New Maryland Laws Effective October 1, 2025

 Speed Camera Fines

Speed camera fines will change from a $40 flat fee to a sliding scale based on speed, with tickets ranging from $50 (12-15 miles over the limit) to $425 (40 or more mph over the limit).

Easier expungements

The Expungement Reform Act of 2025 allows people to pursue the expungement of certain criminal records faster than before and adds driving without a license and using a bad check or stolen credit card to the list of misdemeanor convictions that can be expunged.

Sentence Reconsideration

The Second Look Act, which will provide the right to petition for a sentence reconsideration hearing before a judge if a person has been imprisoned for at least 20 years and was between 18 and 24 years old at the time they committed their offense. People convicted of sex offenses, the death of a first responder and those sentenced to life without parole are ineligible to petition for sentence reconsideration under this law.

Lowered penalties for paraphernalia.

The penalties for the use, possession, delivery or sale of drug paraphernalia will be reduced from up to two years imprisonment and a $2,000 fine to one year of imprisonment and a $1,000 fine.

Disability identification

Eric’s ID Law will allow people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to voluntarily add a colorful butterfly symbol to their IDs and driver’s licenses at the Motor Vehicle Administration. This will signify to police and other emergency personnel that they have a condition they may not be able to publicly disclose. The law is named after Eric Carpenter-Grantham, who has high-functioning autism. He created the symbol and lobbied for the bill’s passage.

Tenant Issues

·       A new law prohibiting a penalty in excess of 5% of the amount of the unpaid rent rather than of the amount due is one of the new landlord/tenant laws.

·       Landlords will now be required to provide a tenant with written notice of at least 24 hours in advance of when the landlord intends to enter a leased premises, except in the event of an emergency.

Reckless driving could lead to jail time.

The Sgt. Patrick Kepp Act will increase fines for excessive speeding and classify reckless driving as an offense with penalties of up to 60 days in jail and a maximum fine of $1,000. Driving 30 mph over the posted speed limit will be considered reckless or negligent driving.

The law is named in honor of Sgt. Patrick Kepp, who, as an on-duty police officer in Montgomery County, lost both of his legs after he was intentionally struck by a driver speeding over 100 mph.

 “Organized Retail Crime law,”

This law creates a clear definition of organized retail crime, enables statewide data collection, and allows theft to be aggregated across jurisdictions, closing a loophole long exploited by criminals.  Law enforcement can now track repeat offenders and combine offenses across counties.

New Laws Impacting Veterans

Starting Oct. 1, under the Braille Flag Memorial Act, the Department of Veterans and Military Families will be required to designate a place to house the “American braille tactile flag” at one or more of Maryland’s state veterans’ cemeteries to honor veterans who are visually impaired or blind. The flag must be tactile so veterans can read it, as developed by the Kansas Braille Transcription Institute.

Family benefits

Senate Bill 275 requires the State Government Article regarding military positions to be updated to include military families, including spouses and dependent children of a service member or veteran related by blood, marriage or adoption to match U.S. Department of Defense standards at the state level. This will help military family members with things like hiring preferences for employment.

Equitable health

The Health Equality for Service Members Act will go into effect Oct. 1. The law alters provisions of Maryland Code to provide certain benefits or privileges to members of the armed forces. For example, copies of medical records, such as birth and death certificates, will be free to veterans or service members, and the law will allow dependents of military members to remain on waitlists for services through the Developmental Disabilities Administration even if their guardian is deployed out of state.

State employment and the courts

Under the Judicial and Public Safety for Service Members Act, the state will waive the age requirement to be a Maryland correctional officer for veterans who have been honorably discharged or are reserve members of the U.S. armed forces. Currently, the minimum age requirement for civilians is 21. Court fees for documents typically issued by a clerk of court will also be waived for former or active members of the armed forces, including marriage records.

Free recreation

The Recreational Equality for Service Members Act will allow organizations that provide hunting, fishing and other outdoor opportunities for veterans to apply for grants to offset the cost of those activities. The law will also waive the requirement for veterans to obtain fishing licenses if they go fishing through governmental or nonprofit entities. Maryland fishing licenses will not lapse if a service member is deployed.  Service members and veterans will also receive free admission to state parks.

