Maryland Bills

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 391: Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission - Review of Report and Recommendations

SB 391 requires the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission to annually review a report published by the Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Attorney General's Office, which details police misconduct investigations. The Commission must then make recommendations based on its review. This bill directly affects the Commission by adding a new annual duty to evaluate the IID's report and propose changes. It does not create new reporting requirements but mandates the Commission to act on existing data about police conduct.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 813: Howard Community College - Board of Trustees, Meetings, and Contracts - Alterations Ho. Co. 1-25

SB 813 increases Howard Community College's Board of Trustees from seven to nine members, with appointments by the Howard County Senate Delegation. It requires the board to include public comment at all meetings, record and post meetings online within 12 hours, provide biennial training for members, and conduct annual employee satisfaction surveys. The bill also changes how the college president's contract is renewed, mandating public transparency during negotiations, and alters termination compensation to provide one year's pay plus one month for each additional year remaining on the contract. Additionally, the board must submit regular reports on faculty union contracts to the Maryland General Assembly starting in 2026.

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 858: State Public Transit Service and Stations - Exclusion for Assault and Bodily Injury

SB 858 would bar individuals alleged by a public transit operator to have committed assault or caused bodily injury on a state transit service (like buses, trains, or light rail) or at a transit station from using those services for specific periods. First offenses would trigger a 30-day exclusion, second offenses 180 days, and third offenses or offenses involving weapons would result in a lifetime ban. The exclusion period can be adjusted by the Secretary of Transportation, and the bill specifies that this does not prevent prosecution for trespassing or other state laws. The bill directly affects people accused of such acts while using Maryland's state-operated transit systems. It takes effect October 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Transportation

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 1230: Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission - System Development Charge - Exemptions MC/PG 107-25

HB 1230 mandates Montgomery and Prince George's County councils to automatically grant exemptions from the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission's system development charge for specific projects, including affordable housing, youth programs run by 501(c)(3) organizations, child care, after-school care, disability services, and certain elderly housing. It eliminates the requirement that applicants own the property for which an exemption is sought and requires Montgomery County to approve applications on a first-come, first-served basis until an annual limit is reached. The bill directly affects property owners and developers in these counties seeking exemptions for qualifying projects, with a $80,000 cap for youth program exemptions. Key changes clarify eligibility and streamline the exemption process for defined community and housing projects.

Topics ✓ Housing

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 731: Wildlife - Protections and Highway Crossings

HB 731 establishes the Maryland Connectivity Coalition to coordinate wildlife protection efforts, creates a Wildlife Connectivity Fund for habitat projects, and requires the State Highway Administration to include wildlife data in transportation planning. It directly affects the State Highway Administration, county planners, and wildlife conservation efforts by mandating that counties consider habitat connectivity when updating local plans. Key provisions include prioritizing highway crossings in high-collision areas and locations dividing habitats of threatened/endangered species. The bill aims to reduce vehicle-wildlife collisions and protect species from habitat fragmentation through coordinated planning and funding.

Topics ✓ Environment ✓ Transportation

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 930: Environment - Managed Aquifer Recharge Pilot Program - Establishment

SB 930 establishes Maryland’s Managed Aquifer Recharge Pilot Program, allowing the Department of the Environment to issue permits for testing treated reclaimed water (from approved facilities) to replenish groundwater. It directly affects water treatment facilities seeking to test this method and the Department, which gains authority to review, permit, and regulate these projects. Key provisions require demonstration facilities to treat reclaimed water to meet strict standards (including pathogen reduction, PFAS limits, and EPA drinking water levels) and address specific groundwater issues like saltwater intrusion anticipated within 25 years. The program is strictly a pilot to test feasibility before potential full implementation, with applicants required to evaluate alternatives to aquifer recharge.

Topics ✓ Environment

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 160: Residential Property - Assignment of Contracts of Sale - Disclosure Requirements and Rescission

SB 160 requires specific disclosures in residential property sales involving "wholesale buyers" (who assign contracts for a fee) and "wholesale sellers" (who assign without holding title). It mandates that wholesale buyers disclose potential assignments to sellers and wholesale sellers disclose their equitable interest to buyers in writing. Buyers or sellers can rescind a contract without penalty before closing if required disclosures are missing, and buyers who rescind this way are entitled to a full deposit refund. The law applies only to properties with four or fewer single-family units (owner-occupied) and takes effect October 1, 2025.

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 744: Motor Vehicles - Reckless, Negligent, and Aggressive Driving (Sergeant Patrick Kepp Act)

HB 744 updates Maryland's traffic safety laws by increasing penalties for dangerous driving. It defines reckless driving as driving 30+ miles per hour over the speed limit (previously undefined), adds 2 points to a driver's record for negligent driving, and adds 6 points for speeding over 30 mph above the limit. The bill also redefines aggressive driving as committing two or more specific traffic violations (like tailgating or illegal passing) during a single driving period, with fines up to $1,000. These changes directly affect drivers convicted of these offenses, with the law taking effect October 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Transportation

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 265: Environment - Reservoir Augmentation Permit - Establishment

SB 265 establishes a Reservoir Augmentation Program under Maryland’s Department of Environment, requiring permits for projects that add treated reclaimed water to surface reservoirs used as drinking water sources. It directly affects water treatment facilities, municipalities, and operators of drinking water systems that wish to use reclaimed water (treated sewage meeting specific quality standards) for reservoir augmentation. Key provisions mandate that permits can only be issued if the treatment process meets department-established standards before water enters both the reservoir and the distribution system, and require permit holders to allow department inspections. The bill also specifies that certain revenues must fund program operations and oversight. This creates a regulatory framework to manage how reclaimed water is integrated into drinking water reservoirs.

Topics ✓ Environment

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 783: Health Occupations - Implicit Bias and Structural Racism Training

HB 783 requires health professionals renewing certain licenses (such as physicians, nurses, and social workers) to complete training on both implicit bias and structural racism as part of their first license renewal after April 1, 2026. The training must be approved by Maryland's Cultural and Linguistic Health Care Professional Competency Program, replacing prior requirements that only mandated implicit bias training. This change updates Maryland law to explicitly include structural racism - a system of institutional inequalities based on race - in the training standards for health occupation licenses. The bill applies to license renewals under the Health Occupations Article and amends related sections of Maryland's code to reflect this new requirement.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 13, 2025

HB 489: Maryland Department of Labor - Study on Building Code Requirements for Single-Staircase Buildings

HB 489 requires the Maryland Department of Labor to study building code requirements for single-staircase buildings (those with only one exit staircase) across Maryland and other U.S. states. The study must analyze safety factors like fire department response, water supply, and compliance with modern codes, while assessing impacts on housing costs and development feasibility for buildings up to six stories. It will consult fire safety experts and firefighter unions before making recommendations to potentially change building codes to allow such construction. The Department must submit findings and recommendations to the Governor and legislature by December 1, 2025, aiming to inform policies that could increase affordable housing supply.

signed · Maryland · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 820: Municipalities - Enforcement of Ordinances and Resolutions

SB 820 increases the maximum criminal fine municipalities can impose for certain ordinance violations from $1,000 to $5,000. It directly affects municipalities (which enforce local rules) and residents or businesses cited for violations classified as misdemeanors or municipal infractions. The bill amends Maryland law to raise the fine limit in Sections 6-101 (for misdemeanor violations) and 6-102 (for municipal infractions like zoning or littering violations). This change allows local governments to levy higher penalties for specific offenses without creating new violations. The policy change takes effect October 1, 2025.

Bill results