Current Status of Priority Legislation

Status of Priority Bills

2025 Legislative Session

Below are all of the bills designated as priorities by our Issue Leads that have been introduced to date. These bills are in alphabetical order by Issue (Climate Change, Criminal Justice, Gun Violence, Healthcare, Immigration, and Medical Aid in Dying), so first scroll down to the issue you seek. Once you find a bill of interest, scroll right to see additional information, such as bill description.

For further information on any bill listed below, please go to the Maryland General Assembly website and enter the bill number in the Search field.

Issue	Subject	Bill Number	XFile Bill No.	Sponsor	Title	Status	Current Location	Position	Priority	Synopsis
Civil Rights	Girls Sports - Anti-Trans	HB0156		Delegate Szeliga	Education - Interscholastic and Intramural Junior Varsity and Varsity Teams - Designation Based on Sex (Fairness in Girls' Sports Act)	Hearing 1/29 at 1:00 p.m.	Ways and Means	Oppose	x	Requiring certain interscholastic and intramural junior varsity and varsity athletic teams or sports sponsored by certain schools 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 and sports for students of the female sex; and providing that certain individuals have the right to bring a civil action under certain circumstances.
Climate Change	Abundant Affordable Clean Energy	HB0398	SB0316	Delegate Charkoudian	Abundant Affordable Clean Energy - Procurement and Development (AACE Act)	Hearing 2/06 at 1:00 p.m.	Economic Matters	Support	x	Requiring each electric company in the State to submit to the Public Service Commission by certain dates plans for the construction or procurement of distribution-connected energy storage devices and to construct or procure the devices in accordance with the plan; providing for the creation of zero-emission credits by beneficial nuclear facilities; requiring the Commission to pursue certain coordinated approaches to offshore wind energy transmission development; etc.
Climate Change	Abundant Affordable Clean Energy	SB0316	HB0398	Senator Brooks	Abundant Affordable Clean Energy - Procurement and Development (AACE Act)	Hearing 2/13 at 1:00 p.m.	Education, Energy, and the Environment	Support	x	Requiring each electric company in the State to submit to the Public Service Commission by certain dates plans for the construction or procurement of distribution-connected energy storage devices and to construct or procure the devices in accordance with the plan; providing for the creation of zero-emission credits by beneficial nuclear facilities; requiring the Commission to pursue certain coordinated approaches to offshore wind energy transmission development; etc.
Climate Change	Building Energy Performance Standards	HB0049	SB0256	Chair, Environment and Transportation Committee	Environment - Building Energy Performance Standards - Compliance and Reporting	First Reading Environment and Transportation	Environment and Transportation	Support	x	Altering an annual compliance fee paid by certain owners of covered buildings under certain circumstances to include the energy use attributable to the building's failure to meet certain energy targets; requiring certain regulations to include a certain annual reporting fee to cover certain costs; and requiring the Department of the Environment to deposit alternative compliance fees into the Maryland Strategic Energy Investment Fund.
Climate Change	Building Energy Performance Standards	SB0256	HB0049	Chair, Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee	Environment - Building Energy Performance Standards - Compliance and Reporting	Hearing 2/13 at 1:00 p.m.	Education, Energy, and the Environment	Support	x	Altering an annual compliance fee paid by certain owners of covered buildings under certain circumstances to include the energy use attributable to the building's failure to meet certain energy targets; requiring certain regulations to include a certain annual reporting fee to cover certain costs; and requiring the Department of the Environment to deposit alternative compliance fees into the Maryland Strategic Energy Investment Fund.
Climate Change	Maryland Bottle Bill	HB0232	SB0346	Delegate Terrasa	Maryland Beverage Container Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Program	First Reading Environment and Transportation and Economic Matters	Environment and Transportation	Support	x	Establishing the Maryland Beverage Container Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Program to increase the reuse and recycling of beverage containers and reduce the litter, pollution, and costs associated with beverage containers; prohibiting a producer from selling, offering for sale, or distributing in or importing into the State a redeemable beverage container unless the producer is registered with the Department of the Environment, pays a certain fee, and is part of a certain stewardship organization; etc.
