County Boards of Education – Bullying, Harassment, or Intimidation – Information Collection and Reporting Requirements
In plain English Requires school boards to identify personal characteristics believed to motivate bullying incidents and report data about affected groups to the state.
Official synopsis: Altering the contents of a certain bullying, harassment, or intimidation form to require, if the incident is believed to have been motivated in whole or in substantial part by certain actual or perceived personal characteristics, identification of those personal characteristics, if known; requiring each county…
Became lawApproved by the Governor – Chapter 775 · 2026-05-26
State Personnel – Collective Bargaining – Graduate Assistants
In plain English Allows graduate assistants at two University of Maryland campuses to collectively bargain and establishes a separate bargaining unit for them.
Official synopsis: Providing collective bargaining rights to certain graduate assistants at certain public institutions of higher education; defining "graduate assistant" as a graduate student at the University of Maryland, College Park or the University of Maryland, Baltimore County who is a teaching, administrative, or research assistant or…
Became lawApproved by the Governor – Chapter 774 · 2026-05-26
Water Companies, Sewage Disposal Companies, and Water and Sewage Disposal Companies – Limited-Income Mechanisms
In plain English Requires the Public Service Commission to study and report on requiring water and sewage companies to adopt programs for limited-income customers by December 2026.
Official synopsis: Authorizing the Public Service Commission to require a water company, sewage disposal company, or water and sewage disposal company to adopt a certain limited-income mechanism subject to the approval of the Commission; and requiring the Commission to study the feasibility of requiring certain companies to…
Became lawApproved by the Governor – Chapter 526 · 2026-05-12
Public Safety – Department of State Police – Police-Initiated Towing – Alterations
In plain English Expands the Department of State Police's towing rate provisions to include light-duty vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or less and changes the rate-setting committee's duties.
Official synopsis: Altering provisions related to the rates the Department of State Police sets for towing companies involved in police-initiated towing of motor vehicles to include the towing and recovery of light-duty vehicles; defining "light-duty towing" as towing and recovery of a vehicle including trailers or semitrailers…
Became lawApproved by the Governor – Chapter 527 · 2026-05-12
Local Government – Regulatory Powers – Regulation of Invasive Trees
In plain English Allows counties and municipalities to regulate invasive trees and create programs to incentivize their removal.
Official synopsis: Authorizing the governing body of a county or municipality to adopt certain ordinances to regulate tree of heaven and certain invasive trees; and authorizing the governing body of a county or municipality to establish certain programs to incentivize the removal of tree of heaven and…
Became lawApproved by the Governor – Chapter 210 · 2026-04-28
Public Safety – Short-Term Rental Units – Safety (Jillian and Lindsay Wiener Short-Term Rental Safety Act)
In plain English Requires short-term rental units to post evacuation diagrams and emergency numbers, and to have fire extinguishers and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
Official synopsis: Requiring certain short-term rental units to post certain evacuation diagrams and certain emergency telephone numbers in the unit and to provide certain fire extinguishers and smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms in the unit; requiring a certain short-term rental host to replace a smoke alarm…
Became lawApproved by the Governor – Chapter 9 · 2026-04-14
Environment – Stormwater Management for Agritourism
In plain English Requires the Department of the Environment to adopt stormwater management regulations for agritourism and directs Montgomery County to review approval processes by December 2026.
Official synopsis: Requiring the Department of the Environment to adopt regulations that consider certain best management practices for stormwater management for agritourism; requiring Montgomery County and the Montgomery Soil Conservation District, in consultation with the Department, to review certain processes for reviewing and approving certain stormwater management…
Became lawApproved by the Governor – Chapter 14 · 2026-04-14
General Assembly – Special Election to Fill a Vacancy in Office
Proposing a Constitutional Amendment requiring that a special election be held at the same time as the regular statewide primary and general elections that are held in the second year of a term to fill a vacancy in the office of Delegate or Senator in…
Passed one chamberRereferred to Education, Energy, and the Environment · 2026-04-13
Motor Vehicles – Out-of-State Drivers – Automated Enforcement (Out-of-State Driver Accountability Act)
In plain English Requires counties and municipalities to report annually to the Vision Zero coordinator about traffic citations issued to out-of-state registered vehicles through automated enforcement programs.
Official synopsis: Requiring each county and municipal automated traffic enforcement program to submit to the Vision Zero coordinator an annual report containing certain information regarding each citation issued under the program during the quarter to a motor vehicle registered in another state.
Passed one chamberSecond Reading Passed · 2026-04-13
State Personnel – Collective Bargaining – Nontenure Track Faculty
In plain English Allows nontenure track faculty at state universities whose primary work involves teaching or research to form a separate collective bargaining unit.
Official synopsis: Providing collective bargaining rights to nontenure track faculty of system institutions of higher education, Morgan State University, or St. Mary's College of Maryland whose primary assignments involve academic instruction, including teachers, researchers, and department heads and those in comparable positions; and establishing a separate collective…
Passed one chamberRereferred to Finance · 2026-04-13
Carbon Dioxide Capture, Removal, and Sequestration Projects – Regulations and Standards for Biochar and Wood Vault Technologies
Requiring the Department of the Environment, by January 1, 2028, to develop, in consultation with the Department of Agriculture, and adopt regulations and standards governing the permitting of carbon dioxide capture, removal, and sequestration projects that utilize biochar or wood vault technologies
Passed one chamberReferred Rules · 2026-04-10
Public Service Commission – Broadband and Voice Over Internet Protocol Service – Study
Requiring the Public Service Commission to conduct a study and make recommendations on the potential scope, structure and implementation of Commission oversight of broadband service and voice over Internet protocol service; and requiring the Commission to report by December 31, 2026, its findings and recommendations…
Passed one chamberMotion Special Order until 4/10 (Senator Salling) Adopted · 2026-04-08
Public Service Commission – Administrative Operations and Personnel Matters (Public Service Commission Flexibility Act)
Establishing that the exercise by the Public Service Commission of its authority is an essential government function; altering the duties of the Commission and the Executive Secretary of the Commission; providing for the designation of a certain employee as Deputy Executive Secretary of the Commission;…
Not out of committeeWithdrawn by Sponsor · 2026-03-20
Legal Advertisement or Legal Notice – Publication in Newspaper or Newspaper in General Circulation – Digital Newspapers
Establishing certain requirements for the print or digital publication of legal advertisements and notices in counties and municipalities in the State; requiring digital publications that publish a legal advertisement or notice to maintain an archive of all published legal advertisements and legal notices that shall…
Passed one chamberReferred Judicial Proceedings · 2026-03-13
Public Health – Restaurants – Disclosure of Main Food Allergens
Requiring restaurants to make available to each customer a written disclosure of each main food allergen, if any, that is an ingredient in each menu item; and excluding a violation of the Act from certain criminal penalties.
Not out of committeeWithdrawn by Sponsor · 2026-02-09
“In plain English” lines are written by ThePolitibase with AI (Claude), from the official synopsis only; the synopsis is the authoritative text. Descriptions are the legislature’s own synopsis. Bill data from LegiScan, CC BY 4.0.