Bill Watch List / 2025 Session

Updated: 4/9/2025 3:49 PM

SUPPORT:

• HB12 – SIGNED into law – Prohibits the sale or distribution of certain products that contain tetrahydrocannabinolm; authorizes the Executive Director of the Commission to seize, destroy, or confiscate a certain unlawful product. (Companion to SB214)
• SB214 – SIGNED into law – Prohibits the sale or distribution of certain products that contain tetrahydrocannabinolm; authorizes the Executive Director of the Commission to seize, destroy, or confiscate a certain unlawful product. (Companion to HB12)

• HB437 – Passed House and Senate – Waiting for Governor’s signature or veto – Prohibits conducting visual surveillance of someone without their consent in a “Private place” includes a tanning room, dressing room, bedroom, or restroom. (Companion to SB348)
• SB348 – Passed House and Senate – Waiting for Governor’s signature or veto – Prohibits conducting visual surveillance of someone without their consent in a “Private place” includes a tanning room, dressing room, bedroom, or restroom. (Companion to HB437)

• SB854 – Passed House and Senate – Waiting for Governor’s signature or veto – Assists midwives by making their practice independent, no longer requiring oversight by other healthcare practitioners.

• HB1 – Passed House and Senate – Waiting for Governor’s signature or veto – Requires the Maryland Department of Transportation to develop or identify and implement a training program for transportation–sector employees on the identification and reporting of suspected human trafficking victims.
• SB7 – Passed Senate – House Hearing – Held on 3/20 – Results Pending – Requires the Maryland Department of Transportation to develop or identify and implement a training program for transportation–sector employees on the identification and reporting of suspected human trafficking victims.

• HB5 – Passed House – Senate Committee Hearing – Held on 3/25 – Results Pending – Defines “computer–generated image” to include images created through AI software related to child pornography.

• SB310 – Passed House and Senate – Waiting for Governor’s signature or veto – Alters the requirements of the Youth Suicide Prevention School Program to increase pupil awareness of the relationship between gambling and youth suicide.

OPPOSE:

• HB930 – Passed House and Senate – Waiting for Governor’s signature or veto – Requires health insurance companies to provide coverage for abortion and allows grants and public funding to make abortion more available.
• SB848 – Passed House and Senate – Waiting for Governor’s signature or veto – Requires health insurance companies to provide coverage for abortion and allows grants and public funding to make abortion more available.

• HB987 – Passed House and Senate – Waiting for Governor’s signature or veto – Allows an alcohol license to be given to an establishment that is within 300 feet of a church or “place or worship” in Baltimore County.

• SB24 – Passed Senate – House Committee Hearing – Held on 3/24 – Results Pending – Removes the words “church” and “synagogue” from Maryland code and replaces it with “faith institution” in most instances or “place of worship” in a few instances.

• HB413 – Passed House and Senate – Waiting for Governor’s signature or veto – Authorizes a person to manufacture a small amount of cannabis products or concentrated cannabis for personal use.

• HB161 – Passed House and Senate – Waiting for Governor’s signature or veto – Requires each county board of education to create an “age–appropriate” comprehensive health education curriculum that includes among other things, instruction on family life, human sexuality, gender identity and sexual orientation. Each county board must also establish procedures for a parent or guardian to opt their student out the family life and human sexuality topics, but they may NOT authorize the parent or guardian to opt their student out of the HIV and AIDS prevention curriculum. (There is no mention in the bill of allowing or not allowing a parent or guardian to opt their student out of the gender identity and sexual orientation topics.)

• HB334 – Passed House and Senate – Waiting for Governor’s signature or veto – Mandates the Department of Health to create a universal newborn nurse home visiting program to be available for all families, requires data collection and reporting, and obligates insurers to cover and reimburse these services.
• SB156 – Passed House and Senate – Waiting for Governor’s signature or veto – Mandates the Department of Health to create a universal newborn nurse home visiting program to be available for all families, requires data collection and reporting, and obligates insurers to cover and reimburse these services.

• HB939 – Passed House and Senate – Waiting for Governor’s signature or veto – Requires the Maryland Commission for Women to study and enhance access to over-the-counter birth control, involving representatives from state agencies, public health groups, and reproductive health advocates.
• SB356 – Passed House and Senate – Waiting for Governor’s signature or veto – Repeals the prohibition on knowingly transferring or attempting to transfer HIV to another individual. (Companion to HB39)

• SB545 – Passed Senate – Awaiting a hearing in a House Committee – Amends current law to allow a person to possess up to 100 images of child pornography or viewing before they can be criminally prosecuted.

• SB447 – Passed Senate – Senate Committee Hearing – Held on 3/27 – Results Pending – Threatens to undermine Maryland’s conscience protections for healthcare workers, potentially forcing doctors to perform abortions and other procedures against their moral beliefs.

• HB324 – Passed House and Senate – Waiting for Governor’s signature or veto – Requires members of County Boards of Education to complete the same antibias training program currently required for most school employees including instruction on ways to achieve schools that are inclusive and tolerant of a person’s sexual orientation and gender identity. (Companion to SB293)