The 2025 legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly concluded at midnight on April 8, with the balloons and confetti raining over the Speaker. While it was a particularly grueling session, there were bills to celebrate, including many that will directly help residents and a budget that was balanced with responsible cuts and revenue generators. Between the two chambers, over 1800 bills were introduced and about half of them passed and are now waiting on the governor’s desk.
What made this session more challenging were the difficult budget decisions that had to be made, which affected the consideration of every bill that was heard. There was definitely more than the usual scrutiny over the value of each program or policy that was presented, resulting in some good ideas being put off until future years. Each bill was assessed for a balance of residents’ needs and the financial return on investment, given the structural budget gap that had to be closed. The final budget was such a balance, but in the end, there had to be cuts and revenue increases to sustain the programs that keep the state economically stable.
Another factor that weighed over this session was the uncertainty about the fiscal changes given the dramatic actions of the federal government. Many Maryland residents have been terminated from their federal jobs, significantly affecting our unemployment rate and our unemployment insurance fund. There are also efforts in Congress to cut Medicaid subsidies, which are likely to take away health insurance from more than one million Marylanders. In addition to the moral and humane ramifications of this, it will ultimately cost the State more in uncompensated care. These are just a couple of examples of how our residents and our State could be affected by the consequential actions of the federal government. Many of the bills passed this year are designed to respond to possible actions, that have been discussed publicly by the president, that will negatively affect all Marylanders in one way or another.
You can view my End of Session report here; it is intended to briefly highlight some of the more substantive and priority bills passed this year. For a comprehensive view of all the bills, please go to 90 Day Report, A Review of the 2025 Legislative Session on the MGA website.
MY BILLS
I am grateful for the support of advocates and businesses to pass four bills. Here are two of them.
HB 424/SB 347 Prescription Drug Affordability Board – Authority for Upper Payment Limits (Lowering Prescription Drug Costs for All Marylanders Now Act) will expand the authority of the PDAB to set the budget for high-cost prescription drugs for commercial insurance. The Board uses a rigorous and comprehensive process to evaluate the affordability of drugs and considers ways to reduce the cost, sometimes looking at setting Upper Payment Limits, which sets the budget for the payer, either the state or the carrier. Expanding the board’s authority to include the commercial market will put Maryland in a better position to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies and will help stabilize the cost of insurance premiums. Despite efforts by the Trump Administration to roll-back policies to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, HB424 will make healthcare more affordable for everyday families.
HB 672/SB 486 School Health and Wellness Personnel Assessment and Maryland Council on Advancement of School-Based Health Centers recognized that our Maryland children spend almost a third of their lives in school, and it is essential that we have the staff to address their health care needs, so their primary focus can be on learning. This legislation gathers the information we need to support this goal.
For a complete list of my proposed bills, go to mgaleg.maryland.gov.
RESPONSIBLE BUDGET–REFLECTING OUR VALUES
In January, the governor presented a budget to the MGA including a set of cuts and new revenues that became the foundation for intense negotiations between the House Appropriations and the Senate Budget and Tax committees. One of the most concerning cuts in the original proposal was as much as $400 million out of the budget that pays for services for residents who have developmental disabilities (DDA). There were also cuts in the programs to support public education. In the negotiations, it immediately became a priority to reduce those cuts by raising revenues, which the final budget achieved. There are still areas where the cuts will be felt, but most of them were at least slightly mitigated through the negotiations.
The final budget cuts $1.6 million in general fund spending and raises $1.2 billion in revenues and an additional $500 million for transportation, addressing long-term infrastructure needs.
With these actions, the cuts to the educational blueprint and services for DDA were restored. There are investments to grow private sector jobs, strengthen juvenile and community services and public safety programs.
The new revenues will come from a combination of two higher tax brackets for those making more than $500,000 a year, and gradually eliminating deductions, while doubling the standard deduction. They also include a 3% tax on IT services, which DC already has in place. The principle behind these revenues was to be fair to working families with the result that 94% of Marylanders will pay the same or less in taxes.
STATE GOVERNMENT
Given the massive layoffs of federal workers, several bills were passed specifically to help those who have been displaced.
