Dear Neighbor,

The 2026 Legislative Session has adjourned Sine Die, marking my eighth year representing
District 9B in the House of Delegates. Maryland’s 448th legislative session was defined by
another difficult budget year. We continue to feel the effects of federal actions which have
reduced funding for critical programs and created economic uncertainty for families across our
state. In this letter you will find a list of select legislation passed this year, both statewide and
specifically affecting Howard County. For a comprehensive list of bills grouped by major policy
areas, I encourage you to review the 90 Day Report on the Maryland General Assembly website
(mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/). If you have specific questions, please feel free to contact
my office.

This session I was honored to continue my work chairing the Transportation & Environment
Subcommittee of Appropriations. I chaired budget hearings with 23 agencies and we made
changes to each agency budget as necessary. I am pleased to share that the final budget was
adopted on a bipartisan basis and signed into law by Governor Moore without raising taxes on
Maryland families.

                                                         Funding For Howard County

Through my work on the Appropriations Committee, and with the help of the entire delegation, I
was positioned to bring some funding to Howard County - both in my district, and countywide.
The funding awards for initiatives of District 9 are listed below as well as selected items of the
countywide funding These state awards are critical to our county government and nonprofit
partners. I am especially pleased with the $6 million that is new this year for Ellicott City’s
Safe and Sound program bringing the total state funding since I have been your state
delegate to more than $70 million.

District Nine
● $300,000 for Font Hill Pathway Paving and Pedestrian Bridge Replacement
● $650,000 for High Ridge Head Start and ADA Restroom Renovation
● $350,000 for the Howard County Conservancy Playground
● $250,000 for a new Agricultural Center at West Friendship Park
● $190,000 for VFW Post 7472 Renovation
● $450,000 for Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue
● $550,000 for the Historic Jail Renovation through Preservation Maryland
● $65,000 Fund for Art in Ellicott City
● $250,000 Agricultural Center at West Friendship Park

Additional Selected Howard County Awards
$100,000 - NeighborRide
$1,200,000 - Friends of Patapsco Valley State Park- Whiting Property
$220,000 - Residences at Vantage Point
$5,000,000 - New Howard County Library Complex
$450,000 - NonProfit Collaborative of Howard County
 

                                      Selected Local Howard County Legislation Highlights

HB0456 - Howard County - Alcoholic Beverages - Gift Basket Permit Ho. Co. 2-26
HB405 establishes a gift basket permit that authorizes a permit holder to sell and deliver gift
baskets containing beer, wine, or liquor to certain individuals under certain circumstances;
providing that certain distance requirements do not apply to the issuance of the permit; and
providing a gift basket permit fee of $100.

HB0590 - Howard County - Transfer Tax - Use of Proceeds Ho. Co. 12-16
HB0590 alters the name of the Howard County Agricultural Land Preservation Fund to be the
Howard County Agricultural Preservation and Innovation Fund; and specifies that certain
transfer tax proceeds that are distributed to the Fund are to be used to support the Agricultural
Land Preservation Program and other programs, services, or initiatives to enhance the
commercial viability or environmental sustainability of agriculture in the County.

HB1171 - Howard County Board of Education - Student Member - Voting Ho. Co. 7-26
HB1171 expands the matters on which the student member of the Howard County Board of
Education can vote on to include 1) geographical attendance areas; (2) acquisition and
disposition of real property and matters relating to school construction; (3) donations;
(4) condemnation; (5) consolidation of schools and transportation of students;
(6) budgetary matters; and (7) student suspension and expulsion.

HB1176 - Howard County - Board of Education Budget - Percentage of County General
Fund Revenue Ho. Co. 10-26
HB1176 requires, in the submission of the annual budget to the Howard County Council, the
Howard County Executive to include the percentage of the county’s general fund revenue,
excluding onetime expenses, that is allocated to the operating budget of the Howard County
Board of Education and operating costs associated with the Howard County school system;
requires that a copy of the budget be placed on the county board’s public-facing website, in an
easily identifiable location; etc.


                                               Selected Statewide Legislation Highlights

ENERGY

HB 1532 Utility RELIEF (Reducing Energy Load Inflation for Everyday Families) Act
(The Speaker)
HB 1532 is bipartisan legislation that builds on the progress of the 2025 Next Generation Energy
Act to further protect ratepayers, ensure reliability while responding to rising energy demand
(especially from data center growth), continue to advance clean energy, and preserve programs
that reduce energy costs over time.

