt from Maryland's securities registration requirements under the Maryland Securities Act. The bill does not affect existing regulations for money transmission or consumer protection enforcement. This law directly impacts digital asset users, service providers, and financial institutions operating within Maryland.
SB 942 requires courts to order individuals under court-ordered assisted outpatient treatment to surrender all firearms to law enforcement if the court determines they pose a risk of causing physical harm to themselves or others with firearm access. This applies only during the duration of the treatment order and affects people subject to such court orders under Maryland's mental health law. The bill establishes procedures for surrender, storage of firearms by law enforcement, and return upon order expiration, including requiring officers to provide receipts and information on reclaiming firearms. It also allows courts to issue search warrants for unreturned firearms and use contempt powers for violations. The law modifies existing Maryland code sections governing assisted outpatient treatment to include these firearm safety measures.
SB 738 requires Maryland's Medicaid program (Medical Assistance Program) and certain health insurance plans to cover mobile crisis and crisis stabilization services starting January 1, 2027. These services provide immediate in-person mental health crisis assessment, de-escalation, and stabilization for individuals experiencing acute mental health emergencies. The law applies to Medicaid recipients and individuals covered under specified health insurance policies, including nonprofit health plans, HMOs, and managed care organizations. It mandates coverage without additional patient cost-sharing for these services, effective for all new or renewed health plans on or after the start date.
SB 832 requires most nonprofit hospitals in Maryland to provide annual community benefits equal to either 100% of their tax-exempt value or 5% of their net patient revenue (with at least 4% in charity care). Hospitals must file annual reports detailing these benefits to the Health Services Cost Review Commission within 120 days of their fiscal year-end. The Commission then reports annually to the Attorney General and Comptroller by December 1, including compliance status and financial details. If a hospital fails to meet the requirements, the Comptroller may revoke its tax-exempt status for the following year, though hospitals can correct unintentional errors to avoid this. The bill excludes hospitals in counties with populations under 50,000.
SB 549 requires Maryland mental health facilities to inform patients about their right to include family members or other chosen individuals in treatment planning meetings. Facilities must provide a clear form and information about advance directives when patients consent, and reconfirm consent at least every seven days. The bill mandates facilities to share meeting schedules and allow authorized participants to join treatment team discussions, while limiting providers from withholding information only if they believe consent was forced. Patients can withdraw consent anytime, orally or in writing.
SB 827 regulates chatbot design, operation, and safety in Maryland, directly affecting chatbot developers, operators (like companies offering AI assistants), and all users - including minors. Key provisions require clear warnings before use, enhanced privacy protections for minors, strict rules for handling user data (including de-identifying personal information), and treating chatbots as "products" for liability claims. Violations are enforced as unfair trade practices under Maryland’s Consumer Protection Act, with additional penalties. The bill also mandates the Behavioral Health Administration to create educational materials about behavioral health services.