[This information was compiled from numerous news sources]

New Maryland Laws Effective July 1, 2025

 Over 300 bills that passed the 2025 General Assembly went into effect on July 1. That’s a lot of new laws.  I’m only highlighting a few.   A number of the bills that may impact your taxes and fees are placed at the beginning.

Changes in Taxes and Fees

Technology Tax

A 3% tax will apply to services like data storage and processing, software publishing and website hosting. Independent state analysts have said it will raise $482 million in its first year. It will largely impact business-to-business transactions.

Income tax changes

The maximum tax rate of 5.75% on individuals making at least $250,000 will increase with the addition of two higher brackets — 6.25% on individuals making at least $500,000; and 6.5% on individuals making more than $1 million.

The value of the Maryland standard deduction will also increase from $2,800 to $3,350 for individual filers. Itemized deductions for taxpayers making more than $200,000 (or $100,000 if married and filing separately) will start to be phased out.

The net effect: About 60% of taxpayers will see their state income tax liability decrease by an average of $43, and one-third of filers will see no change, according to an analysis by the Maryland comptroller’s office using 2023 tax data. The smallest pool of taxpayers — about 169,000, who make up 5.7% of all returns — will pay an average of $1,849 more.

Another area targeting the wealthiest Marylanders is a new 2% surcharge on capital gains income for those with more than $350,000 in household income. Most of the $229 million in expected revenue from that fee will go to the  transportation budget.

Cannabis Tax

The sales tax on cannabis products will increase from 9% to 12%. Cannabis used for medicinal purposes is not subject to the tax.

Sports wagering

Taxes on sports betting are increasing from 15% to 20%.

Snack foods

Snack food purchased in vending machines will now be subject to the 6% tax. That includes potato chips and sticks, corn chips, pretzels, cheese puffs and curls, pork rinds, popped popcorn and nuts and edible seeds. Milk, yogurt and fresh fruit and vegetables purchased from vending machines will still be exempt from the sales tax.

Officials expect to raise $9.1 million off the change. Repealing other sales tax exemptions on photographic or artistic material used in advertising, and on sales of precious metal coins or bullion, are expected to raise another $18.7 million and $2.5 million, respectively.

Vehicle fees

The certificate of title fee for new and used vehicles will double from $100 to $200.

The 6% vehicle excise tax will increase to 6.5%. A new 3.5% excise tax will go into effect for rental vehicles. A discounted registration rate for rental vehicles will also be eliminated.

Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program fees will increase from $14 to $30 and be increased further according to the rate of inflation.

The definition of historic vehicles, which have specialty tags, will be limited to the 1999 model year or earlier, making any “historic” vehicle more recent than that subject to other fees. A new $5 fee for new tires will be enacted halfway through the fiscal year, on Jan. 1.

New funding for abortion grants

A new law allows the Maryland Department of Health to release millions of dollars in unspent insurance funds that it hopes to use to fund abortions for uninsured and underinsured Marylanders.  Under this law, providers will receive the grant funds for providing abortion services for people who do not have insurance or whose health insurance does not cover abortions.

Changes in Zoning Requirements for Solar Fields

Beginning Tuesday, local governments will have less say in the siting of large-scale solar fields, under a law that changes how Maryland regulates solar energy sites.

The law undoes restrictive zoning laws passed in several counties and sets uniform environmental standards for solar farm construction, including rules requiring buffers of trees and shrubs, and limiting the disturbance of topsoil.

Changes in The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future

Three years into the implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, the 10-year schools education reform plan was amended. One major part of the Blueprint deals with the implementation of “collaborative time,” which provides teachers more out-of-classroom time to plan and work with each other on various subjects and also assess student achievement. School systems are supposed to start implementing collaborative time next year.  The law pauses the policy requirement for collaborative time for three years but keeps the funding amount at $163 per student for next fiscal year. It would stay at that level until fiscal 2029, when it would jump to $334 per student.

GED Test in Spanish

Thousands more Marylanders are expected to be able to take the General Educational Development test, also known as the GED, for the equivalent of a high school diploma, now that the test will be offered in Spanish as well as English. Maryland was the only state to publish the test in English only.

Young adult health care subsidies extended

Young people buying health insurance on the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace will continue to see savings on their monthly premiums, thanks to the new law that eliminates the expiration date for the State-Based Young Adult Health Insurance Subsidies Pilot Program.

