Last week, the Governor's FY25 Draft Budget was released (SB0360/HB0350), along with related legislation on the Capital Budget (SB0361/HB0351) and the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act (SB0362/HB0352).

In terms of the Budget, overall spending projected for 2025 is down from last. This is due to a combination of cuts and cost saving measures (delaying implementation of some legislation passed in prior years. There is talk that we may delay implementation of Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) for 6 months, saving the state money and allowing additional time to work through operational questions.



Regarding the DDA Budget, we will be working closely with legislators in the Senate's B&T Committee and HHS Subcommittee and the House's APP Committee and HSS Subcommittee, who will have hearings for the DDA budget this session.

Some of the Governor's highlights of this year's draft budget include:

• $10 million in new state funding to implement provider recruitment strategies "to build capacity within the provider community and within the Department of Health to ultimately expand services for eight different waiver programs with a goal of reducing home and community-based services waiver waitlists as required by the Waitlist and Registry Reduction (End the Wait) Act of 2022. The waivers allow healthcare professionals to provide care in a person’s home or community instead of a long-term care facility."
• $4.5 million in funding and 14 additional positions in the Office of Health Care Quality. These critical staff investigate allegations of neglect and harm at nursing homes and other healthcare facilities, as well as funding to hire subcontractor nurse surveyors to conduct overdue surveys in Maryland’s nursing homes. 
• $92 million in General Funds to increase the reimbursement rates to certain health services providers by three percent in FY 2025. 
• More than $21 million and 300 new positions across various Maryland Department of Health facilities, reflecting opening of new units as well as a two-year commitment to staff MDH facilities 24/7 at a level that enhances safety for staff and residents. 

You can download the full budget highlights through the button below.

SB0203 - Housing Innovation Pilot Program and Housing Innovation Fund - Establishment (Housing Innovation Pilot Program Act of 2024)

Position: Support

Current Status: SB0203 in Senate EEE Hearing 1/25 at 1 PM. Testimony due between 8 AM and 6 PM on 1/24 through the MGA website.

Cross-filed HB0007 in House E&T Hearing 1/30 at 1 PM. Testimony due between 8 AM and 6 PM on 1/26 through the MGA website.

This bill would establish the Housing Innovation Pilot Program in the Department of Housing and Community Development to provide loans for local housing authorities to develop mixed-income, cross-subsidized housing. It also creates a Housing Innovation Fund that requires a local housing authority to provide a dollar-for-dollar match for Program funds awarded to housing innovation projects that are part of the program. It would also require the Department to prioritize projects not using low-income housing tax credit equity or tax-exempt volume cap.

We are interested in initiatives that will expand the stock of affordable, accessible, and safe housing for people with IDD. This program would provide critical funds for certain mixed-income, cross-subsidized housing developments, helping meet a huge need for affordable housing and innovation in how it is created.

HB0055 - Maryland Commission on Veterans and Military Families

Position: Letter of Information

Current Status: HB0055 in House HGO Hearing 1/23 at 1 PM. Testimony was due last Friday. The Arc submitted testimony.

Cross-filed SB0088 Hearing was in House HGO on 1/18

This bill would establish a Commission on Veterans and Military Families to study developing and implementing a statewide strategic plan to make Maryland the best state for veterans and military families and require the Commission to report its findings to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 2024.

We have asked for consideration that this Commission include a spouse of military personnel who has a child with a disability- to offer that valuable perspective on what certain families need.

SB0061 - Higher Education - Disciplinary Records - Use in Admissions and Disciplinary Proceedings

Position: Support with Amendment

Current Status: In Senate EEE, Hearing 1/24 at 1 PM. Testimony is due tomorrow, 1/23 between 8 AM and 6 PM through the MGA website.

The Education Advocacy Coalition supports increasing access to higher education for students with disabilities. This bill would increase access of students with disabilities to higher education by minimizing the impact their disciplinary record can have on the admissions process. Exclusionary discipline is a practice that affects students with disabilities at a greater rate and disproportionately when compared to their non-disabled peers. Students with disabilities are twice as likely to be suspended or expelled than their non-disabled peers.

The coalition would like the legislation to go further to protect students with disabilities and prior disciplinary action from undue scrutiny. Currently, college admissions applications may include questions that ask if a student has changed schools during their educational career. In response to this question, a student would have to disclose if they have been expelled or otherwise removed from their school, thereby still having to admit to prior discipline. We encourage the committee to include language prohibiting such questions.

Fiscal Briefing Today- Budget and Tax Committee- on YouTube

January 22th, 3:00 PM

Today, tune in to You tube at 3 p.m. for a Fiscal briefing in B&T, joint with APP. They will break down the budget, shedding some additional light of what is in and what is out! Attend via the MGA YouTube link.

Maryland Department of Disabilities Budget Hearing

January 26th, 11:30 AM

The Senate's Health and Human Services Subcommittee, part of B&T, is holding a hearing for the Maryland Department of Disabilities (MDOD) Budget this Friday, January 26th, at 11:30 AM. The MDOD budget includes funding for key initiatives such as the Ethan Saylor Alliance and the Autism Workgroup, which may come up in discussions on the budget. You can tune into the hearing via the MGA YouTube link.

