IM Current Session

Immigration and the 2024 Session

HB 728 / SB 705 - Access to Care - PASSED

Currently, 275,000 undocumented immigrants are ineligible for ACA. Even though many are working, paying taxes, and contributing to Social Security and Medicare. The proposed bill, which was introduced in the 2022 and 2023 sessions, will remove immigration status as a barrier to health care insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA or "Obamacare") and will allow Maryland residents to purchase health coverage from the MD Health Benefit Exchange

ACA currently excludes undocumented folks from accessing state exchanges, so this bill allows the state to use a "1332 waiver” to bypass that Federal requirement and create a targeted state subsidy program for undocumented residents.

Further Reading:

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, non-citizens are significantly more likely than citizens to be uninsured. In 2019, among the non-elderly population, 25% of lawfully present immigrants and more than four in ten (46%) undocumented immigrants were uninsured compared to less than one in ten (9%) citizens. Among citizen children, those with at least one non-citizen parent are more likely to be uninsured compared to those with citizen parents (9% vs. 5%)

Read the full Kaiser Family Foundation assessent (a one page summary with option for full brief download)

Read the MD Health Benefit Exchange info HERE
Read about the 1332 waiver info HERE
Read CASA's info HERE

For more information, please contact our Immigration Issue Lead, Jim Caldiero at Immigration@uulmmd.org

Subject	Bill Number	XFile Bill Number	Sponsor	Title	Status	Current Location	Priority	Position	Synopsis
Access to Care	HB0728	SB0705	Delegate Cullison	Health Insurance - Qualified Resident Enrollment Program (Access to Care Act)	Returned Passed	Governor	X	Support	Requiring the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange to establish and implement the Qualified Resident Enrollment Program to facilitate the enrollment of qualified residents in qualified plans; providing that the operation and administration of the Program may include functions delegated by the Exchange to a third party; and providing that the implementation of the Program is contingent on approval of a certain waiver application amendment.
Access to Care	SB0705	HB0728	Senator Hayes	Health Insurance - Qualified Resident Enrollment Program (Access to Care Act)	Returned Passed	Governor	X	Support	Requiring the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange to establish and implement the Qualified Resident Enrollment Program to facilitate the enrollment of qualified residents in qualified plans; providing that the operation and administration of the Program may include functions delegated by the Maryland Exchange to a third party; and providing that the implementation of the Program is contingent on approval of a certain waiver application amendment.
Commission on New Americans	HB0961		Delegate Taveras	State Government - Commission on New Americans - Established	Failed-no vote in opposite committee	Education, Energy, and the Environment			Establishing the Commission on New Americans to study and periodically report on the contributions of new Americans and the availability of government services for new Americans; and requiring the Commission to submit to the Governor and the General Assembly by October 1, 2026, and at least once every 5 years thereafter a quantitative report detailing the contributions of new Americans and the services available to new Americans throughout the State.
Facial Recognition Technology	HB0338	SB0182	Delegate Moon	Criminal Procedure – Facial Recognition Technology – Requirements, Procedures, and Prohibitions	Passed Enrolled	Governor			Establishing requirements, procedures, and prohibitions relating to the use of facial recognition technology by a law enforcement agency; requiring the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to administer a training program regarding the use of facial recognition technology by June 30, 2026; requiring a law enforcement agency using facial recognition technology to publish a certain report by February 1 each year; providing that certain provisions of the Act preempt any local law governing facial recognition technology; etc.
Facial Recognition Technology	SB0182	HB0338	Senator Sydnor	Criminal Procedure - Facial Recognition Technology - Requirements, Procedures, and Prohibitions	Passed Enrolled	Governor			Establishing requirements, procedures, and prohibitions relating to the use of facial recognition technology by a law enforcement agency under certain circumstances; requiring the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to develop and administer a training program regarding the use of facial recognition technology in the course of criminal investigations by June 30, 2026; requiring a law enforcement agency using or contracting to use facial recognition technology to prepare and publish a certain annual report by February 1; etc.
In-State Tuition	HB0473	SB0637	Delegate Pasteur	Higher Education - Undocumented Students - Out-of-State Tuition Exemption Eligibility	Failed-no vote in opposite committee	Education, Energy, and the Environment			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.
In-State Tuition	SB0637	HB0473	Senator Brooks	Higher Education - Undocumented Students - Out-of-State Tuition Exemption Eligibility	Failed-no vote in original committee	Education, Energy, and the Environment			Altering, from 3 years to 1 year, the number of years an individual or the individual's parent or guardian must file taxes before the academic year for eligibility to receive an out-of-state tuition exemption.
Police Officer Certification	HB0008	SB0048	Delegate Fraser-Hidalgo	Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission - Police Officer Certification - Eligibility	Failed-no vote in original committee	Judiciary			Altering the eligibility requirements for an individual to be certified by the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission as a police officer to remove certain citizenship requirements for an individual who is a permanent legal resident of the United States and an honorably discharged veteran; and providing that an individual who is a permanent legal resident and honorably discharged veteran or current member of the Army National Guard, the Air National Guard, or a reserve component is eligible to be certified as a police officer.
Police Officer Certification	SB0048	HB0008	Senator Kagan	Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission - Police Officer Certification - Eligibility	Failed-no vote in original committee	Judicial Proceedings			Altering the eligibility requirements for an individual to be certified by the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission as a police officer to remove certain citizenship requirements for an individual who is a permanent legal resident of the United States and an honorably discharged veteran; and providing that an individual who is a permanent legal resident and honorably discharged veteran or current member of the Army National Guard, the Air National Guard, or a reserve component is eligible to be certified as a police officer.
Transfer to Federal Authorities	HB1505		Delegate Szeliga	Correctional Services - Transfers to Federal Authorities - Undocumented Immigrants (Protecting Marylanders From Violent Crime Act of 2024)	Failed-not assigned to standing committee	Rules and Executive Nominations		Oppose	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.
U Nonimmigrant Status	HB1130		Delegate Martinez	Criminal Procedure - U Nonimmigrant Status Petition - Statute of Limitations	Unfavorable Report by Judiciary; Withdrawn				Specifying that there is no statute of limitations for when a qualifying criminal activity must have occurred relative to the filing of a request for certification of victim helpfulness for a petition for U Nonimmigrant Status.