The current program aims to help low-income Marylanders between the ages of 18 and 37 afford individual health plans through state-funded subsidies, taking an average of $40 off of their monthly insurance premiums. Those savings range depending on the individual’s financial situation.

Establishing a disability employment initiative

The new law establishes the Office of Disability Employment Advancement and Policy. The new office will explore strategies to improve employment, training and care-readiness of people with disabilities. The office will also implement the “Maryland as a Model Employer Initiative” which will help connect people with disabilities to jobs and promote career advancement for those individuals.

Chesapeake Bay policy changes

The Chesapeake Bay Legacy Act  includes a new $900,000 program to encourage ecofriendly farming, called the Maryland Leaders in Environmentally Engaged Farming, or LEEF, program. Meant to mimic the LEED program for green buildings, the program will reward sustainable agricultural practices.

It also includes a number of tweaks to policies at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources: Allowing the state to utilize water quality data from community groups, reducing the number of species for which the state must produce fishery plans (and deferring to regional fishery managers) and letting some watermen process fish using a Japanese technique known as ike jime and sell them directly to restaurants without being licensed as a food establishment.

Child Victims Act

At the start of the 2025 legislative session, fiscal analysts warned lawmakers that settlement payments could total over $3 billion for the state, which was already facing a $3 billion structural deficit. Following an influx of cases filed under the 2023 Child Victims Act, a limit to the amount that claimants can be paid out in case settlements will go into effect on Sunday.

Under the new law, caps on payments for settlements for survivors of abuse from public agencies would be lowered from $890,000 to $400,000. Payouts from private institutions would drop from $1.15 million to $700,000.

The adjusted payment caps would only apply to lawsuits that were previously unable to be filed because of the now-stricken statute of limitations. Only one suit can be filed per claimant, regardless of how many individual instances of abuse occurred.

A New State Cocktail and a State Mineral

Effective June 1, Maryland’s official state cocktail will be the orange crush.

The orange crush — a summertime staple composed of fresh-squeezed orange juice, vodka, triple sec and a splash of Sprite or club soda — was first created at the Harborside Bar & Grill in West Ocean City in 1995.

The legislation also designates chromite as the state mineral.

Metro Rider bans for Riders Assaulting MTA operators

Starting Sunday, people alleged of assaulting a Maryland Transit Authority (MTA) public transit operator will be banned from riding. MTA must convene a work group to establish a rider code of conduct and implement a comprehensive internal safety program to increase protections for riders and transit operators, including ban procedures for assault, the possibility for legal action and an appeals process.

Delayed FMLA

Legislation will go into effect June 1 to shift the implementation of Maryland’s Family Medical Leave and Insurance program from July 1, 2025, to Jan. 1, 2027.

Noise Abatement Monitoring systems

Extends to June 30, 2028 the timeframe Montgomery & Prince George’s Counties can use automated noise abatement monitoring systems and issue tickets along state and local highways.

Emergency Calls to Rental Properties

Prohibits local governments from enforcing existing laws that cap the number of calls for emergency services to rental properties.

Changing Gender Names

Replaces references in Maryland code to Maryland State Firemen’s Association with Maryland State Firefighters Association; makes similar replacements for Disabled Firemen and Rescue Squadmen lists to Disabled Firefighters and Rescue Squad Person

Tax Help for Incarcerated Individuals

This act establishes an Income Tax Reconciliation Program to allow individuals who are unable to file a state income tax return while incarcerated to establish installment payment plans and receive a waiver of accrued interest and penalties for tax years 2025 through 2029.

Notice to Occupant of Storage Facility

Requires a self-service storage facility operator to provide an occupant with a notice 10 days before conducting a lien sale of personal property.

Political Literature

Requires political action committees that use a candidate’s likeness to disclose whether they have the candidate’s consent to do so; establishes penalties for violations.

This material for this newsletter was taken from various news sources including the Baltimore Sun, WPYR and Maryland Matters.  Thanks to all the people who do this work.

2025 MD General Assembly Finishes Its Work

 

            The 2025 General Assembly Session is now over.  There were a lot of bills that passed in the last few days but the major discussion for the whole session was how the General Assembly would deal with the $3 billion deficit.

