Last Day of the Session!
- Ashley Egan
- Apr 7
- 6 min read
Please Read Full Digest Here: April 7 Digest
At midnight 🕛 on Monday, April 7, the General Assembly adjourns “sine die” (with no appointed date to reconvene – this year). As of Saturday evening, when the House and Senate adjourned until Monday, UULM-MD had seen five of its priority measures fully passed and several more close to passing.
Below is the status of bills for the priority measures that had at least one bill pass out of its house of origin (House bills passing the House and Senate Bills passing the Senate). Successful measures are marked with the symbol ✅. Those that may need our help to pass on the final day are marked with the symbol❗.
Healthcare – 3 measures moving forward
✅ Public Health Abortion Grant Program – HB 930 and SB 848 have passed both chambers and are headed to the Governor for signature.
✅ State-Based Young Adult Health Insurance Subsidies Pilot Program - Sunset Repeal – SB 5 and HB 297 have passed both chambers and are headed to the Governor for signature.
Prescription Drug Affordability Board - Lowering Prescription Drug Costs for All Marylanders – HB 424 passed the House and was amended and passed in the Senate. Meanwhile, SB 357 passed the Senate and has passed 2nd Reading in the House with amendments. Because the two versions differ, there will be a Conference Committee to reconcile the two versions before they can go to the Governor for signature.
Criminal Justice – 4 measures moving forward
✅ Petition to Reduce Sentence (Maryland Second Look Act) – HB 583 – has now passed both the House and the Senate, and it will be sent to the Governor for signature.
Geriatric and Medical Parole – SB 181 passed the Senate but was amended in the House while HB 1123 passed the House and was amended in the Senate. Both bills are now in Conference Committee to resolve their differences.
❗Medical Parole - Life Imprisonment – SB 648 – amended and passed the Senate, but there has been no action in the House Judiciary Committee.
❗Comprehensive Rehabilitative Prerelease Services - Female Incarcerated Individuals – HB 1198 – passed the House without amendment and SB 632 has passed the Senate with amendments. The differences between the chambers will need to be reconciled, but neither bill has come out of the committee in the opposite chamber.
Gun Violence Prevention – 3 measures moving forward
✅ Trafficking Regulated Firearms - Felony Classification – SB 443 – has fully passed both chambers and will be sent to the Governor for signature.
Gun Buyback Programs - Destruction of Firearms – SB 444 – passed the Senate and has passed 2nd Reading in the House with amendments. After passage on 3rd Reading, the Senate will need to concur in these amendments, or a conference committee will need to resolve the differences between the chambers.
Exception to Armed Trespass Prohibition - Retired Law Enforcement Officials – SB 585 – passed the Senate and has passed 2nd Reading in the House without amendment. Once it is given final passage on 3rd Reading, it will go to the Governor for signature or veto.
Climate Change – 4 measures moving forward
✅ Data Center Impact Analysis and Report - HB 270 has fully passed and will go to the Governor for signature. Companion SB 116 passed the Senate and is awaiting a final vote in the House. Upon passage, it, too, will go to the Governor.
Transportation and Climate Alignment Act – HB 84 – passed the House, but there has been no action by the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee on it or its companion bill, SB 395.
Responding to Emergency Needs From Extreme Weather (RENEW) Act – SB 149 - passed Senate and has passed 2nd Reading in the House with amendments. HB 128 passed the House and was amended and passed in the Senate. The two bills have identical language except for a single word (“mitigate” vs. “adapt to” the effects of greenhouse gas emissions), so the differences need to be resolved before passage.
❗Environment - Packaging Materials - Producer Responsibility Plans – SB 901 – passed the Senate and has passed 2nd Reading in the House with Amendments. After passage on 3rd Reading, the Senate will need to concur in these amendments, or a conference committee will need to resolve the differences between the chambers.
Three other non-priority climate bills proposed by Leadership have also been moving, and parts of some of our priority issues were folded into them. The Senate bills have already passed the Senate and just passed the House with amendments (which will need to be reconciled with the Senate.)
Energy Resource Adequacy and Planning Act – SB 909/HB 1037 – These bills establish the Strategic Energy Planning Office (SEPO) to develop a Comprehensive Wholesale Energy Markets and Bulk Power System Risk Report.
Renewable Energy Certainty Act – SB 931/HB 1036 – These bills establish requirements for the construction of energy storage devices and solar energy generating stations and imposes specified requirements and limitations on local jurisdictions with respect to their construction and development. They also require the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to assist the State in meeting its solar energy commitments.
Immigration – 3 measures moving forward
❗Public Safety - Immigration Enforcement (Maryland Values Act) – HB 1222, – passed the House but there has been no action in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Thursday.
❗Protecting Sensitive Locations Act – SB 828 – passed the Senate but was amended in House Judiciary to include a modified HB 1222 language that requires counties to end their formal agreements to assist ICE, but requires all counties to notify ICE when immigrants convicted of violent crimes or felonies are about to be released. This version will return to the Senate for concurrence with the amendments, or a Conference Committee will need to resolve the differences.
Nonimmigrant Status Petitions – HB 579 – This non-priority bill was amended to include SB 828 sensitive locations provisions. The bill passed the House, but the Senate Judicial Proceedings stripped out the sensitive locations language. This bill and its companion, SB 608, are in Conference Committee to resolve the differences.
❗Higher Education - Undocumented Students - Out-of-State Tuition Exemption Eligibility – HB 207 Passed the House but there has been no action by the Senate Education, Energy and the Environment Committee.
Since events are happening very rapidly, please stay up to date by checking our Current Status of Priority Bills which will be updated continually throughout the last day. Also, check with our Take Action page which has actions for each bill that our Issue Leads ask us to take today. 🕛
The Next Generation Energy Act (SB 937/HB 1035) has three provisions that we object to.
Allows for the fast tracking for construction of methane gas electrical generation plants
Allows for the fast tracking for the construction of nuclear electrical generation plants
Fast-tracking will increase power plant pollution, will impact already-burdened communities for decades to come
We originally opposed these bills since they opened the way for building new gas-powered energy facilities. However, provisions of many of our other Priority bills have been added to the bill. The provisions we support and applaud include:
Housing and Community Development - Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions - Issuance of Loans and Achievement of Targets (SB 247/HB 155) - to allow the Department of Housing and Community Development to issue loans in addition to grants for low-income energy efficiency improvements.
Ratepayer Protection Act (HB 419/SB 998) - to reform the STRIDE law and address the impacts of multi-year rate plans on escalating utility costs. However, the Senate-passed bill weakened some consumer protections that ensure multi-year rate plans provide "cost-savings," and we hope the House will revert to the stronger original language.
Ratepayer Freedom Act (HB 960) - to disallow trade association dues and corporate jets from rates.
Reclaim Renewables Act (SB 10/HB 220) - to remove trash incineration from the RPS.
Abundant Affordable Clean Energy Act (AACE Act – SB 316/HB 398) - battery storage provisions to support procurement of 1,600 MW of transmission-level battery storage and 150MW of distribution level storage.
Electricity - Data Centers - Rate Schedule and Requirements (HB 900) bill - to require utilities to set unique rates for new large load customers like data centers and prohibit co-location with an electric generator.
The Next Generation Energy Act (SB 937/HB 1035) will still enable gas-powered generating facilities, but only if the project can be converted to use only hydrogen or a zero-emissions biofuel as the energy source when PSC determines that the conversion is feasible.
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