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2025 GENERAL ASSEMBLY LEGISLATION OVERVIEW
I am pleased to share with you an overview of the legislation passed this session by the General Assembly. These measures have a direct impact on and benefit our community and the state.
Childcare & Education
HB150 – Child Care Centers - Certificated Staff Ratio Requirement – Alteration Bringing much-needed staffing flexibility to Maryland's child care centers, this legislation updates the ratio requirements to better reflect the qualifications of teaching staff. It helps providers maintain high standards of care while expanding access to more families—critical for working parents and early childhood development.
HB1204 – Public and Nonpublic Schools - Student Elopement - Notice and Reporting Requirements (Ace's Law) Ensuring that families are promptly notified when a student with disabilities or special needs elopes or goes missing from school is the purpose of this legislation gives peace of mind to parents and adds a vital layer of accountability to keep vulnerable children safe.
SB310 – Education - Youth Suicide Prevention School Program – Revisions This legislation strengthens youth suicide prevention efforts in schools by expanding training and awareness programs. It's a powerful step toward destigmatizing mental health and saving lives by making sure students have the support they need.
HB504 – Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act The Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act refines the Blueprint for Maryland's Future by adjusting certain educational initiatives to align with fiscal realities. Key provisions include delaying the implementation of "collaborative time" for teachers by three years, maintaining funding levels for community schools, and ensuring that per-student funding for students in poverty, special education, and English language learners remains unaffected. These strategic adjustments allow Maryland to uphold its commitment to educational excellence while responsibly managing state resources.
Criminal Law & Criminal Justice Reform
HB853 – Postconviction Review - Procedure to Reduce Duration of Sentence (Maryland Second Look Act) This bill recognizes that individuals who commit crime early in life have the capacity to change and allows those individuals to seek a hearing for a reduced sentence after serving at least 20 full years of their sentence.
SB092 – Peace Orders and Criminal Harassment - Intentional Visual Surveillance This legislation expands the protections against harassment by criminalizing the act of intentionally and repeatedly surveilling someone without consent. It helps keep people—especially women and vulnerable individuals—safe from stalking and intimidation in the digital age.
SB181 – Correctional Services - Geriatric and Medical Parole This bill allows individuals who are 60 years or older, or those who are suffering from terminal or debilitating conditions, to be considered for parole based on their medical or geriatric status when they no longer pose a threat to public safety. This reform balances compassion with fiscal responsibility—helping reduce the strain on the state’s correctional system while ensuring that public safety is not compromised.
SB360 – Revenge Porn - Definition of Visual Representation and Civil Action This bill creates avenues for individuals who are victims of revenge porn generated by artificial intelligence to seek justice as we navigate this new technology and its consequences.
SB432 – Criminal Records – Expungement and Maryland Judiciary Case Search (Expungement Reform Act of 2025) This bill expands the number of misdemeanor offenses eligible for expungement, reduces expungement waiting periods, and prohibits certain minor charges from appearing on the Maryland Judiciary Case Search.
Environmental Protection
HB506 – Chesapeake Bay Legacy Act Investing in the long-term health of the Chesapeake Bay, this legislation funds regenerative agriculture, oyster aquaculture, and water quality improvements. It protects clean water, wildlife, and the communities that depend on the Bay—preserving a treasured natural resource for generations to come.
SB149 Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation - Total Assessed Cost of Greenhouse Gas Emissions - Study and Reports The RENEW Act addresses Maryland’s largest polluters by studying their emissions and assessing the long-term environmental costs they’ve created.
HB049 Environment - Building Energy Performance Standards - Alterations and Analysis This bill further refines direction to the Maryland Department of the Environment in their implementation of BEPS.
Equity
HB324 – County Boards of Education - Antibias Training for Members (County Board Member Antibias Training Act) Ensuring that members of local school boards receive anti bias training—this legislation enables them to better lead with equity, empathy, and cultural competence. It’s a necessary and powerful step toward more inclusive, responsive, and just educational leadership.
SB587 – State Government - Maryland Reparations Commission This groundbreaking legislation creates a commission to study and develop proposals for reparations for African American Marylanders. It’s a vital move toward truth, accountability, and healing —laying the groundwork for more equitable policies and a more just future.
Economic Development
SB683 – Catastrophic Event Account, Federal Government Shutdown Employee Assistance Loan Fund, and Powers of the Attorney General - Alterations (Protect Our Federal Workers Act) Expanding the purposes of the Catastrophic Event Account and the Federal Government Shutdown Employee Assistance Loan Fund this legislation provides funds that may be used to provide financial assistance to former federal employees facing financial hardship from the closure, relocation, or mass layoff of a unit of the federal government, or other similar circumstances.
HB502 Office of Disability Employment Advancement and Policy and Maryland as a Model Employer Initiative - Established Creates the Maryland Office of Disability Employment Advancement and Policy (ODEAP) to help employ more individuals with disabilities in state government.
Family Law
SB275 – Family Law - Child Support - Multifamily Adjustment Making child support calculations more fair by considering the financial responsibilities of parents who support multiple families; this legislation brings needed balance to the system, reducing hardship while still ensuring children receive the support they need.
