legislation – back up
During the legislative session, the Maryland Governor’s Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH) monitors bills introduced in the Maryland General Assembly that may impact Deaf and hard of hearing Marylanders. The Office also keeps the community informed about relevant hearings, legislative updates, and votes on pending legislation.
While the Governor’s Office does not endorse specific bills, Deaf and hard of hearing Marylanders are encouraged to stay informed, get involved, and share their concerns with their elected officials.
Find Your Elected Officials
To learn who your elected officials or representatives are, please click “Who Are Your Elected Officials” or visit: http://mdelect.net. This website provides information for both state and federal elected officials.
If you would like to save this information for documentation or future reference, please download the form provided and complete it for your records.
How Our Laws Are Made
To understand more about the legislative process and how a bill becomes a law, please review How a Bill Becomes Law. The office also has a video series of the legislative process in ASL on Facebook and YouTube.
This flowchart on the Maryland General Assembly may help you understand its structure. It will be helpful to also explore the Maryland General Assembly’s website and learn about the dates of interest for the 2026 session.
Legislative Bills Monitored 2025
Legislative Bills Monitored 2024
2026 Legislative Session
Below are some bills that the office is currently monitoring. To find out the current status of each bill and its scheduled hearings, click on some of the bill’s link (based on info availability) for more information:
Below are some bills that the office is currently monitoring as of 1/23/2026:
HB311 Individuals With Disabilities Accessibility and Emergency Planning This legislative proposal strengthens Maryland’s school emergency preparedness framework by requiring every local school system to identify accessibility barriers that can impede evacuation or emergency response for students with disabilities. Through the integration of accessibility to emergency planning duties, the bill ensures equitable protection for students with disabilities and aligns Maryland’s school safety standards with ADA principles.
SB0268 – Correctional Services – Restrictive Housing – Individuals With Developmental or Intellectual Disabilities (LR1310 before now given bill# SB0268) Restrictive Housing for people with Physical and Intellectual Disabilities This proposed bill amends the Correctional Services Article to establish a 15 consecutive day maximum limit on the use of restrictive housing for individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities (I/DD). The goal of this legislation is to be the first pathway in the creation of a time limit that protects individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities from the harmful effects of prolonged isolation. Currently, the state of Maryland does not have a time frame established with humane limits and oversight on the use of restrictive housing in the state’s correctional facilities. Follow here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/sb0268?ys=2026RS.
LR1859 I/DD Healthcare Access and Provider Incentive This bill establishes a framework to designate individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) as a specialty healthcare population eligible for enhanced Medicaid reimbursement. Physicians who treat patients with I/DD will receive a higher Medicaid reimbursement rate, creating a financial incentive that encourages more providers to complete specialized training and expand their capacity to serve this medically underserved population. The legislation is contingent on federal authorization or funding, enabling Maryland to activate these enhanced reimbursement rates once federal support becomes available.
HB0439 – Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Maryland Advisory Council on Deaf and Hard of Hearing – Renaming (LR2030 Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Renaming Act before now given bill# HB0439) This bill renames the Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing as the Office of Deaf, Blind, and Hard of Hearing, updating all statutory references to reflect the new name. The change ensures the office’s title accurately represents the Deaf, Blind, and DeafBlind Marylanders it already serves and improves clarity for constituents and State agencies. “This bill makes a technical name change to an existing State office and updates conforming statutory references; it does not alter the office’s duties, structure, staffing, or programs.” Follow here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0439?ys=2026RS.
HB0866 ODHH Case Management Expansion and Deaf/Blind Services Act (LR2029 before now given bill# HB0866) This bill authorizes the Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH) to provide direct case-management services for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind Marylanders. It creates dedicated PINs for trained case-management staff and establishes a coordinated framework with state agencies to ensure residents receive accessible, culturally competent navigation support.
LR2132 Training on wandering/elopement IDD The LEAD Act of 2026 strengthens Maryland’s emergency response to wandering and elopement incidents involving individuals with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities by standardizing training across law enforcement, EMS, and 9-1-1 dispatch. It improves coordination and disability-informed response during time-critical emergencies.
SB259 Places of Public Accommodation – Open Movie Captioning This bill on captioning, particularly open captions, is essential to ensuring meaningful access to films for Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals throughout the state especially in rural areas. As places of public accommodation, movie theaters should be inclusive and accessible to all members of the community. Senate Bill 259 advances this principle by increasing the availability of captioned screenings and strengthening accountability through reporting requirements. This legislation was introduced and had a bill that made it through house and senate in 2024 – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/SB0092?ys=2024RS, bill was amended and did not make it through to senate in 2025 – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB1363?ys=2025rs. Bill is now being reintroduced in 2026 – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/SB0259?ys=2026RS.
