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Civil Rights, LGBTQ+ Issues and the 2026 Session

The LGBTQ+ Task Force is inactive, but we are tracking legislation involving civil rights: 

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Subject
Bill Number
XFile Bill Number
Title
Synopsis
Current Status
Current Location
Position
Data Privacy & Protection
HB0264
Maryland Data Privacy and Protection Act of 2026
Limiting the personal information that may be collected, maintained, processed, and retained by units of State government under certain circumstances; requiring certain personal information to be deleted or de-identified under certain circumstances; requiring each unit to post a certain privacy notice on its Internet website and establishing certain requirements for privacy notices and privacy policies; requiring each unit of State government to designate a Privacy Officer; etc.
First Reading Government, Labor, and Elections
Government, Labor, and Elections
Display of Ten Commandments
HB0067
State Government - State House Trust - Ten Commandments Monument Display Act
Requiring a certain Ten Commandments Monument to be placed on the grounds of the Maryland State House; requiring the Commission on Artistic Property to oversee the care and maintenance of the monument; and establishing the Commission on the Ten Commandments Monument.
First Reading Government, Labor, and Elections
Government, Labor, and Elections
Oppose
Fairness in Girls' Sports
SB0050
Education - Interscholastic and Intramural Junior Varsity and Varsity Teams and Sports - Designation (Fairness in Girls' Sports Act)
Requiring certain interscholastic and intramural junior varsity and varsity athletic teams or sports sponsored by certain schools to be expressly designated in a certain manner; prohibiting certain interscholastic and intramural junior varsity and varsity athletic teams or sports from including certain students; prohibiting certain entities from taking certain adverse actions against a school under certain circumstances; etc.
First Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment
Education, Energy, and the Environment
Oppose
Fairness in Girls' Sports
HB0063
Education - Interscholastic and Intramural Junior Varsity and Varsity Teams and Locker Rooms - Designation Based on Sex (Fairness in Girls' Sports Act)
Requiring certain interscholastic and intramural junior varsity and varsity athletic teams or sports sponsored by certain schools and certain locker rooms to be expressly designated based on biological sex; prohibiting certain entities from taking certain adverse actions against a school for maintaining separate interscholastic and intramural junior varsity and varsity athletic teams or sports or locker rooms for students of the female sex; etc.
First Reading Ways and Means
Ways and Means
Oppose
Federal Agents - Digital Unmasking
HB0351
Public Safety - Federal Agents - Digital Unmasking
Authorizing the Office of the Attorney General or a State's Attorney, upon receipt of a complaint of federal agent misconduct, to direct the Maryland State Police to gather and securely retain certain identifying digital data about a certain federal agent or federal agents; and authorizing a certain complainant to obtain certain identifying digital data only pursuant to a court order issued in a certain case.
First Reading Judiciary
Judiciary
Free Exercise of Religion
HB0356
Human Relations - Protection of the Free Exercise of Religion
Prohibiting a governmental authority, under certain circumstances, from burdening a person's exercise of religion; and authorizing a person aggrieved by a violation of the Act to obtain certain relief in a civil action.
First Reading Government, Labor, and Elections
Government, Labor, and Elections
State Procurement - Constitutional Violations
HB0334
State Procurement - Constitutional Violations - Prohibited
Requiring a procurement officer to require a certain certification from a bidder or offeror and to include a certain clause in a State procurement contract relating to unconstitutional activity.
First Reading Government, Labor, and Elections
Government, Labor, and Elections
Unhoused Individuals
SB0049
HB0104
Unhoused Individuals - Rights and Affirmative Defense
Providing that all unhoused individuals have certain rights; stating it is the intent of the General Assembly that the Courts liberally construe the Act to maximize the protections afforded by it to unhoused individuals in the State; establishing an affirmative defense of necessity to certain criminal charges relating to trespass or disturbing the peace; and repealing the authority of a municipality to prohibit vagrancy.
Hearing 1/27 at 1:00 p.m.
Judicial Proceedings
Unhoused Individuals
HB0104
SB0049
Unhoused Individuals - Rights and Affirmative Defense
Providing that all unhoused individuals have certain rights; establishing an affirmative defense of necessity to certain criminal charges relating to trespass or disturbing the peace; and repealing the authority of a municipality to prohibit vagrancy.
Hearing 2/03 at 1:00 p.m.
Judiciary
Uniform Public Expression Protection Act
SB0251
Civil Actions - Maryland Uniform Public Expression Protection Act
Repealing a certain provision relating to strategic lawsuits against public participation; authorizing a person served with a pleading asserting a certain cause of action based on the person's communication related to a governmental proceeding or exercise of certain constitutional rights to file a special motion for expedited relief to dismiss the cause of action; generally relating to civil actions and public expression; and applying the Act prospectively.
Hearing 1/29 at 3:00 p.m.
Judicial Proceedings
Violation of Constitutional Rights (No Kings Act)
HB0332
Civil Actions - Violation of Constitutional Rights (No Kings Act)
Establishing certain civil liability for an individual who, under color of law, deprives another of a right, a privilege, or an immunity secured by the U.S. Constitution.
First Reading Judiciary
Judiciary
Worker Attendance - Religious/Political
HB0045
Labor and Employment - Mandatory Meetings on Religious or Political Matters - Employee Attendance and Participation (Maryland Worker Freedom Act)
Prohibiting employers and their agents, representatives, and designees 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; authorizing an employee to file a certain complaint with the Commissioner of Labor and Industry; etc.
First Reading Government, Labor, and Elections
Government, Labor, and Elections

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