The 2025 General Assembly has finished, and 884 bills passed both chambers and are being sent to the Governor for his signature. (Over 340 bills were passed in the final 72 hours of the session.) Here are just a few of the bills I’ve been following that passed the General Assembly and were sent to the Governor. It is expected that he will sign most of the bills. (Here is a list of all the bills that passed the General Assembly in 2026: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/
Consumer Protection
The Protecting Consumers and Jobs from Predatory Pricing Act HB 895– prohibits a food retailer from engaging in dynamic pricing or using consumer surveillance data to set a price for goods or services.
Cash Payment Bill (HB 191): Requires Maryland retail stores to accept cash for essential consumer goods between 6 AM and 10 PM.
Criminal Justice
Protection of Identity of Victim of Sexual Assault or Stalking SB 294 It mandates the redaction of identifying information for sexual assault/stalking victims from court records.
Youth Charging Reform Act - SB323 - The bill requires 16- and 17-year-olds charged with 12 offenses–including murder and carjacking – begin their cases in adult court. Other charges will now start in juvenile court. It also ends the automatic adult charging of 14- and 15-year-olds, starting all cases in juvenile court.
Protecting Artists’ Creative Expression (PACE) Act (SB 475): Limits the use of an artist's creative expression, such as rap lyrics, as evidence in criminal cases unless there is a direct nexus to the crime.
Democracy
Violation of Constitutional Rights (No Kings Act) SB 346 Lets people in Maryland sue in civil court if a federal agent violates their constitutional rights.
Education
Phone Free School Act HB 525- requires each county board of education to implement a policy limiting the student cell phone use during the school day.
Elections
*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.
Local Board of Elections Employees SB 670/HB 1001– Authority at Polling Places Gives local election board employees authority over on‑duty police officers.
Both versions of the Bill passed.
Energy
Utility RELIEF Act HR 1532 will make electric bills more affordable (by at least $150 annually) by strengthening oversight of utilities, limiting excessive utility executive compensation from being passed onto customers, reforming rate-setting practices, and ensuring large energy users (e.g. data centers) pay for the infrastructure needed to support their demand.
Environment
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances - Regulation (HB 925), which requires the Maryland Department of the Environment to regulate the amount of PFAS (Per- and Poly-Fluoroalkyl Substances) that can be used in biosolids that are applied on agricultural land. This bill is critical for protecting not only the health of our agricultural community and the environment, but also for every Marylander.
Health
Vax Act: Recommendations for Immunizations, Screenings, and Preventive Services – HB 637/S835 - bill to grant the state health secretary authority to issue vaccine recommendations based on guidance from national medical societies, state health groups and federal agencies — a response to the narrowing of vaccine recommendations from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Housing
*Maryland Transit and Housing Opportunity Act – 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.
*Short term Rental Safety Act – HB 1221 - would require Airbnb and other short-term rentals to have fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, and carbon monoxide detectors. Unfortunately, Marylanders have died in short-term rentals that didn't have proper safety features.
Immigration
*Non-Cooperation with ICE Agents: SB245/HB 444 has already passed the General Assembly and was signed into law by Governor Moore.
*Private Immigration Detention Facilities - Zoning Requirement HB 1017 - Prohibiting the State or a unit of local government from approving the use of a building or structure as an immigration detention facility by a private entity.
*Digitally Unmasking Agents for Lawsuits - HB351 allows residents & the Attorney General to sue government agents for violating your rights. If the agents are anonymous, the bill uses police technology to help identify who to sue.
*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.
*Community Trust Act – SB 791 - limits state and local cooperation with ICE. The law prohibits law enforcement from inquiring about or enforcing federal immigration laws unless a judicial warrant is provided, focusing local resources on public safety.
Labor
Collective bargaining rights for non-tenured professors at the University of Maryland: SB 6:
Collective bargaining rights for graduate students at the University of Maryland: HB 141
Arbitration Reform for State Employees HB604/SB 28: proposes to reform collective bargaining for state employees by introducing binding arbitration to resolve impasses.
Maryland Worker Freedom Act – SB 417: Prohibiting employers from taking certain actions against an employee or applicant for employment because the employee or applicant takes certain actions regarding employer-sponsored meetings during which the employer communicates the opinion of the employer regarding religious matters or political matters. Passed the Senate
Renters
Air Conditioning Requirements for Rental Apartments -SB12 This bill requires landlords to provide functioning air conditioning in larger apartment buildings.
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.
Safe and Health Homes for All Act- HB 1218/SB941 - Requiring the State to develop a plan to identify severe health and safety risk properties and take related actions; and requiring the Department to submit the plan and certain recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly on or before August 31, 2027
Social Justice
Cheltenham 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
Placement of Foster Children: HB 1559 will prohibit the placement of foster children in unlicensed settings such as hotels, homeless shelters, and social services offices.
Transportation
Out of State Plates - Improper Registration (SB 111) seeks to address the issue of improper vehicle registration by authorizing the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) to take possession of registration cards and plates issued by other states but used by Maryland residents who should have Maryland plates. It also prohibits title agencies from selling non-Maryland registration cards and plates within the State. HB 212 gives the MVA the authority to enforce our state’s registration laws and collect the fees it needs to fund other important initiatives.
The Clear Before You Drive Act (HB 474) requires Maryland drivers to clear accumulated precipitation off their vehicles before operating them. Eight-year-old District 16 resident Lucy testified in favor of the bill, in which she recalled driving on I-270 with her father, when they narrowly avoided a chunk of snow that flew off a vehicle in front of them. Lucy learned that there was no pertinent Maryland legislation and thus decided to take action.