HB1424 Catastrophic Event Account, Federal Government Shutdown Employee Assistance Loan Fund, and Powers of the Attorney General – Alterations (Protect Our Federal Workers Act) provides loan assistance to the individuals and funds to enable the Attorney General to sue the federal government for the unlawful termination.
HB 795 Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program – Employee Certification and Awareness Materials will make it easier for Maryland public service workers to apply for federal student loan forgiveness, helping to alleviate burdensome debt for those who serve our communities. It will also help to attract and retain quality applicants for critical jobs including teachers, healthcare workers, police officers, and more. Implementation will not cost the State, as the funds come from a federal program.
With SB 587/HB 1422 State Government – Maryland Reparations Commission, Maryland commits to examining and understanding of the harm that was done to people who were brought to this country as slaves and the discrimination and harassment policies that created inequities in housing, employment, schooling, and opportunities to thrive after slavery was ended. The bill establishes the Maryland Reparations Commission to study and make recommendations on appropriate benefits to be offered to individuals impacted by historical inequality, similar to legislation in CA, Il, and NY. The commission must examine the impacts of the inequities for the progeny of Maryland slaves and make recommendations on any actions that could make reparations for the harm.
Procurement processes will be improved for both the contractors and employees through the passage of HB 500 /SB 426 – Procurement Reform Act which expands the responsibilities and oversight of the Chief Procurement Officer and the Special Secretary for the Office of Small, Minority, and Women Business Affairs to expedite the review and implementation of State contracts.
CLOSE TO HOME– MONTGOMERY COUNTY
The Montgomery County Delegation was able to attain funding for a variety of programs:
$ 1.2 million in direct state aid for Montgomery County, schools, transportation, health, safety
$82.7 million for capital projects, hospitals, parks, rec centers, etc.
$52.1 million for public school construction and renovation
Fourteen local bills were passed, including the creation of a task force on the displacement of residents of Emory Grove (HB 964), improvements in speed monitoring (HB 988, HB 1173, Hb 1227) and greater transparency for the local planning boards and WSSC, (HB 1064, hb 1195,HB 1230).
For a complete list of proposed bills, go to Montgomery County Delegation at www.montgomery county delegation.com.
HEALTH CARE
As vice chair of the Health and Government Operations committee I am very proud of my chair and the entire committee for their diligence and persistence this session. We heard 385 bills and spent many hours on some of the most critical policies and programs.
Bills to Protect Access to Health Care
HB 718 Maryland Health Insurance Coverage Protection Commission–Establishment, created a commission to monitor the impact of federal changes in health care and make recommendations to ensure continuity of care and programmings.
HB 974 – Health Insurance – Preventive Services – High Deductible Health Plans and Enforcement Authority requires the Insurance Commissioner to enforce the requirement that each carrier provide coverage for specified preventive services without cost-sharing requirements consistent with the recommendations and guidelines in effect on December 31, 2024, as set by specified entities and related federal rules or guidance. This bill protects against discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, life-time maximums, and preventive services if the federal requirements of these protections are ended.
Health Insurance
HB 297/SB 5 – Maryland Health Benefit Exchange – State–Based Young Adult Health Insurance Subsidies Pilot Program – Sunset Repeal retains the subsidies which enable young adults to afford health care. This benefits all enrollees in the Exchange pool as it improves the risk pool with healthy people.
HB 820 – Health Insurance – Utilization Review – Use of Artificial Intelligence requires that if a carrier is using artificial intelligence in case management, the ultimate decision must be made by a qualified professional.
HB 869/SB 372 – Preserve Telehealth Access Act of 2025 maintains the same level of payment for telehealth services as in-person services.
HB 1246/SB 773 – Health Benefit Plans – Calculation of Cost–Sharing Contribution – Requirements requires commercial insurance carriers to include any discount, financial assistance payment, product voucher, or other out-of-pocket expense assistance made by or on behalf of the insured or enrollee for a prescription drug, toward the individual’s out of pocket costs and deductible. (The Senate bill passed both chambers.)