Climate Change	Maryland Bottle Bill	SB0346	HB0232	Senator Brooks	Maryland Beverage Container Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Program	First Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment	Education, Energy, and the Environment	Support	x	Establishing the Maryland Beverage Container Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Program to increase the reuse and recycling of beverage containers and reduce the litter, pollution, and costs associated with beverage containers; prohibiting a producer from selling, offering for sale, or distributing in or importing into the State a redeemable beverage container unless the producer is registered with the Department of the Environment, pays a certain fee, and is part of a certain stewardship organization; etc.
Climate Change	Natural Gas Ratepayer Protection	HB0419		Delegate Embry	Natural Gas - Strategic Infrastructure Development and Enhancement (Ratepayer Protection Act)	Hearing 2/06 at 1:00 p.m.	Economic Matters	Support	x	Altering the required contents of a certain plan that a gas company may file with the Public Service Commission for proposed eligible infrastructure replacement projects to include certain descriptions, demonstrations, analyses, and notifications; and altering the required findings of the Commission in considering whether to approve a certain infrastructure replacement plan.
Climate Change	RENEW Act	HB0128	SB0149	Delegate Fraser-Hidalgo	Responding to Emergency Needs From Extreme Weather (RENEW) Act of 2025	Hearing held; awaiting committee vote	Economic Matters	Support	x	Establishing the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Payment Program in the Department of the Environment to secure payments from certain businesses that extract fossil fuels or refine petroleum products in order to provide a source of revenue for State efforts to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change and to address the health impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations; establishing the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Fund to support efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change; etc.
Climate Change	RENEW Act	SB0149	HB0128	Senator Hester	Responding to Emergency Needs From Extreme Weather (RENEW) Act of 2025	Hearing 2/13 at 1:00 p.m. (Education, Energy, and the Environment)	Education, Energy, and the Environment	Support	x	Establishing the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Payment Program in the Department of the Environment to secure payments from certain businesses that extract fossil fuels or refine petroleum products in order to provide a source of revenue for State efforts to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change and to address the health impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations; establishing the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Fund to support efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change; etc.
Climate Change	Transportation Alignment	HB0084	SB0395	Delegate Edelson	Transportation - Major Highway Capacity Expansion Projects and Impact Assessments (Transportation and Climate Alignment Act of 2025)	Hearing 2/04 at 1:00 p.m. (Appropriations)	Appropriations	Support	x	Requiring the Department of Transportation, as part of the planning and implementation of certain major highway expansion projects to develop and implement a corresponding multimodal transportation program; requiring the Department beginning with a certain Consolidated Transportation Program to evaluate certain major capital projects for their impact on greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled; requiring the Secretary of Transportation to perform certain capacity expansion impact assessments; etc.
Climate Change	Transportation Alignment	SB0395	HB0084	Senator Hettleman	Transportation - Major Highway Capacity Expansion Projects and Impact Assessments (Transportation and Climate Alignment Act of 2025)	Hearing 1/29 at 10:30 a.m.	Budget and Taxation	Support	x	Requiring the Department of Transportation, as part of the planning and implementation of certain major highway expansion projects to develop and implement a corresponding multimodal transportation program; requiring the Department beginning with a certain Consolidated Transportation Program to evaluate certain major capital projects for their impact on greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled; requiring the Secretary of Transportation to perform certain capacity expansion impact assessments; etc.
