More Major Bills Passed the House

Read our Full Digest here: March 2, 2026 Digest

Five more significant bills passed the House of Delegates this week, one related to health care and four emergency bills related to federal immigration policies and practices:

HB 372 - Hospitals - Emergency Pregnancy-Related Medical Conditions – Procedures – This bill would require hospitals to conduct screening on a patient presenting at an emergency department to determine whether the patient has an emergency pregnancy-related medical condition. It also requires the hospital to allow the termination of a pregnancy at the hospital if the patient’s treating health care practitioner determines termination is medically necessary to stabilize a patient. – Passed the House 97-38 on Thursday. Its companion SB 169 had already passed the Senate. At least one of these must be passed by the other chamber in order for the measure to become law.

HB 1017 – Correctional Services - Private Immigration Detention Facilities - Zoning Requirement – This emergency bill would prohibit, notwithstanding any other provision of law, the State or a unit of local government from approving the use of a building or structure as an immigration detention facility by a private entity unless the immigration detention facility is expressly included in the applicable zoning authority. In addition, the bill would prohibit a private entity from operating or occupying a building or structure as an immigration detention facility without a use and occupancy authorization or change in use and occupancy approval consistent with the bill’s provisions. The Attorney General may bring a civil action to enforce the bill’s provisions. – Passed the House 96-36.

HB 1018 – Correctional Services - Correctional Facilities and Immigration Detention Facilities - Minimum Mandatory Standards – This emergency bill would require the Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services to adopt regulations establishing minimum mandatory standards applicable to the care, custody, and conditions of incarcerated individuals to apply to civil detainees in immigration detention facilities, alter and expand the duties of the Maryland Commission on Correctional Standards (MCCS) relating to correctional facilities to incorporate immigration detention facilities, and require health care practitioners and security guards to report violations and security breaches to the commission and require specified regulating bodies to take appropriate disciplinary action if the health care practitioner or a security guard fails to report violations. The bill would also apply existing compliance, audit, and enforcement provisions to immigration detention facilities, authorize the Attorney General to bring an action against a private entity that owns, manages, or operates a correctional facility or an immigration detention facility for violations, and authorize the commission to cease operation of an immigration detention facility under specified circumstances. – Passed the House 98-37.

HB 591 – Constitutional Rights - Violations and Digital Unmasking– This emergency bill was amended to include provisions of HB 332 authorizing an aggrieved party or the Office of the Attorney General to bring an action against a judicial officer who, under color of law, deprives another of a right, a privilege, or an immunity secured under the Constitution or federal law. It also would authorize the Office of the Attorney General or a State’s Attorney, on receipt of a complaint of “federal agent misconduct,” to direct the Department of State Police (DSP) to gather and securely retain as much “identifying digital data” as possible about the “federal agent” or federal agents who are the subject of a misconduct complaint. – Passed the House 96-38.

HB 1341 - Public Schools - School Security Personnel - Immigration Investigation and Enforcement – This bill prohibits public school security personnel from (1) being used at a public school for purposes of or otherwise engaging in federal immigration investigation or enforcement functions under § 287(g) of the federal Immigration and Nationality Act or (2) producing or sharing information or a document pertaining to student educational records or employee personnel records or any other information about or from a student, a public school employee, or a student’s or a public school employee’s family or household for purposes of federal immigration investigation or enforcement. – Passed the House 90-34.

The Halfway Point: Attention Shifts to Committee Voting Sessions

Friday was the exact halfway point of the session, and UULM-MD is now tracking 28 measures designated as priorities comprised of 53 bills (due to companion bills filed in each chamber) and 14 measures (26 bills) that we are watching in case action is needed.

Most of these bills (51) have had hearings in committee, with five having passed one chamber, and two enacted. Eighteen (18) bills are left to be heard in committee, but eleven (11) of them have already had their companion bills heard in the other house. Only two (2) of our priority measures have not had a hearing in either house. 

So far, one more important criminal justice bill was voted out of committee and will be on the Senate floor this coming week. SB 323 - Juvenile Court - Jurisdiction (Youth Charging Reform Act) – was amended in the Judicial Proceedings Committee under the leadership of Chair Will Smith, and passed out 10-1. While it still allows certain youth to be charged in adult court for serious crimes, it removes some of them so that court processes generally start in juvenile court where services and education are available to defendants.  Overall, it is an improvement over the current law.

We are now watching closely the committee schedules for voting sessions and subcommittee work sessions. Committee voting sessions are usually scheduled as the Committee Chair deems them ready, and little public notice is provided.  We are constantly scanning the official meeting schedules for voting sessions and monitoring House and Senate sessions for any verbal announcements.  While we cannot guarantee advance notice to our readers, we are constantly updating our Upcoming Hearings table with any new information.

Keep an eye out for any alerts from our Issue Leads asking you to contact your lawmakers who sit on specific committees!  This is the best time to reach out to your representatives and make an impact on their vote.

The Coming Week:

Important hearings scheduled for this week include hearings on 2 Gun Violence bills (1 priority, 1 watch), 2 Criminal Justice (both priorities), and 6 Climate Change (4 priorities, 2 watch). See the table and calendar on our Look Ahead page for details.

Now that many hearings have been held, committees are starting to vote on bills they have heard. As we learn of voting sessions (often with short notice), we will post them on the Look Ahead calendar.

Stay tuned for alerts from our Issue Teams on how you can contact your representatives on these committees and urge passage, or check out our Take Action Page. 

It was a busy, exhilarating, and important week. More to follow in the coming week