The deadlines for introducing bills have passed and close to 3,000 bills have been introduced in the General Assembly.
Most bills are still in the process of having hearings in front of their respective committees or being discussed by the committee members. Bills have to be voted on by one of the two legislative chambers by March 23rd to have a chance of passing the other chamber and going to the Governor’s desk for his signature.
This year is unusual in a few important bills have already made progress.
The big news is that the Non-Cooperation with ICE Agents: SB245/HB 444 has already passed the General Assembly and is going to the Governor for his signature. It’s the first bill to pass by the General Assembly and because it is an ‘emergency’ bill, it will go in as soon as Governor Moore signs it.
Some of the other bills that have passed one of the two chambers:
Re-Districting: HB 488 adopts the Governor’s Redistricting Advisory recommendation. It would make the 1st Congressional District now held by Republican Andy Harris more competitive. – Passed the House. It is opposed by the Senate President so its future is in doubt. Referred to the Senate Rules Committee
Utility Cost Recovery Limitations – HB1 would prohibit investor-owned gas and electric companies from paying many employee bonuses with ratepayer dollars, and it would restrict the use of rates for supervisor compensation that exceeds $210,00 a year. Passed the House of Delegates and Referred to the Senate Education, Energy and Environment Committee
Removal of Face Masks from ICE Agents: SB1 would prohibit face coverings on law enforcement officials working in the state, including ICE agents who are typically masked. SB 1 passed the Senate and was referred to the House Judiciary Committee
Voting Rights Bill – SB 255 would prohibit a municipality or county from attempting to block a protected class from electing their candidate of choice or influencing a local election by diluting the group’s vote. Passed the Senate and referred to the House Government, Labor and Elections Committee.
Special Elections to Fill Vacancies: SB 5 Constitutional amendment to require special elections for legislative vacancies to fill vacancies who are appointed in first year of a 4-year session. Passed Senate and referred to House Committee on Government, Labor and Elections
You can find out the status of every bill by going to the Maryland General Assembly website and putting in the bill number in the search box: mgaleg.maryland.gov
Here are some new bills that were introduced since my last newsletter.
Democracy
Violation of Constitutional Rights (No Kings Act) HB332 Lets people in Maryland sue in civil court if a federal agent violates their constitutional rights. Committee: House Judiciary Hearing Date: 24-Feb
Clean Maryland Democracy Amendment HB584 Constitutional amendment guaranteeing equal voting rights, banning foreign donations, and directing the creation of a Maryland Voting Rights Act. Committee: House Government, Labor, and Elections Hearing Date: Hearing Held
Environment
Climate Crimes Accountability Act HB572: Authorizes investigations and actions against entities whose unlawful conduct contributes to climate change and creates the Climate Crimes Accountability Fund. House Judiciary Hearing Date: Hearing Held
Gun Control
Machine Gun Convertible Pistols Ban SBn334 Bans the manufacture, sale, purchase, or transfer of pistols that can be converted into machine guns Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee Hearing Held
Health
Hospital Licensure – Nonprofit Ownership HB 599 Requires any hospital licensed on or after October 1, 2026, to be a nonprofit organization, and restricts future ownership transfers to for-profit entities. House Health Committee – Hearing Held
Tax on Social Media Giants – HB 468 - tax on social media giants like Meta and TikTok to fund children's mental health services statewide. The proposed legislation targets companies with over one million monthly users or $500 million in annual revenue, directing tax proceeds into a dedicated fund for youth mental health programs. Referred to House Ways and Means Committee.
Immigration
Limitations on Stops, Detentions and Arrests Near a Judicial Facility HB 309 Prohibits stops, detentions, or arrests for certain civil offenses in or within one mile of a judicial facility when someone is attending official proceedings. House Judiciary Committee Hearing Held
Immigration Detention Facilities – HB 630 Prohibits operating an immigration detention facility in any building that wasn’t originally designed and constructed for detaining people, like warehouses for example. Committee: House Judiciary Committee Hearing Date: 17-Feb
Labor
Worksite Enforcement Act of 2026 – HB 516: Directs the Maryland Department of Labor to establish clear procedures for receiving and investigating workplace complaints and requires hiring regional investigators. Committee: House Government, Labor, and Elections Hearing Date: 10-Feb
Renters
Local Good Cause Eviction SB 462 Allows counties to adopt local “good cause” protections so landlords can’t refuse to renew leases or end holdover tenancies without a legitimate reason. Committee: Senate Judicial Proceedings Hearing Date: 12-Feb
Environment
Revenue
Tax Package That Would Decouple MD from Trump Tax Breaks So MD Wouldn’t Lose Tax Revenue
HB 801 Eliminates the "qualified small business stock" deduction, which allows wealthy venture capitalists and others to receive a 100 percent tax exemption when they cash out their early-stage investments in companies that have soared in value. Additional background from ITEP
HB 880 - Decoupling from additional expanded and accelerated deductions for certain business expenses and interest payments
HB 1080 - Decouples from a provision providing lower effective corporate tax rate for profits from the sale abroad of goods and services embodying intangible assets (like patents and brands) developed and held in the U.S. Also prevents the state from designating additional Opportunity Zones, which are used to provide tax breaks to developers.