HB 1 Investor-Owned Electric, Gas, and Gas and Electric Companies - Cost Recovery –
Limitations (Crosby)
HB1 is consumer protection legislation ensuring that Maryland’s ratepayers do not pay for the
bonus compensation of top wage-earners at investor–owned gas and electric companies. While
ratepayers have seen their costs rise, shareholders of investor–owned utilities have seen their
profits soar; HB1 bans taxpayers from footing the bill for utility CEO bonuses.

OPPORTUNITY/ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

HB168 Housing and Community Development - Affordable Housing - Educator Workforce
Housing and Municipal Corporations (Vogel)
HB 168 expands opportunities for county and municipal governments to build and operate
affordable housing for teachers and other public school employees in partnership with local
school districts. It unlocks financial tools to lower the cost of development and encourage
educator workforce housing projects near schools.

HB 730 Business Regulation - Maryland Franchise Registration and Disclosure Law -
Alterations (Franchise Reform Act) (Korman)
HB 730 is bipartisan legislation to increase economic franchise development in Maryland by
updating Maryland franchise laws to make the registration process easier and ensure the process
is less burdensome for those seeking to grow their franchises throughout the state.

ACCOUNTABILITY

HB 1369 Department of Budget and Management - Audit and Finance Compliance Unit –
Establishment (Solomon)
HB 1369 is unanimous bipartisan legislation to ensure taxpayer dollars are managed responsibly
and agencies operate more effectively. It strengthens accountability and follow-through within
State government while increasing transparency, establishing a new Audit and Finance
Compliance Unit within SBM to monitor how Executive Branch agencies correct audit findings
from the Office of Legislative Audits (OLA).

HB 1372 Public Health - Office of Health Care Quality Information and Maryland Health
Centralization Commission (Solomon)
HB 1372 is bipartisan legislation that ensures patients and families have access to transparent
information about health care facility inspections and quality. Stronger oversight will help ensure
that state licensing boards operate efficiently, process applications timely, and resolve audit
findings.

HB 945 Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities - Notification of Investigations and
Establishment of the Health Care Quality Improvement Initiative (Sample Hughes)
HB 945 strengthens oversight by requiring the Maryland Department of Health to notify and
work with local health departments on nursing home complaints. It also establishes a Health
Care Quality Improvement Initiative to advance transparency, accountability, and care in assisted
living facilities.

HB 671 Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman - Mandatory Appropriation (Shetty)
HB 671 proposes a modest, targeted budget reform to allocate funding to the Office of the
Long-Term Care Ombudsman, which protects the health, safety, dignity, and autonomy of older
adults and individuals with disabilities who live in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and
other long-term care settings.

PUBLIC HEALTH

HB 1559 Children in Unlicensed Settings and Pediatric Hospital Overstay Patients –
Placement (The Speaker)
HB 1559 is unanimous bipartisan legislation to move Maryland toward a more stable, licensed,
and trauma-informed system of care for children and families. It ensures that vulnerable children
are not housed in inappropriate, unlicensed environments in Maryland. It reduces prolonged
hospital stays for youth who are medically cleared but lack safe placement options and
strengthens coordination across agencies to address placement shortages and behavioral health
needs.

HB 1181 Family Law - Children in Out-of-Home Placement - Voluntary Placement
Agreements (Bagnall)
HB 1181 streamlines the Voluntary Placement Agreement process and increases transparency in
order to address delays which can often lead to pediatric overstay cases. A voluntary placement
agreement (VPA) temporarily places a child in the physical (not legal) custody of the Department
of Human Services so they can receive out-of-home care. VPAs allow children desperately in
need of care access to residential treatment centers when their families cannot afford it

HB 1563 Emergency Room Services and Post-Acute Care - Coverage and Facility Studies
(The Speaker)
HB 1563 is unanimous bipartisan legislation to protect patients in emergencies and help
Maryland plan smarter for emergency hospital and post-acute care needs, The studies will focus
on hospital and post-acute bed capacity and fulfill the state’s need for clear data on insurance
denials and hospital capacity to fix system bottlenecks. It will also examine how to improve
hospital discharges and look at ways to move patients safely and efficiently from hospitals to
appropriate follow-up care.

HB 280 Health Insurance - Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders - Codification of
Federal Requirements (Chair, Health Committee)
HB 280 will save families and individuals from the burden of expensive out–of–pocket costs for
the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders. As the federal government has
announced they would no longer enforce the federal rule on mental health parity and addiction
equity or pursue enforcement on failure to comply, codifying these rules in state law allows the
Maryland Insurance Administration to enforce these provisions regardless of whether the federal
government revises or rescinds the policy.