Criminal Justice	Corrections - Restrictive Housing	HB0647		Delegate Phillips	Correctional Services - Restrictive Housing	First Reading Judiciary	Judiciary	Support	x	Altering a certain definition of restrictive housing; limiting the amount of time that an individual may be placed in restrictive housing from approximately 22 hours to 17 hours in a 24-hour period; requiring all restrictive housing units to create the least restrictive environment necessary for certain purposes; prohibiting the placement of a certain member of a vulnerable population in restrictive housing for any period of time; etc.
Criminal Justice	Expungement - Good Cause	HB0055		Delegate Ruff	Criminal Procedure - Expungement of Records - Good Cause	First Reading Judiciary	Judiciary	Support	x	Authorizing a person to file a petition for expungement of any misdemeanor or felony conviction after the completion of the sentence, parole, probation, and any other form of mandatory treatment associated with the conviction; authorizing a court to grant a petition at any time on a showing of good cause; and providing that a denial of a certain petition may not be appealed and a subsequent petition may not be filed for at least 5 years.
Criminal Justice	Geriatric and Medical Parole	HB0190	SB0181	Delegate Bartlett	Correctional Services - Geriatric and Medical Parole	Hearing 2/04 at 1:00 p.m.	Judiciary	Support	x	Requiring the Maryland Parole Commission to consider the age of incarcerated individuals when determining whether to grant parole; altering how the Commission evaluates a request for medical parole, including providing for a meeting between the incarcerated individual and the Commission; requiring the Commission to develop procedures for assessing parole requests by older incarcerated individuals; and requiring the Commission to report yearly to the Justice Reinvestment Oversight Board on the outcomes of certain parole considerations.
Criminal Justice	Geriatric and Medical Parole	SB0181	HB0190	Senator Hettleman	Correctional Services - Geriatric and Medical Parole	Hearing 1/28 at 1:00 p.m.	Judicial Proceedings	Support	x	Requiring the Maryland Parole Commission to consider the age of incarcerated individuals when determining whether to grant parole; altering how the Commission evaluates a request for medical parole, including providing for a meeting between the incarcerated individual and the Commission; requiring the Commission to develop procedures for assessing parole requests by older incarcerated individuals; and requiring the Commission to report yearly to the Justice Reinvestment Oversight Board on the outcomes of certain parole considerations.
Criminal Justice	Medical Parole - Life Imprisonment	HB0311		Delegate Bartlett	Correctional Services - Medical Parole - Life Imprisonment	Hearing 2/04 at 1:00 p.m.	Judiciary	Support	x	Repealing provisions relating to gubernatorial approval of a decision of the Maryland Parole Commission to grant medical parole to an incarcerated individual serving a sentence of life imprisonment.
Criminal Justice	Reduction of sentence petition	SB0291		Senator Sydnor	Criminal Procedure - Petition to Reduce Sentence (Maryland Second Look Act)	Hearing 1/30 at 1:00 p.m.	Judicial Proceedings	Support	x	Authorizing an individual who is serving a term of confinement to petition a court to reduce the sentence or sentences under certain circumstances; and establishing procedures for a proceeding under the Act.
Education	Sexually Explicit Materials in Schools	HB0282		Delegate Mangione	Public Schools - Sexually Explicit Materials - Prohibited in Libraries and Media Centers	Hearing held; awaiting committee vote	Ways and Means	Oppose	x	Prohibiting sexually explicit materials in elementary, middle, and secondary public school libraries and media centers; defining sexually explicit materials as books and auditory and visual material that contain graphic or obscene depictions of sexual activity that are not age-appropriate or used as part of the approved instructional materials for instruction on family life and human sexuality as part of a certain program; etc.
Gun Violence	Community Safety Funding	HB0387		Delegate Mireku-North	Comprehensive Community Safety Funding Act	First Reading Ways and Means	Ways and Means	Support	x	Imposing an excise tax on certain gross receipts of certain firearms dealers derived from the sales of firearms in the State and sales of firearms to residents of the State; etc.
Healthcare	Prescription Drug Affordabiltiy for All	HB0424	SB0357	Delegate Cullison	Prescription Drug Affordability Board - Authority for Upper Payment Limits (Lowering Prescription Drug Costs for All Marylanders Now Act)	Hearing 2/06 at 1:00 p.m.	Health and Government Operations	Support	x	Requiring the Prescription Drug Affordability Board, under certain circumstances, to establish a process for setting upper payment limits for all purchases and payor reimbursements of prescription drug products in the State that the Board determines have led or will lead to affordability challenges; authorizing the Board to reconsider an upper payment limit for a drug that becomes a current shortage; altering requirements related to the setting of upper payment limits by the Board; etc.
