Budget Bills Introduced as Well as Priority Bills

Read Full Newsletter Here: Digest January 26, 2026

On Wednesday, January 21st, the Governor was required to submit his budget for consideration by the Senate and House of Delegates.  Three budget bills were introduced and referred to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and House Appropriations Committee.  For more, see below.

Meanwhile, the number of bills introduced increased last week, and bill hearings are beginning in earnest. 

Note: Every year, Maryland has to pass a balanced budget. Because of Federal Spending cuts, Maryland is entering the General Assembly with a $1.4 Billion dollar deficit. We will continue to report on this process as part of our Healthcare Issue Team. 

The first budget bill (SB 282 / HB 390) is the $70.8 million State Operating Budget that closes a projected $1.4 billion shortfall.  This budget bill is 251 pages long, but it only gives a summary of the funds proposed for each state agency; multiple bound volumes provide the specifics for lawmakers to pore over.  Analysts from the nonpartisan Department of Legislative Services (DLS) review each agency proposal, and testimony is taken from these agencies over the next few weeks. The public can also offer testimony on specific agencies, so anyone interested in defending an agency’s spending levels should consult the schedule and review the budget analysis from DLS.  An example would be to support the large funding increase for juvenile services to provide more services for children in the Juvenile Justice system in order to make the recent reforms successful.

The second budget bill is the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act (SB 284 / HB 392) which makes various changes to existing program funding sources.

The final budget bill is the Capital Budget (SB 283 / HB 391) which provides funding for various capital projects.