HB216/SB140 Criminal Law – Benefits Exploitation Prohibiting a person from knowingly recruiting, harboring, transporting, or obtaining an individual for the purpose of appropriating the government benefits of an individual for the benefit of the person or another through deception, coercion, exploitation, isolation, or any other means; prohibiting a person from aiding, abetting, or conspiring with one or more persons to violate a certain provision of the Act; establishing that a violation of the Act is a felony; etc. Follow here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0216?ys=2026RS.
SB0339 Maryland School for the Deaf – Membership of Board of Trustees – Alterations Altering the composition of the Board of Trustees of the Maryland School for the Deaf from 19 members to 13 members and requiring that at least 7 members be deaf. Follow here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/sb0339?ys=2026RS.
SB73 Elderly Voters with Disabilities Requiring the State Board of Elections, as part of the training program for election judges, to include instruction on best practices for assisting elderly voters and voters with disabilities; requiring the Board to establish guidelines for the local boards of election to implement a process to accommodate and expedite voting for elderly voters and voters with disabilities at each early voting center and polling place; requiring the local boards to implement the guidelines and collect feedback on the process; etc. Follow here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/SB0073?ys=2026RS.
SB0293/HB0442 Professional Liability Insurance Coverage – Nursing Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, and Nurse Midwives – Disclosure Requiring nursing homes, assisted living programs, and nurse midwives to notify each resident and prospective resident in writing or by written electronic communication if the nursing home, assisted living program, or nurse midwife either does not maintain professional liability insurance or professional liability insurance coverage has lapsed and has not been renewed; and requiring each nursing home that does not maintain professional liability insurance coverage to post that information in a conspicuous location. Follow here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0442?ys=2026RS.
SB0001 Public Safety – Law Enforcement Officers – Prohibition on Face Coverings Requiring the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission to develop a model policy prohibiting the use of a face covering in the performance of duty; requiring a law enforcement agency to adopt a policy consistent with the model policy developed by the Commission; and prohibiting a certain law enforcement officer from wearing a certain face covering while in the performance of duty in the State, except when actively engaged in an undercover operation. Follow here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/SB0001?ys=2026RS.
SB0038/HB0286 – Vehicle Laws – Ignition Interlock System Program – Required Participation For the purpose of requiring an individual to be a participant in the Ignition Interlock System Program as a condition of modification of a suspension or revocation of a license or issuance of a restricted license if the individual violated certain alcohol restrictions; and generally relating to required participation in the Ignition Interlock System Program. Follow here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0286?ys=2026RS.
SB0502/HB0879 Establishing the Language Acquisition Tracking Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children in the State Department of Education; establishing a State Coordinator of Language Acquisition for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children within the Department to coordinate the Program and create a parent and guardian resource to help parents and guardians of Deaf or Hard of Hearing children track a child’s language acquisition progress; establishing the Language Acquisition for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children Advisory Council; etc. Follow here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/SB0502?ys=2026RS.
SB0645 State Board of Sign Language Interpreters – Membership and Licensing Expanding the membership of and altering the quorum requirements for the State Board of Sign Language Interpreters; requiring the nomination process to include outreach to underrepresented deaf, deafblind, and interpreter communities; authorizing the Governor to remove certain members of the Board under certain circumstances; altering the date from July, 2024 to December 31, 2026, by which the Board must establish certain licensing requirements and by which sign language interpreters must meet certain licensing requirements; etc. Follow here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/sb0645?ys=2026RS.
HB0882 Repealing the requirement that the Governor include in the annual budget bill a $350,000 appropriation to the State’s Consumer Health Information Hub; requiring the Hub to carry out certain duties to the extent funding is available; and repealing the termination date for certain provisions of law related to consumer health information and the State’s Consumer Health Information Hub. Follow here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0882?ys=2026RS.
HB0536 Employment Discrimination – Reasonable Accommodations – Disabilities Due to Childbirth, Menopause, and Related Medical Conditions Expanding certain protections against employment discrimination to apply to temporary disabilities caused or contributed to by childbirth, menopause, or a related medical condition. Follow here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0536/?ys=2026rs.
To learn more about Maryland General Assembly – Legislative Lingo – Maryland Legislative Terminology click here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/pubs-current/current-legislative-lingo.pdf.
To find out the current status of each bill and its scheduled hearings, follow https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/. For questions or concerns, email us at [email protected].