Home and Community-Based Services Waiver Briefing

January 26th, 12:00 PM

Also this Friday, the House's Health and Social Services Subcommittee, part of APP, is holding a briefing on Home and Community-Based Waiver Programs in the State at noon. This is a joint briefing alongside the House HGO's Public Health and Minority Health Disparities Subcommittee. You can also tune into this briefing via the MGA YouTube link.

Developmental Disabilities Day at the Legislature

February 21st, 8 to 11 AM

Tickets are selling like hotcakes! Do you have yours yet? We are gearing up for the largest gathering of disability rights advocates in Maryland. Mark your calendar for Developmental Disabilities Day at the Legislature on Wednesday, February 21st, at The Graduate Hotel in Annapolis. Come and learn about 2024 legislative priorities and the proposed DDA budget before heading off to speak to your representatives! You can register right now through the button below! Our theme this year is 25 Years of Olmstead- Invest in Community!

Tuesday, January 23rd at 1:00 PM in House HGO

• HB0055 - Maryland Commission on Veterans and Military Families

AWednesday, January 24th at 1:00 PM in House HGO

• HB0039 - Residential Service Agencies - Reimbursement - Personal Assistance Services
• HB0189 - Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Provider Agencies and Personal Care Aides - Reimbursement and Wage Reports (Homecare Workers Employment Act of 2024)

Wednesday, January 24th at 1:00 PM in Senate B&T

• SB0328 - Funding for Wages and Benefits for Nursing Home Workers (Nursing Home Staffing Crisis Funding Act of 2024)

Wednesday, January 24th at 1:00 PM in Senate EEE

• SB0061 - Higher Education - Disciplinary Records - Use in Admissions and Disciplinary Proceedings

Thursday, January 25th at 1:00 PM in House W&M

• HB0086 - Public and Nonpublic Schools - Auto-Injectable Epinephrine and Bronchodilators - Use, Availability, Training, and Policies
• HB0142 - Election Law - Polling Places - Establishing Voter Identity (Voter Privacy Act of 2024)
• HB0164 - Election Law - Voter Registration List - Absentee Voters (Absentee Ballot Transparency Act of 2024)
• HB0192 - Elections - In-Person Voting - Proof of Identity
• HB0202 - Election Law - Absentee Ballots - Signature Requirements and Verification

Thursday, January 25th at 2:00 PM in Senate EEE

• SB0203 - Housing Innovation Pilot Program and Housing Innovation Fund - Establishment (Housing Innovation Pilot Program Act of 2024)
• SB0252 - Public Safety - 9-1-1 Trust Fund - Alterations

Tuesday, January 30th at 1:00 PM in House APP

• HB0157 - Public Schools - Appropriations for School Safety Expenditures - Increase (School Safety Enhancement Act of 2024)

Tuesday, January 30th at 1:00 PM in House E&T

• HB0007 - Housing Innovation Pilot Program and Housing Innovation Fund - Establishment (Housing Innovation Pilot Program Act of 2024)

Tuesday, January 30th at 1:00 PM in House JUD

• HB0308 - Public Safety - Missing Person Reports - Collection and Publication

Tuesday, January 30th at 1:00 PM in Senate FIN

• SB0212 - Behavioral Health Advisory Council and Commission on Behavioral Health Care Treatment and Access - Alterations

Tuesday, January 30th at 1:00 PM in Senate JPR

• SB0141 - Multifamily Dwellings - Smoking Policies

Wednesday, January 31st at 1:00 PM in House JUD

• HB0137 - Civil Actions - Civil Immunity - Educator Intervention

Wednesday, January 31st at 1:00 PM in House W&M

• HB0116 - Teacher Degree Apprenticeship
• HB0167 - Public Schools - Student Health - Certificate of Dental Health
• HB0206 - Education - Student Behavior - Parent and Guardian Notice and Required Counseling (Parent and Guardian Accountability Act)
• HB0377 - Therapeutic Child Care Grant Program - Funding - Alterations

Wednesday, January 31st at 1:00 PM in Senate B&T

• SB0419 - Therapeutic Child Care Grant Program - Funding - Alterations

Wednesday, January 31st at 1:00 PM in Senate FIN

• SB0070 - Transportation - Change in Bus Service - Impacts Report

Wednesday, January 31st at 1:00 PM in Senate JPR

• SB0077 - Bicycles, Play Vehicles, and Unicycles - Authorizations and Requirements

Thursday, February 1st at 1:00 PM in House E&T

• HB0111 - Bicycles, Play Vehicles, and Unicycles - Authorizations and Requirements
• HB0161 - Vehicle Laws - Driver's Licenses, Learner's Instructional Permits, and Identification Cards

Thursday, February 1st at 1:00 PM in House W&M

• HB0032 - Income Tax - Caregiver Tax Credit
• HB0218 - Income Tax - Credit for Long-Term Care Premiums (Long-Term Care Relief Act of 2024)

Thursday, February 1st at 1:00 PM in Senate FIN

• SB0084 - Teacher Degree Apprenticeship

House of Delegates:

APP - Appropriations

EMC - Economic Matters

E&T - Environment and Transportation

HGO - Health and Government Operations

HRU - Rules and Executive Nominations

JUD - Judiciary

W&M - Ways and Means