Almost All Priority Measures Introduced and Some Advancing

Ashley Egan
2 hours ago
3 min read

Read Full Digest Here: February 9, 2026 Digest

With the Senate deadline to file bills on Monday, February 9 (today), and the House deadline on Friday, February 13, a few more priority bills were introduced last week. Any bills introduced after these deadlines will be referred to the chambers’ respective Rules Committees, requiring a vote of those bodies before referral to a standing committee. Late bills are less likely to get a hearing during the session since a third of the session will have passed by Friday.

As of last Friday, we have the following for priority bills under each Issue Area:

Immigration: 4 measures (7 bills) – 2 advancing

SB 1 – Public Safety - Law Enforcement Officers - Prohibition on Face Coverings has now passed the Senate (31-13) and is awaiting action by the House Judiciary Committee. Its companion bill HB 155 will be heard in that committee on February 24.

HB 444 - Public Safety - Immigration Enforcement Agreements – Prohibition passed the House and was quickly passed out of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee without amendment. Its companion bill SB 245 passed the Senate 32-12 this past week.

The fourth priority has now been filed: HB 711 \ SB 504 - Data Privacy - Consumer Data, Public Records, and Message Switching was introduced last week.

Health Care: 2 measures (3 bills) – 1 advancing

SB 169 - Hospitals - Emergency Pregnancy-Related Medical Conditions – Procedures has been reported out of the Senate Finance Committee favorably and will be considered on the Senate Floor this week.

The second priority has now been filed: SB 626 - Certificates of Birth, Licenses, and Identification Cards - Sex Designation (Birth Certificate Modernization Act).

Climate Change: 2 measures introduced (4 bills, counting those cross-filed in each chamber)

The second priority has now been filed: HB 331 / SB 342 - Maryland Beverage Container Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Program.

Plus 9 measures being watched (17 bills)

Criminal Justice: 6 measures (12 bills).

The sixth priority has now been filed: HB 876 / SB 162 - Criminal Procedure - Motion to Reduce Duration of Sentence - Repeal of Sentencing Date Limitation.

Gun Violence: 3 measures (6 bills)

All priority bills have been filed.

For the details, the links above provide access to the 2026 Session page under each issue on our website.

For more information on legislation:

For a list of bills introduced so far that are of interest to UULM-MD, see our table entitled Current Status of Priority Legislation.
For information on specific bills filed, see the Maryland General Assembly website and enter the bill number in the search space.
For up-to-date information on bills scheduled for hearings, see the list on the Look Ahead page of our website.

Glossary:

1. Measure - Something that people want to change, either by adding a law or changing existing law. (the substance).

2. Bill/Legislation - This is what is introduced by a Senator and or a Delegate into their chamber so that a measure can become the law. (the vehicle)

3. Companion Bills - The same bill that is introduced by a Senator and a Delegate into their respective chambers (or cross-filed).

4. Priority Bills - We are following and for which we are submitting testimony.

Note: In Climate Change, we designated bills to watch which could become priorities.

NOTE: The SAME bill has to pass through both chambers before it can go to the Governor, who can veto, enact it (sign it into law), or allow it to become a law without their signature.

Armchair Activism: How Does a Bill Become a Law?

Flowchart showing steps for a bill to become law, from drafting to governor approval. Includes chambers, readings, and voting processes.

Backgrounders:

Please click on the links to access the Backgrounders which will let you know what bills each of our Issue Group has identified:

Please print out or send pdf to your Congregation to print Double-Sided.

CASA Interfaith Day of Action:

Join faith leaders, CASA, partners, and community members from across Maryland in Annapolis on

February 12th at 9 a.m.

Lawyers Mall in Annapolis, near the State House.

Also, if you are planning to attend, please let Rev. Lyn Cox, UUA, know so we can advocate together. (LCox@uua.org)