EDUCATION

HB 535 Maryland Phone-Free Schools Act (Boafo)
HB 535 ensures that Maryland classrooms are distraction-free environments where students can
stay focused, engaged, and set up for success. It requires each county to develop and adopt a
policy that prohibits the use of electronic devices during the academic school day, allowing
exceptions for medical, educational, and disability accommodations.

HB 828 State Board of Education - Membership - Employee of a County Board of
Education (Ebersole)
HB828 expands the ability for an Educational Support Personnel to become a member of the
State Board of Education.

HB 358 Sales and Use Tax - Elementary or Secondary School Book Fairs – Exemption
(Palakovich Carr)
HB 358 clarifies that school book fairs are exempt from sales tax. Many school PTAs hold book
fairs to promote student reading and to raise money for school activities. Even though these are
fundraisers held by a non-profit (the PTA), state law still requires sales tax to be collected. The
bill ensures that PTAs can focus on promoting reading rather than navigating state tax law.

TRANSPORTATION

HB 1504 Highways - Sidewalks and Bicycle Pathways - Construction and Reconstruction
(The Honorable Anne Healey Pedestrian Safety Act of 2026) (Healey)
HB1504 is unanimous bipartisan legislation to meet the goal of Vision Zero, the plan to make
roadways safer for drivers and passengers of motor vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians and to
have zero vehicle-related deaths or serious injuries on roadways by 2030. This bill prioritizes
funding for the construction and reconstruction of sidewalks and bicycle pathways to sidewalks
and bicycle pathways that are, or are adjacent to, highways that are subject to a Vision Zero
program.

HB 474 Vehicle Laws - Dangerous Accumulations of Snow and Ice - Removal From
Exposed Vehicle Surfaces (Clear Before You Drive Act) (Patterson)
HB 474 requires drivers to remove snow and ice from their vehicles before driving to prevent
debris from injuring others or causing crashes. The law applies to both commercial and
non-commercial vehicles and is enforced only when damage occurs or as a secondary offense,
with graduated fines to promote safety without over-penalization.

ENVIRONMENT

HB 925 Sewage Sludge - Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances – Regulation (Stein)
HB 925 is bipartisan legislation to reduce the amount of PFAS making its way into our air, water,
land, and food. The bill will establish reasonable evidence-based limits for certain PFAS in
biosolids, which will also activate pretreatment authorities to address PFAS under the Clean
Water Act of 2025 to limit PFAS content in biosolids from wastewater treatment plants that have
land applications.

HB 578 Fish and Wildlife - Endangered and Threatened Species and Migratory Birds -
Regulations, Lists, Petitions, Essential Habitats, and Takings (Palakovich Carr)
HB 578 enshrined into state law federal Endangered Species Act protections to ensure that
Maryland continues to provide the same level of protection for rare species as the entire country
did for years. At a time when the Trump Administration is actively rolling back federal
protections for endangered and threatened species, it’s more important than ever that Maryland
have strong environmental protection laws.

SENIORS

HB 945 Nursing Homes - Complaints - Notification and Consultation (Sample-Hughes)
HB 945 is a unanimous bipartisan public health and accountability legislation that requires the
Maryland Department of Health to consult with the local county health department within 24
hours if the Department initiates an investigation of a nursing home alleging actual harm.

HB 278 Human Services - Department of Aging and Commission on Aging (The Longevity
Ready Maryland Act)
The Longevity Ready Maryland Act is a bipartisan bill to help seniors better navigate the state
health care and housing systems. It codifies the Longevity Ready Maryland Act, a
comprehensive plan to elevate the needs of Maryland’s seniors and empower them to thrive, as
the number of Maryland residents over age 60 is projected to surpass a quarter of the state's
population in the next ten years.

JUDICIARY

HB 634 Police Training - Autism and Dementia (LEAD Act of 2026) (Kaufman)
HB 634 strengthens Maryland’s emergency response to wandering and elopement incidents
involving individuals with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities by
standardizing disability-informed training across law enforcement, EMS, and 9-1-1 dispatch and
improving coordination during time-critical emergencies. This legislation improves coordination
across first responders and ensures safer, more effective responses during time-sensitive
emergencies.

HB 687/SB 475 Criminal Procedure - Evidence - Protecting Artists' Creative Expression
(PACE Act) (Amprey)
This bill establishes clear guidelines for when artistic expression can be admitted in court,
ensuring that creative works are not misinterpreted as fact or weaponized against artists. It
protects free expression while maintaining fairness in the legal process, reinforcing that
Maryland values both justice and creativity. The bill requires the court to apply certain clear
evidentiary standards before admitting evidence, strengthening the integrity of the judicial
process while preserving both public safety and constitutional protections.