SB548 – Family Law - Child Custody – Determinations Seeking to reform child custody determinations by ensuring that all decisions prioritize the best interests of the child, factors such as emotional, psychological, and physical well-being are considered. This legislation aims to make custody proceedings more fair and equitable for families navigating the complexities of separation or divorce.
Healthcare
SB848 – Public Health Abortion Grant Program – Establishment This bill establishes a grant program to support access to abortion care in Maryland, especially for underserved communities. It ensures that reproductive healthcare is not just a right, but a real option—no matter where you live or what you earn.
HB1315 – Vaccinations by Pharmacists and Health Insurance Coverage for Immunizations By expanding who can administer vaccines and requiring insurance to cover them, this bill makes it easier and more affordable for Marylanders to stay healthy. It’s a commonsense step that boosts community immunity and removes barriers to care.
HB718 – Maryland Health Insurance Coverage Protection Commission – Established Creating a permanent commission to defend and expand access to quality, affordable health coverage in Maryland, this legislation ensures we’re ready to act when federal policy shifts—and puts Marylanders’ health first.
SB594 – Public Health - Use of Opioid Restitution Fund and Training Under the Overdose Response Program Putting the opioid settlement funds to work saving lives, this legislation expands access to life-saving treatments and overdose reversal training. It’s a smart, compassionate response to the overdose crisis that helps families, not just statistics.
SB357 Prescription Drug Affordability Board - Authority and Stakeholder Council Membership (Lowering Prescription Drug Costs for All Marylanders Now Act) This bill empowers the Prescription Drug Affordability Board to set price limits on vital medications, offering relief to families struggling with high costs.
Housing / Real Property
HB767 – Real Property - Landlord and Tenant - Procedures for Failure to Pay Rent, Breach of Lease, and Tenant Holding Over (Tenant Possessions Recovery Act) Enacting this legislation now protects renters from losing their personal belongings during eviction proceedings by creating clear, humane standards for handling tenant possessions. It helps ensure dignity and fairness for Marylanders facing housing insecurity.
HB1076 – Residential Real Property - Landlord and Tenant - Notice of Landlord Entry This bill requires a landlord to provide 24 hours notice before entering a leased premises, subject to limited exception. The bill includes additional provisions in regard to a landlord’s entry and authorizes a tenant to seek injunctive relief or damages for a landlord’s violation of the bill’s provisions.
HB390 – Affordable Housing Payment In Lieu of Taxes Expansion Act The bill allows owners of rental housing properties to enter into agreements with county governments to pay a negotiated amount in lieu of property taxes, provided they maintain at least 25% of the units as affordable housing for a minimum of 15 years.
Utilities
HB121 – Electric Companies - Regional Transmission Organizations - Report (Utility Transparency and Accountability Act) This bill shines a light on the often-opaque energy grid decision-making process by requiring electric companies to report their actions in regional transmission organizations. It gives Marylanders more transparency and a stronger voice in how their power is generated and delivered.
SB931 – Public Utilities - Generating Stations - Generation and Siting (Renewable Energy Expansion Act) makes it easier to build renewable energy projects like solar and battery storage by removing unnecessary local roadblocks, places a first-in-the-nation 5% cap on the amount of agricultural land which can be used for solar, and allows local governments to participate in community solar programs.
SB937 Electricity and Gas - Emissions Reductions, Rate Regulation, Cost Recovery, Infrastructure, Planning, Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard, and Energy Assistance Programs (Next Generation Energy Act) provides a $200 million refund (averaging $80 per customer) to residential electric customers in two installments (once in the summer and once in the winter), expedites new and cleaner in-state generation to decrease our reliance on power from surrounding states, creates cost containment mechanisms around utility companies’ spending on gas infrastructure, ensures multi-year rate plans provide a tangible benefit to customers while capping costs, removes waste incineration from Maryland’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard subsidy program, and ensures large load customers like data centers pay their fair share.
BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
I take great pride in being part of the Maryland General Assembly that adopted a balanced budget that is both fiscally responsible and true to our commitments. The fiscal 2026 operating budget addresses our projected structural deficit with $1.6 billion in general fund cuts and $1.2 billion in additional ongoing revenues, ultimately closing fiscal 2026 with a $15 million structural surplus. The budget also reduces general fund spending by over $400 million compared to fiscal 2025, demonstrating our commitment to fiscal responsibility. I am proud of the overall budget’s fiscal discipline. Despite disruptions in federal funding streams, we committed to preserving core services and protecting Maryland’s most vulnerable residents. Unlike Washington, D.C., we focused on making tough choices to keep Maryland’s finances stable.
Locally, Anne Arundel County will receive $29,334,642 from Maryland Video Lottery Terminal revenue for use with local impact grants. Nearly $15 million in Highway User Revenue (HUR) is slated for Anne Arundel County and Annapolis, with $11,252,088 allocated to Anne Arundel County and $3,708,804 to the City of Annapolis. Locally, the City of Annapolis State Payment in Lieu of Taxes is fully funded at $931,561.
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