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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conversion Therapy - Prohibitions and Lawsuits | SB0950 | Conversion Therapy - Prohibitions and Causes of Action | Clarifying that injury resulting from conversion therapy is cognizable for purposes of a health care malpractice action; establishing certain procedures in an action for health care malpractice resulting from conversion therapy; removing the limitation on noneconomic damages to a claimant in an action for health care malpractice resulting from conversion therapy; etc. | First Reading Judicial Proceedings and Finance | Judicial Proceedings | Support | |
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. | Hearing 2/10 at 1:00 p.m. | 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. | Hearing 2/17 at 1:00 p.m. | 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. | Hearing 2/18 at 1:00 p.m. | 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. | Hearing 2/05 at 1:00 p.m. | 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. | Hearing 2/18 at 1:00 p.m. | 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. | Hearing 2/17 at 1:00 p.m. | Government, Labor, and Elections | ||
Hate Crimes - Sexual Orientation | HB0513 | Hate Crimes and Hate Bias - Definitions of Sexual Orientation and Hate Bias Incident | Altering the definition of 'sexual orientation' applicable to certain hate crime statutes; and defining 'hate bias incident' applicable to a certain requirement that the Department of State Police collect, analyze, and report certain information provided by certain law enforcement agencies. | Hearing 2/10 at 1:00 p.m. | Judiciary | ||
Reparations Commission | SB0476 | State Government - Maryland Reparations Commission - Revisions | Altering the membership, duties, and reporting requirements for the Maryland Reparations Commission. | Hearing 2/19 at 1:00 p.m. | Education, Energy, and the Environment | ||
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. | Hearing 2/10 at 1:00 p.m. | 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 | HB0650 | 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; and generally relating to civil actions and public expression. | Hearing 2/25 at 1:00 p.m. | Judiciary | |
Uniform Public Expression Protection Act | SB0251 | HB0650 | 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) | SB0346 | 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. | Hearing 2/10 at 1:00 p.m. | Judicial Proceedings | |
Violation of Constitutional Rights (No Kings Act) | HB0332 | SB0346 | 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. | Hearing 2/25 at 1:00 p.m. | Judiciary | |
Violation of Constitutional Rights (No Kings Act) | HB0550 | Civil Actions - Violation of Constitutional Rights (No Kings Act) | Establishing certain civil liability for a federal law enforcement officer who, under color of law, deprives another of a right, a privilege, or an immunity secured by the U.S. Constitution; and applying the Act retroactively to a cause of action arising on or after March 1, 2025. | Hearing canceled | Judiciary | ||
Violations of County Discrimination Laws | SB0694 | Human Relations - Violations of County Discrimination Laws - Complaints | Establishing that filing a certain complaint with the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights satisfies certain prerequisites to commencing a civil action alleging the violation of a county discrimination law. | First Reading Judicial Proceedings | Judicial Proceedings | ||
Worker Attendance - Religious/Political | SB0417 | 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. | Hearing 2/18 at 1:00 p.m. | Finance | |
Worker Attendance - Religious/Political | HB0045 | SB0417 | 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. | Hearing 2/19 at 1:00 p.m. | Government, Labor, and Elections | |
Workgroup on Supporting Trans Students | HB1011 | Workgroup on Supporting Transgender and Gender Diverse Students - Established | Establishing the Workgroup on Supporting Transgender and Gender Diverse Students to study ways to support transgender and gender diverse students and, on or before December 1, 2026, make recommendations regarding statewide statutory and regulatory policies. | First Reading Ways and Means | Ways and Means |
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