SB 791 (the Community Trust Act) prohibits employees of Maryland state and local correctional facilities from asking about or detaining individuals based on immigration status, notifying federal immigration authorities without a court order, or transferring people to federal authorities without a judicial warrant. It allows limited exceptions only for routine booking procedures or when immigration status affects legal protections under state/federal law or international treaties. The bill requires correctional facilities to adopt compliance policies with penalties for violations and gives affected individuals the right to sue for damages if their rights are breached. This directly affects correctional staff and facilities, not the general public.
SB 937, the Maryland Fair Chance Housing Act, prohibits landlords from requiring or considering a prospective tenant's criminal history before making a rental offer. Landlords may only review criminal history after extending a conditional offer and must allow tenants to provide evidence about inaccuracies, rehabilitation, or mitigating factors. The bill also bans upfront criminal history checks, restricts discriminatory housing ads, and makes violations enforceable under Maryland's consumer protection laws. It directly affects all residential landlords and tenants with past criminal records in Maryland.
HB 776, the NyKayla Strawder Memorial Act, requires Maryland intake officers to automatically file a petition declaring a child under 13 a "child in need of supervision" if the child is alleged to have caused a death through a criminal act (e.g., homicide or manslaughter). This applies specifically to cases where the child's actions would be a felony if committed by an adult. The bill removes the intake officer's discretion to handle such cases informally or dismiss them, mandating formal juvenile court processing. Law enforcement must also forward these complaints directly to the Department of Juvenile Services.
SB 323 (Youth Charging Reform Act) removes restrictions that previously prevented Maryland juvenile courts from handling cases involving youth aged 16 and older accused of serious crimes. It repeals provisions that excluded such cases for offenses like murder, robbery, gun crimes, and aggravated violence, expanding juvenile court jurisdiction to include these charges. Now, youth 16+ facing these specific allegations will be processed in juvenile court instead of being automatically sent to adult court. This change affects juvenile courts, prosecutors, and youth aged 16+ charged with the listed offenses under Maryland law.
HB 752 modifies Maryland law to clarify how gift card theft and fraud are treated. It defines "closed-loop" (store-specific) and "open-loop" (network-branded) gift cards and sets a new standard for determining their value in theft cases: the highest of the face value, the defendant’s claimed value, or the actual loss incurred. The bill also prohibits altering or tampering with gift cards or packaging with intent to defraud, creating a misdemeanor punishable by up to 18 months in jail or a $500 fine. This directly affects individuals committing gift card theft or forgery and law enforcement prosecuting such offenses. The changes take effect October 1, 2026.
SB 512 amends Maryland's stalking law to increase penalties for specific stalking offenses. It elevates stalking to a felony (with up to 10 years in prison or $10,000 fine) if the offender had a protective order against them, violated a court order prohibiting the behavior, or has a prior stalking conviction in Maryland or another state. The bill directly affects individuals convicted of stalking who meet these aggravating conditions. Key provisions clarify that stalking includes unwanted electronic tracking without consent and define the circumstances under which penalties escalate. The law maintains existing definitions of stalking but strengthens consequences for repeat offenders and those violating court orders.
SB 230 amends Maryland law to treat sexual contact without consent during a burglary (first, second, or third degree) as a third-degree sexual offense. This directly affects individuals who commit such acts, elevating the offense level from a misdemeanor to a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The bill also updates sex offender registration tiers to include this specific burglary-related offense in the definitions of "tier I" and "tier II" sex offenders. These changes clarify that committing sexual contact without consent while burglarizing a property triggers stricter legal consequences and registration requirements. The bill does not alter existing provisions for offenses involving minors or other specific circumstances.
SB 221 amends Maryland's criminal code to strengthen penalties for possessing or viewing child pornography. It specifically defines "indistinguishable from an actual child" (including realistic computer-generated images) and creates two key thresholds: possessing 100+ images of minors in sexual situations or under-13 images triggers felony charges, increasing potential sentences to 10 years. The law directly affects individuals who possess, view, or distribute such images, including both actual child content and realistic digital depictions. Penalties escalate for repeat offenses or cases involving children under 13, with sentences potentially exceeding 10 years for the most severe violations.
SB 626 (Birth Certificate Modernization Act) updates Maryland law to simplify changing sex designation on birth certificates and identification documents. It removes the prior requirement for medical documentation (such as surgery or hormone treatment) to update a birth certificate, instead allowing a written request under penalty of perjury. The bill also expands options for sex designation on driver's licenses, ID cards, and moped permits beyond male/female. It specifically includes intersex conditions as a valid basis for changing sex designation on records, while maintaining court orders as an alternative path. This directly affects individuals seeking to update their sex designation on official state-issued documents.
HB 1467 amends Maryland's criminal code to allow out-of-state, federal, or tribal court convictions for certain sex offenses to count as prior convictions for enhanced sentencing. Specifically, it expands the definition of "prior conviction" under fourth-degree sexual offense penalties to include crimes that would qualify as violations of specific Maryland statutes (e.g., sexual offenses involving minors) if committed in Maryland. This directly affects repeat offenders who have prior convictions for equivalent offenses in other jurisdictions, potentially leading to longer prison terms (up to 3 years) for subsequent offenses. The bill does not change the underlying offenses but modifies sentencing eligibility based on prior convictions from outside Maryland. It takes effect October 1, 2026.