Healthcare	Prescription Drug Affordabiltiy for All	SB0357	HB0424	Senator Gile	Prescription Drug Affordability Board - Authority for Upper Payment Limits (Lowering Prescription Drug Costs for All Marylanders Now Act)	Hearing 2/06 at 1:00 p.m.	Finance	Support	x	Requiring the Prescription Drug Affordability Board, under certain circumstances, to establish a process for setting upper payment limits for all purchases and payor reimbursements of prescription drug products in the State that the Board determines have led or will lead to affordability challenges; authorizing the Board to reconsider an upper payment limit for a drug that becomes a current shortage; altering requirements related to the setting of upper payment limits by the Board; etc.
Healthcare	Young Adult Insurance-Sunset Repeal	SB0005	HB0297	Senator Lam	Maryland Health Benefit Exchange - State-Based Young Adult Health Insurance Subsidies Pilot Program - Sunset Repeal	Hearing 1/29 at 1:00 p.m.	Finance	Support	x	Renaming the State-Based Young Adult Health Insurance Subsidies Pilot Program to be the State-Based Young Adult Health Insurance Subsidies Program; repealing the termination date of certain provisions of law that establish and govern the funding for the Program; authorizing rather than requiring the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange to establish and implement the Program; and prohibiting the Exchange from implementing the Program if certain funds are not available.
Immigration	Anti-Sanctuary Policies	HB0085		Delegate Mangione	State and Local Government - Sanctuary Policies and Enforcement of Federal Immigration Law (Rachel Morin Act)	First Reading Judiciary	Judiciary	Oppose	x	Repealing provisions of law prohibiting law enforcement agents from taking certain actions related to an individual's citizenship or immigration status; prohibiting a county or municipality from adopting, enacting, or enforcing a sanctuary policy; requiring a county or municipality to fully cooperate with federal immigration authorities regarding certain individuals unlawfully present in the United States; etc.
Immigration	In-State Tuition - Undocumented Students	HB0207	SB0268	Delegate Pasteur	Higher Education - Undocumented Students - Out-of-State Tuition Exemption Eligibility	Hearing held; awaiting committee vote	Appropriations	Support	x	Altering, from 3 years to 2 years, the number of years before an academic year for which an individual or the individual's parent or guardian must file taxes to be eligible to receive an out-of-state tuition exemption.
Immigration	In-State Tuition - Undocumented Students	SB0268	HB0207	Senator Brooks	Higher Education - Undocumented Students - Out-of-State Tuition Exemption Eligibility	Hearing held; awaiting committee vote	Education, Energy, and the Environment	Support	x	Altering, from 3 years to 2 years, the number of years before an academic year for which an individual or the individual's parent or guardian must file taxes to be eligible to receive an out-of-state tuition exemption.
Immigration	Transfer of Undocumented to ICE	HB0403	SB0387	Delegate Pippy	Correctional Services - Transfers to Federal Authorities - Undocumented Immigrants (Protecting Marylanders From Violent Offenders Act of 2025)	First Reading Judiciary	Judiciary	Oppose	x	Requiring a State or local correctional facility with custody of an undocumented immigrant who is serving a sentence in the facility for conviction of a crime, on request of the United States Department of Homeland Security, to transfer the undocumented immigrant to the United States Department of Homeland Security under certain circumstances.
Immigration	Transfer of Undocumented to ICE	HB0653		Delegate Szeliga	Correctional Services - Transfers to Federal Authorities - Undocumented Immigrants (Protecting Marylanders From Violent Crime Act of 2025)	First Reading Judiciary	Judiciary	Oppose	x	Requiring a certain State or local correctional facility, on request of the United States Department of Homeland Security, to transfer a certain undocumented immigrant to the United States Department of Homeland Security under certain circumstances.
Immigration	Transfer of Undocumented to ICE	SB0387	HB0403	Senator Folden	Correctional Services - Transfers to Federal Authorities - Undocumented Immigrants (Protecting Marylanders From Violent Offenders Act of 2025)	Hearing 2/04 at 1:00 p.m.	Judicial Proceedings	Oppose	x	Requiring a State or local correctional facility with custody of an undocumented immigrant who is serving a sentence in the facility for conviction of a crime, on request of the United States Department of Homeland Security, to transfer the undocumented immigrant to the United States Department of Homeland Security under certain circumstances.

Status of Priority Bills

2025 Legislative Session

Quick Links