IMMIGRATION

HB 1341 Enforcement - Expanding Sensitive Locations, Notification, and Guidance
(Maryland Values Act of 2026) (Ebersole)
This bill updates current Maryland law by including courthouses to the list of sensitive locations
to ensure that the areas past security are off limits for federal immigration enforcement.
Additionally, it expands sensitive locations to include school bus stops, school buses, and food
distribution sites. It also prevents education personnel from sharing information and data
(whether data or anecdotal) with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

HB 1017 Correctional Services - Private Immigration Detention Facilities - Zoning
Requirement (Wells)
HB 1017 is a zoning transparency bill which demands honest language in land-use decisions. It
creates a clear statewide rule instead of county-by-county guesswork to ensure that a private
detention facility can’t be approved unless the zoning code explicitly allows it. Requires explicit
zoning authorization for a private immigration detention facility – broad, inclusive phrases won’t
work.

CONSUMER PROTECTION

HB 711 Data Privacy - Consumer Data, Public Records, and Message Switching System
(Data Privacy Act) (Charkoudian)
HB 711 will ensure that Marylanders’ sensitive data is shielded from unwarranted federal
surveillance and misuse. It ensures that Maryland’s counties, state agencies, and public servants
who have access to private data can only share it under a judicial warrant or for reasons under the
Private Information Act. This prohibits both sharing private data for civil immigration
enforcement purposes and the selling of private data by data broker companies to the federal
government.

HB 895 Food Retailers and Third-Party Delivery Service Providers - Dynamic Pricing and
Personal Data (Protection From Predatory Pricing Act) (Speaker)
HB 895 is consumer protection legislation to keep grocery prices affordable and predictable,
ensuring the need for price transparency over using algorithms to determine how much a
customer might be willing to pay. The bill bans food retailers from using dynamic and
surveillance pricing, a cost-setting method where prices are inflated based on time of day,
weather conditions and personal data,

HB 306 Vehicle Laws - Manufacturers and Dealers - Prices Listed on Dealer Websites (Jack
Fitzgerald Price Transparency Act) (Qi)
HB 306 is bipartisan consumer protection and transparency legislation which ensures that the
price listed on dealers’ website accurately discloses that the price at the dealership may actually
be lower. The bill reflects modern consumer behaviors and ensures that consumers who shop
online are given accurate information on possible cost savings.

ELECTIONS

HB 350/SB 255 Voting Rights Act of 2026 - Counties and Municipal Corporations (Wims)
This bill enacts strong protections to ensure Black voters, other voters of color, and all
Marylanders with disabilities can fully participate in the electoral process free from
discrimination.

HB 182 Election Law - Presidential Electors - Selection and Voting (Stein)
HB 182 establishes procedures to prevent “faithless” presidential electors—electors who cast
ballots for candidates other than those they were pledged to support. Maryland currently lacks an
enforceable mechanism to address a situation in which an elector fails to vote for the presidential
or vice-presidential candidate of the party that nominated them. House Bill 182 addresses this
gap by providing that an elector who fails to cast the required vote is deemed to have vacated the
office.

COMMEMORATIVE LEGISLATION

HB 661 - Muslim American Heritage and Jewish American Heritage Months (Wolek)
HB 661 encourages inclusion and public awareness as it requires the Governor to proclaim
January as Muslim American Heritage month and May as Jewish American Heritage month.

HB 770 Korean American Day (Watson)
HB 770 requires the Governor annually to proclaim January 13th as Korean American Day and
requires the proclamation to urge educational and cultural organizations to observe Korean
American Day properly with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.


Thank you for your interest in my work in the House of Delegates. It is an honor to represent you
in Annapolis. Please join me and the other District 9 representatives: Senator Katie Fry Hester,
Delegates Chao Wu and Natalie Ziegler, for an in-person End of Session Wrap Up Community
Meeting at 7:00 PM on May 5th at the Capitoline Center (8360 Court Avenue). RSVP at this
link: bit.ly/MD9RSVP

In closing, I express my gratitude to all of you for your feedback on the issues throughout the
session, and to our District 9B support staff: Livi Carey and Abigail Furman.

I hope you will join us on May 5th, , visit us at the district office on Main Street, or see us
around town this summer. As always, please feel free to contact me with questions or feedback at
Courtney.Watson@house.maryland.gov or (410) 841-3077.

Sincerely,



Delegate Courtney Watson
Howard County, District 9B