Disabilities
HB 1244/SB 1027 – Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration Waiver Advisory Council – Establishment codifies the Maryland Developmental Advisory Council in DDA, with alterations to the membership compared to the existing council. The purpose of the council is to advise and provide recommendations to advise on system design, service delivery, and quality enhancement standards for the Medicaid waiver programs operated by DDA.
Public Health
HB 930/SB 848 – Public Health Abortion Grant Program – Establishment creates a Grant Program and Fund in the Maryland Health Department to provide grants to enhance access to abortion care clinical services. Funds exceeding the necessary amount in insurance carriers’ segregated accounts for abortion care, as mandated by the Affordable Care Act, must be used to support the Public Health Abortion Grant Program and improve access to these services.
ENERGY
The issue of energy creation for current and future uses, including rates, was a significant issue in this session. Three major bills that will help to address the concerns are:
HB 1035/SB 937 Next Generation Energy Act is a comprehensive act that addresses essentially all aspects of current energy production and rate setting. It establishes or modifies various provisions of law affecting electricity generation, utility cost recovery, and large customer interconnections, among other related changes. The bills also establish a process to provide $200 million in residential electric customer bill credits in fiscal 2026.
HB 1036/SB 931 Renewable Energy Certainty Act sets the standards and requirements for obtaining and storing energy and creates a license for the professionals and companies that install and maintain solar energy generating systems. It also required the Department of Natural Resources to identify ways the state can meet its solar energy commitments.
HB 1037/SB909 Energy Resource Adequacy and Planning Act establishes the Strategic Energy Planning Office (SEPO), which is charged with developing Comprehensive Wholesale Energy Markets and Bulk Power System Risk Report for the governor and MGA.
EDUCATION
While the funding for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, which sets the requirements for the public schools with regard to programing and outcomes was relatively held intact, HB 504 Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act makes some changes to the Blueprint. It delays the start of the collaborative time to be implemented to July 1, 2028, and phases it in over 7 years. It provides flexibility of funding for community schools, establishes the Academic Excellence Program, further defines programs to recruit and retain educators, and a number of other miscellaneous changes.
JUSTICE
In recent years, the MGA has been focused on programs that support juveniles caught up in the justice system. HB 853 Maryland Second Look Act is a next step in that process. This bill allows an individual to file amotion to reduce the duration of their sentence if the individual (1) was convicted of an offense committed when the individual was at least age 18 but younger than age 25; (2) was not sentenced to life without the possibility of parole; (3) is not a sex offender; (4) has been imprisoned for at least 20 years for the offense; and (5) was not convicted of murder involving a victim who was a first responder who was killed in the line of duty. The bill also expands the opportunities for the victim or victim’s family to provide information and identify what protections they would request if the individual was released as a part of the second look.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Given the rampant, and often illegal, deportation of residents who have not yet become naturalized citizens, the MGA debated several legal options for keeping Maryland residents safe. HB 1222 Public Safety – Immigration Enforcement (Maryland Values Act) is the result of those discussions and requires the Attorney General to develop and publish guidance on immigration enforcement at “sensitive locations.” A sensitive location is defined as (1) a public school, a public library, a health care facility operated by a unit of State or local government, facility operated by the Comptroller, a courthouse, or any other location that provides State-funded services related to physical or mental health, education, shelter care, or access to justice, and (2) as determined by the Attorney General, requires special consideration for immigration enforcement activities.
SB 608 (HB579 Embry) Criminal Procedure – U Nonimmigrant Status Petitions and Immigration Enforcement at Sensitive Locations improves the U Nonimmigrant petition process and provides undocumented individuals who are victims of a crime safe harbor if they are helpful, or are likely to be helpful in the detection, investigation, and prosecution of criminal activity. The bill also clarifies that there is no statute of limitations for when the criminal activity occurred when it comes to the helpfulness. (The Senate bill passed both chambers.)
STAY IN TOUCH
Please feel free to contact me in the interim with your thoughts, ideas, feedback and questions. You can reach me at BonnieCullison@house.state.md.us or 410-841–3883.
Have a wonderful spring!