            A couple of weeks ago the Governor and the leadership of the State Senate and House of Delegates held a news conference where they announced an agreement on a budget framework. 

            The budget will have a big impact on most Marylanders.  It will include over $1 billion in new revenue and $2 billion in cutbacks.  Here are some of the highlights:

 

Revenue

o   2% Capital Gains Tax on Capital gains Income Above $250,000 (40% to Transportation Tax Fund) - $367 Million Raised

o   New income tax on high earning individuals

§  $500,000 - $1 million from 5.75% to 6.25%

§  Over $1 million 6.5%

§  $344 Million Raised

o   Gradual phasing out of itemized deductions for those individuals making over $200,000.

o   3% Sales Tax on Data and IT Services ($500 million Raised)

§  This is done in many states including PA and TX

o   Cannabis tax rate raised from 9% to15%

o   Sports Wagering Tax raised from $15% to 20% ($32 Million Raised)

o   3.5% Tax on short-term car rentals ($47 million)

o   Vehicle Excise Tax goes from 6% to 6.8% ($158 million)

o   VEIP (vehicle inspection) jumps to $30 ($20 million)

o   Vehicle titling fees double to $200 ($80 million)

o   Phasing out of itemization of deductions for individuals with over $200,000 in income

Spending Cuts

 

o   The reductions included many across the board cuts in Department fundings

o   Reduction in funds for the University of MD System ($111 million)

o   Delay in implementation of Family Medical Leave Insurance for 18 months so it would not start until 2028.  (This was not specifically a cut but a delay in an increased rates for businesses.)

 

Some Significant Bills Pass the Legislature while Others Don’t Get Passed:

          A bunch of significant bills passed the legislature this year. Unfortunately, a lot of bills did not make it which was disappointing (especially with super Democratic majorities in the General Assembly).  This was especially true about legislation that would expand union rights to employees at the University of Maryland.  Legislation that would mandate Good Cause Evictions (as opposed to evictions at the whim of the landlord) failed to make it through the Senate. The Environmental community was disappointed that efforts to ban ‘forever chemicals did not get passed. A tax reform proposal, entitled Combined Reporting, did not pass. The bill would have plugged the loophole that allows companies that have subsidiaries in Maryland to avoid the corporate income tax.  It’s been introduced every year for the last 15 years and still has failed to pass.

 

Here are some of the bills that did pass and are expected to be signed into law by the Governor. If you don’t see a bill listed that you liked, please email me. 

 

Civil Rights

         

o   Maryland Reparations Commission Establishes the Maryland Reparations Commission to study and make recommendations relating to appropriate benefits to be made to individuals whose ancestors were enslaved in the State or were impacted by certain inequitable government policies; and requiring the Commission to submit a preliminary report by January 1, 2027, and a final report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly by November 1, 2027.

 

 

Criminal Justice

 

o   HB 853 – Maryland Second Look Act – Incarcerated individuals who have served at least 20 years in prison who were convicted of crimes when they were between 18 and 25 years old could file a motion to reduce their sentence.  The court can reduce that person’s sentence if that person isn’t a danger to the public. It was amended to exclude the murder of a public safety officer. 

o   SB648 – Medical Parole Life Imprisonment – Enables the parole board to make the final decision whether or not to grant medical parole to an individual serving a life sentence without it going to the Governor for a possible veto. 

o   Drug Paraphernalia – Prohibitions and Penalties This bill reduces penalties for offenses involving drug paraphernalia and controlled paraphernalia. Additionally, the bill repeals the prohibitions on a person possessing controlled paraphernalia or using controlled paraphernalia to administer a controlled dangerous substance (CDS).

o   Expungement Reform Act This bill (1) alters various limits waiting periods for the filing of a petition to expunge a conviction  (2) expands the list of misdemeanor convictions eligible for expungement; (3) expands the factors a court must consider for an expungement

 

 Education

 

o   HB 504 – Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act (Blueprint for the Future) – This bill introduced on behalf of the Administration originally delayed some parts of the Blueprint legislation.  Specifically it delayed the increase in non-teaching time for education, a freeze on the increase in spending for community schools, and the increase in per child spending.  The delay in the increase in non-teaching time stayed in the bill but the freeze in spending for community schools and the increase in per spending per child (for next year) was put back into the legislation.

