Legislation

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 as of 4/16/2026:

Submitted Testimony & Letters of Support:

SB0645/HB1192 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. Status: Passed both in chambers.

SB0339/HB1052 Maryland School for the Deaf Board of Trustees Membership 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. Status: Passed both in chambers.

SB0259/HB0435 Open Movie Captioning. Decreasing from eight to four the number of screens in a motion picture house above which the motion picture house is required to provide open movie captioning. 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. Follow Here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0435?ys=2026RS.
Status: Our office has reached out and HB0435 has passed in the House of Delegates but has not yet had a committee hearing or vote on the Senate side. 

SB0268/HB0310 Restrictive Housing Protections for Individuals with IDD (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.
Status: Our office has reached out to the sponsors to check on the status.

HB0866 Workgroup for the Deaf, Deafblind, and Hard of Hearing – Extension. ODHH Case Management Expansion / DeafBlind Services (amended to extend DDBHH Workgroup). Extending the deadline for the report of findings and recommendations from the Workgroup for the Deaf, Deafblind, and Hard of Hearing from June, 2025 to December 1, 2028; and extending the termination date for the Workgroup from June 30, 2026 to December 31, 2028. Follow here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0866?ys=2026RS.
Status: Passed both in chambers.

SB0665/HB0439 Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Maryland Advisory Council on Deaf and Hard of Hearing – Renaming. Renaming the Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing to be the Office of the Deaf, Deafblind, and Hard of Hearing; renaming the Maryland Advisory Council on Deaf and Hard of Hearing to be the Maryland Advisory Council on Deaf, Deafblind, and Hard of Hearing; and altering the membership of the Maryland Advisory Council on the Deaf, Deafblind, and Hard of Hearing. Follow here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0439?ys=2026RS.
Status: Passed both in chambers.

SB0140/HB0216 Criminal Law – Benefits Exploitation. Criminal law protections related to 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, or isolation; prohibiting a person from aiding, abetting, or conspiring with one or more persons to violate a certain provision of the Act; etc. Follow here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0216?ys=2026RS.
Status: Passed both in chambers.

SB0001/HB0155 Public Safety – Law Enforcement Officers – Prohibition on Face Coverings Public Safety – Law Enforcement Face Covering. Provisions 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.
Status: Passed both in chambers.

Monitoring:

SB0507/HB0311 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. Follow here- https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0311?ys=2026RS. Status: Passed both in chambers.

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.
Status: Our office has reached out to the sponsors.

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. Status: Our office has reached out to the sponsors.

HB0216/SB0140 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. Status: Passed both in chambers.

HB0536 Employment Discrimination – Reasonable Accommodations – Disabilities Due to Childbirth, Menopause, and Related Medical Conditions. Employment discrimination and reasonable accommodations Expanding certain protections against employment discrimination to apply to temporary disabilities caused or contributed to by childbirth, menopause, or a related medical condition; and authorizing an employer to consider the operational impact of any staffing gap in determining an undue burden imposed by a certain transfer request by an employee. Follow here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0536?ys=2026RS.
Status: Passed both in chambers.

SB0502/HB0879 Language Acquisition Tracking Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children – Establishment. Establishing the Language Acquisition Tracking Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children in the State Department of Education to ensure that eligible children develop language skills at the same rate and to the same extent as their peers; establishing a State Coordinator of Language Acquisition for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children 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; etc. Follow here –https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/SB0502?ys=2026RS. Status: Our office has reached out to the sponsors.

SB0038/HB0286 Vehicle Laws – Ignition Interlock System Program – Required Participation. 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. Follow here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0286?ys=2026RS. Status: Passed both in chambers.

SB0293/HB0442 Professional Liability Insurance Coverage – Nursing Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, Nurse Midwives, and Licensed Certified Midwives – Disclosure (Nyeli Rose Lewis Act of 2026). Professional Liability Insurance Coverage Requiring nursing homes, assisted living programs, nurse midwives, and licensed certified midwives to notify each resident and prospective resident in writing or by written electronic communication if the nursing home, assisted living program, nurse midwife, or licensed certified midwife either does not maintain professional liability insurance or professional liability insurance coverage has lapsed; and requiring conspicuous posting of the information that the professional liability coverage has not been maintained. Follow here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0442?ys=2026RS.
Status: Passed both in chambers.

SB0073 Election Law – Polling Place Procedures – Voting by Elderly Voters and Voters With Disabilities (Accessible and Expedited Voting Act of Maryland). 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.

This bill was introduced as SB0066/HB0781 in 2025 – Follow here- https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/sb0066?ys=2025RS.

Legislation for 2026 Follow here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/SB0073?ys=2026RS. Status: Our office has reached out to the sponsors.

HB0882 Consumer Health Information – Termination Date and Mandatory Funding for the State’s Consumer Health Information Hub – Repeal. 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. Status: Passed both in chambers.

SB0975/HB1462 Department of Social and Economic Mobility – Individuals With Disabilities Department of Social and Economic Mobility – Individuals With Disabilities. Renaming the Office of Small, Minority, and Women Business Affairs to the Office of Small, Minority, Disability, and Women Business Affairs; renaming the Special Secretary of Small, Minority, and Women Business Affairs to be the Special Secretary of Small, Minority, Disability, and Women Business Affairs; expanding the duties of the Special Secretary to include matters concerning individuals with disabilities; altering the purpose of the Department of Social and Economic Mobility Special Fund; etc. Follow here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb1462?ys=2026RS.
Status: Our office has reached out to the sponsors.

Letter of Information:

HB0733 Maryland Transit Administration – Fixed-Route Transit Services – Announcements. Maryland Transit Administration – Fixed-Route Transit Services – Announcements Requiring the Maryland Transit Administration to provide real-time audible and text-based announcements that announce all stops and other critical information on all fixed-route transit services. Follow here – https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0733?ys=2026RS.
Status: Our office has reached out to the sponsors.

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].