Education (Higher Education)

SB 207 delays the shift from a centralized to a decentralized administration of Maryland's Guaranteed Access Grant Program until the 2029-2030 financial aid year. The bill maintains the current system where the State Treasurer's Office ranks applicants by financial need, provides these lists to public colleges, and reimburses institutions for grants awarded. It directly affects Maryland public colleges and students seeking need-based financial aid. The bill preserves existing processes for awarding and renewing grants without changing eligibility or funding levels. This is a procedural delay, not a substantive policy change to the grant program.

SB 84 would grant graduate assistants at Maryland's public universities (including the University System of Maryland, Morgan State University, and St. Mary’s College of Maryland) the right to form a separate collective bargaining unit. The bill amends state law to explicitly include "all eligible graduate assistants" as a distinct bargaining group, meaning they would negotiate contracts separately from other university employees like faculty or staff. This change takes effect on July 1, 2026, and directly affects graduate students working as teaching, research, or administrative assistants in these institutions. The policy creates a formal structure for graduate assistants to collectively address employment terms like pay, benefits, and working conditions.

SB 212, the Maryland Fallen Heroes Tuition Benefits Act, exempts financially dependent children of state or local public safety employees who died while performing their duties from paying higher out-of-state or out-of-county tuition rates at Maryland public colleges and universities. It directly affects the children of qualifying employees, including firefighters, police officers, correctional officers, and Maryland National Guard members who died in the line of duty. The bill amends Maryland education code to create this tuition exemption, defining "state or local public safety employee" and requiring the Commission to adopt implementing regulations. The exemption applies regardless of where the dependent child resides and takes effect July 1, 2026.