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 187 requires Maryland to establish a dedicated prerelease facility for female incarcerated individuals at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women. The bill mandates a separate facility with security features for low-risk, well-behaved inmates, located in Baltimore City on at least 3 acres, with sufficient capacity for all eligible women. It requires the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to provide gender-responsive services - including education, job training, trauma-informed counseling, and family support - starting by September 2026, and to report compliance to legislative committees. The facility must be operational by June 2023, with specific design standards for privacy, accessibility, and community reentry support.
SB 322 modifies Maryland's jury service disqualification rules for individuals with criminal convictions. It removes the requirement that someone must be "currently serving a sentence" for a crime punishable by over one year to be disqualified, while maintaining disqualifications for specific offenses like perjury, witness/jury intimidation, or crimes under Title 8 of the Criminal Law Article. The bill also keeps the existing provision allowing those pardoned for disqualifying convictions to serve on juries. This change affects individuals previously disqualified solely due to past convictions without active sentences, but not those convicted of the specified serious offenses. The bill takes effect October 1, 2026.
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 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 241 automatically restores voting rights for Maryland residents released from state correctional facilities who were previously registered to vote. The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services must send weekly lists of released individuals (including new addresses) to the State Board of Elections, which then automatically reinstates their voter registration at the provided address. The bill prohibits disclosing that someone was restored through this process under public information laws. It directly affects people released from facilities like Patuxent Institution and Baltimore City Detention Center who were registered before incarceration. The law takes effect January 1, 2027.
HB 115 automatically restores voting rights for Maryland residents released from state prisons who were registered to vote before incarceration. The Department of Public Safety must send the State Board of Elections a weekly list of released individuals' names and new addresses, prompting the Board to reactivate their voter registration at their updated address. The bill requires the Board to send notification cards confirming voting eligibility and the right to update address or decline registration, while prohibiting public disclosure of how someone was restored through this process. This applies to all released individuals with prior registration who now reside in Maryland, effective January 2027.
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 82 amends Maryland law to specifically prohibit creating, aiding, or possessing counterfeit leases or rental agreements with fraudulent intent. It directly affects individuals who attempt to defraud landlords or tenants through fake housing documents. The bill adds "lease" and "rental agreement" to the list of forgery targets (alongside checks, deeds, and other documents), making it a felony to create such counterfeits (up to 10 years in prison or $1,000 fine) and a misdemeanor to knowingly possess them (up to 3 years or $1,000 fine). The law takes effect October 1, 2026.