 

o   HB 325 – Bilingual Option to Take GED - Requiring the Maryland Department of Labor to allow an individual to choose to take all components of the General Educational Development Test in either English or Spanish.  Maryland was the only state that did not allow the test to be taken in Spanish.

 

Elections

 

o   SB 633/HB 906 Stop Scam PACs Act - This bill requires people that solicit for a candidate or a political party and use the candidate’s name, image, or likeness in the solicitation to include a specified disclaimer on the solicitation. The bill also requires people that solicit for what appears to be a charitable purpose to include on each solicitation a statement that contributions or donations to the person are not necessarily used for charitable purposes and are not tax-deductible.

 

Environment

 

o   Data Center Impact Analysis –requires the Maryland Department of Legislative Services to conduct an impact analysis of the economic, environmental, and social impacts of data centers. Under existing practices, all electricity customers pay for the expansion of the grid! Data centers are straining our grid and increasing costs for everyone.

 

o   Senate Bill 149, THE RENEW Act, requires the State to study the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions by the largest polluters to Maryland’s environment and the cost to taxpayers for resulting resiliency and remediation activities.

 

Federal Workers

 

o   HB 1424 Protect Our Federal Workers Act This bill will provide stimulus to Maryland residents who are members of the federal government workforce laid off in mass numbers by the Trump Administration. It also provides standing and funds to the Attorney General to sue the federal government for the unlawful firings of Maryland residents.

 

Health

 

o   HB 424  / SB 357 Prescription Drug Affordability Board - Authority for Upper Payment Limits (Lowering Prescription Drugs for All Marylanders Act) – Mandates the Prescription Drug Affordability Board to determine whether it is in the best interest of the State to set Upper Price Limits for all purchases and payer reimbursements of prescription drug products in the State   

o   HB 930 – Public Health Abortion Grant Program  uses unspent insurance premiums for abortion coverage to support those who are uninsured and underinsured

o   HB 553/SB 94 - Blood Pressure Monitors  will provide home blood pressure monitors to those in the Maryland Medical Assistance Program.

o   HB 1020  -Credit Reporting – Medical Debt  will remove medical debt from Marylanders' credit reports. Many Marylanders incur medical debt due to emergencies or because they are underinsured, and studies have shown that this debt is not an accurate predictor of a person's credit worthiness. By passing this bill, Maryland joins 10 other states in prohibiting the inclusion of medical debt in credit reports

 

Immigration

 

o   SB 828 – Protecting Sensitive Locations Act which would prompt the Attorney General to set guidelines for what Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers can and cannot do in entering schools, public libraries, health facilities, and shelters unless they obtain a warrant from a state or federal judge.

o   HB 1222 - Maryland Values Act  designates public schools, public libraries, state funded or operated health and care facilities, and state governmental buildings as sensitive locations where immigration enforcement and detaining efforts are limited and or restricted. It did not include  a prohibition, supported by immigration advocacy groups, that would prohibit state and local agencies from participating in what are known as 287(g) immigration enforcement agreements, which use local law enforcement for routine federal immigration enforcement.

 

Labor

o   Davis Martinez Public Employee Safety and Health Act, named for 33-year-old Parole and Probation Agent Davis Martinez, who was killed on the job last year. The law creates additional oversight over local and state government agencies related to worker safety. 

 

Renters

 

o   Limit on Late Fees for Renters This bill prohibits a landlord (for residential leases) from charging a penalty for the late payment of rent that exceeds 5% of the amount of unpaid rent due for the rental period for which the payment was delinquent.   

o   Tenants' Right of First Refusal - Tenants have the right of first refusal to purchase a residential rental property if the property owner (1) intends to accept a third-party purchase offer for an amount that is at least 10% lower than the lowest price offered to the tenant during an exclusive negotiation period, or (2) receives a third-party offer without public notice. If a third party delivers an offer to purchase to the owner, the owner must notify the third party of a tenant’s right of first refusal.

 

o   Tenant Possessions Recovery Act – Tenants facing eviction would be entitled to a 10-day grace period to allow them to collect their personal belongings from their previous residence.

o   Maryland Tenant Mold Protection Act requiring a landlord to perform a mold assessment and mold remediation within 45 days after receipt of a written notice regarding the detection of mold.