HB 926 - decoupling from the new higher cap on the state and local tax deduction. Allowing the cap to increase would only benefit people who own very expensive property. Additional background from ITEP
HB 930 - Decoupling from education-related changes that benefit private schools, including prohibiting the governor from joining the new federal voucher program
Social Justice
Cheltenhem Veterans Center – HB 552 calls for an investigation of property near the Cheltenham Veterans Cemetery in Prince George’s County that may hold unmarked graves of youth from the former House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Children. Referred to House Committee of Government, Labor and Elections.
Youth Charging Reform Act – SB323/HB 409 - raises the age at which a juvenile would be tried as an adult for certain crimes, from 14 to 16. Referred to House Judiciary Committee and Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. Hearings Held
Utilities
Broadband Accountability and Affordability Act HB 1037/SB605 – Allows the state to regulate broadband. At this time the Public Service Commission can only regulate the old copper wire lines but no one uses those lines anymore so there is no regulation on phone and internet service. This bill would change that. Referred to House Environment and Transportation Committee – Hearing March 3; Senate Finance Committee – Hearing Feb 26.
Here is the status of bills that I have previously reported on.
Consumer Protection
The Protecting Consumers and Jobs from Predatory Pricing Act – SB 387 Senate Finance Committee – Hearing Held
Criminal Justice
Protection of Identity of Victim of Sexual Assault or Stalking SB 294/HB 450 Senate Judicial Proceedings; House Judiciary Committee – Hearings Held
Environment
Maryland Beverage Container Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Program – SB 345/HB 331 - would create a beverage container deposit program in Maryland with a 10- or 15-cent refundable deposit on metal, glass, and plastic beverage containers, depending on container size. Hearings Held
Housing
Maryland Transit and Housing Opportunity Act – SB 389/HB 894 - aims to accelerate transit-oriented development (TOD) by rezoning 300+ acres of state-owned land, eliminating parking minimums near transit, and encouraging mixed-use, affordable housing projects to increase ridership and housing supply. Hearing Held
Starter and Silver Homes Act – SB 36 This legislation, requested by the Governor, aims to restrict local zoning authority regarding lot sizes, setbacks, and design elements to encourage more affordable housing. Hearings Held
Labor
Collective bargaining rights for non-tenured professors and graduate students at the University of Maryland: HB 106 & HB 141/SB 6 & SB 84: House Committee on Government Labor and Elections – Feb 10; Senate Finance Committee: Hearing Held
Arbitration Reform for State Employees HB604/SB 28: proposes to reform collective bargaining for state employees by introducing binding arbitration to resolve impasses. House Government, Labor and Elections; Senate Budget and Taxation Hearing Feb 18
Renters
Discrimination in Housing - Income-Based Housing Subsidies – HB 315/SB 335 – This bill would prohibit a landlord may not refuse to rent to a prospective tenant who pays rent with the assistance of an income-based housing subsidy. House Economic Matters: Senate Judicial Proceedings: Hearings Held
Transportation
Required Crew for Movement of Freight - SB 156 establishes minimum crew requirements for freight rail operations, strengthening safety standards and protecting railroad workers and the communities rail lines run through. Senate Finance Committee: Hearing Held
HOW TO ADVOCATE FOR BILLS
When there is a Committee Hearing on A Bill Scheduled, it is important to contact.
members of the Committee. The General Assembly website lists all the committees, the members of each committee and their contact information. Go to the main page (https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/
Call or send an email to your legislators using the contact information found. Here is where you can find out who your Delegates and Senator are:
https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/
If you would like to include a short description of the bills, you can include the descriptions shown above. You are also encouraged to include any details of why you think this bill is important.
Dear (legislator),
My name is _________ and my address is ______________. I am writing to let you.
know that the following bill(s) is(are) important to me and to all Marylanders. I
would like to request that you be a champion for these bills and help them get.
passed quickly.
