[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6325907,"mediaKeyId","2330485-b71b17e06dd090c5ae65528adb1b048b","parentId",2330485,"title","Votes at a glance: House approves consumer and leasing bills with little floor debate","audioSeconds",94,"startMs",3070000,"endMs",3164000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2330485-b71b17e06dd090c5ae65528adb1b048b&start=3070&end=3164","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2330485-b71b17e06dd090c5ae65528adb1b048b/thumbnail_3070000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6325907/Maryland/Votes-at-a-glance-House-approves-consumer-and-leasing-bills-with-little-floor-debate","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6325907-cce30df2872f580636ad7f7677af8252/orig.mp4?Expires=1771168540&Signature=UrUi-QO98BD~T7R7dkLEhN3P~YqnPZEMiPL0s0l7YXDcXUPwcMU8PbaIzI8di3vYCTFt7aouRrZIxivc3A4mM1OytOfuSf4pNivA5Rs~nopdVfRVypOlCm4b0IxK9TMVmqdSYiTLhu5e6v~v5sxdjXFTAI69MMxb9YOmtbpcEL2H2CyheON2pvoikfhM4mezQF9uMEt0p35rhJ6nFhrlsukzRpMfqOcXHJhveLHAj4bnJfepRF4Lfh4IxQLWhFMH-CoRnhlCWhMRF6suhQQS-MQSYAc~EvId5q5f9Kn0QE35K1TDUOGnA6MDN8iPRWE4nh3syDpCUoMNexlt05luPw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Maryland Legislature","date","2025-02-14T00:00:00Z","article","On Feb. 14 the Maryland House of Delegates recorded final passage on multiple bills with little or no floor debate.

House Bill 194, a consumer‑protection measure on refunds or reimbursement of shipping costs for certain online purchases, was on third reading and final passage; the clerk recorded 96 affirmative votes and declared the bill passed.

House Bill 273, a bill that clarifies how late‑payment penalties for residential leases are calculated, also passed on third reading; the clerk recorded 122 affirmative votes.

Both measures were placed on the consent/third‑reading calendar and moved through the chamber without substantive floor debate recorded in the transcript.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Floor Session, 2/14/2025 #1","oneSentenceSummary","During the Feb. 14 session the House approved several noncontroversial bills on third reading, including consumer protections for online purchases and a clarification to residential late‑payment penalty calculations.","taxTitle","HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Maryland","taxId",15055,"location","Maryland","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6325912,"House approves study of data‑center impacts after debate over energy, power lines and incentives",770,2365000,3135000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2330485-b71b17e06dd090c5ae65528adb1b048b&start=2365&end=3135","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2330485-b71b17e06dd090c5ae65528adb1b048b/thumbnail_2365000.jpg","/articles/6325912/Maryland/House-approves-study-of-datacenter-impacts-after-debate-over-energy-power-lines-and-incentives","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6325912-3fd83734d9b4abe0465641fa92afbccc/orig.mp4?Expires=1771168540&Signature=cQkAa64cRhGGkfg05KczcRJQ6OPE-R8MhdRBqY3HNLRS7j3bC6KLh-JrMWL-Kc~YSRK77gZQETLzrb---8CdG5yK-Xb2~puxi1wlYhjeHmQBnIL5ojXw0p0I3Gz5s~uLImC2vpluHcxukyYnrE5iJJULfz5wN-nUaiP9DpFjmH3tMSj0stjw7ciwuPXlBZ8SU~PQkponrgPE58dPt6qmJmgjIatVInj0NHcTGxhEpHPTr56Tij3lxMHdoWALizxaC4kCdKIvz~ZyzG-iO8-KLh62XUwmJYOFqZriT6p5kGpozEOXYY-BozoecZGAs9Ci2tSHpKZFe8BafIpBOieCNw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Maryland House of Delegates on Feb. 14 approved House Bill 270, directing a state study and report on the impacts of data centers in Maryland. The clerk recorded 125 affirmative votes on final passage.

Lawmakers debated the bill’s fiscal and community impacts before voting. Delegates opposing the bill warned of rising energy costs and infrastructure burdens from data centers and questioned whether taxpayers should underwrite analysis for private industry. “We are several billion dollars in the hole at this point,” a delegate from Baltimore County said as part of his explanation for opposing the measure, adding he had worked at a data center and was concerned about energy consumption and taxpayer responsibilities.

Supporters and committee leaders said the study would be conducted with existing resources, removing the fiscal note that initially worried some members. “The study can be done with existing resources and will be done with existing resources, which removes the fiscal note,” the floor leader said; the Chair of the Economic Matters Committee emphasized that the intent was not to promote data centers uncritically but to analyze their full costs and protect communities from unanticipated impacts.

Floor comments highlighted local opposition in counties facing proposed power‑line routes tied to data‑center builds. Delegates from Frederick, Carroll and other counties described constituent concern over large transmission lines and potential eminent‑domain impacts on farms and rural land.

Several delegates noted state incentives for data centers. One delegate said the Maryland Department of Commerce is now accepting applications for a data‑center sales and use tax exemption program, a point used by critics to question whether the state is already providing inducements without resolving infrastructure and rate implications.

The House recorded 125 affirmative votes for final passage after members discussed and accepted assurances that the study would rely on state resources rather than new appropriations or industry funding.","The House passed House Bill 270 to require a state analysis of data‑center impacts and costs after lawmakers debated energy consumption, power‑line routes through counties and whether the study would use existing resources or add fiscal cost.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6325918,"House passes bill aligning family‑life curriculum statewide after heated debate",2171,240000,2411000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2330485-b71b17e06dd090c5ae65528adb1b048b&start=240&end=2411","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2330485-b71b17e06dd090c5ae65528adb1b048b/thumbnail_240000.jpg","/articles/6325918/Maryland/House-passes-bill-aligning-familylife-curriculum-statewide-after-heated-debate","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6325918-c85dc8ad5b5118c85cb90205f4d737b5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771168540&Signature=F2m75WXg88WKqDfouskMTOrdrlVkYn8y1v5gh6vNcBZi2ZuQV6W-QPy9uRzG0H2Vm75niNZNIRP6UQhzy~46QZCNSt5q0XZRcjJ5HZe-xutClba6rpeUBtSPTKoJ4V81N5QNRNUKYhCrFiL~2yomhopBU9ICPpbdTRRUsO0cQaj1QfzE5P-D1O6sFMOdIznAx1oN~RzNAivPIWuHayOmyTsoHKBoTXlRP9UgkF82OjX9Qmw~TM-LnrMT2m9IBmI0g2ssyqdTtv8uMHMZbX8UZV90bdnHYHDdjuTex3GQfJgQ6cPq4SJN625KijmCsqBKrBbf3-fzqoCeE48XWx9osw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Maryland House of Delegates on Feb. 14 passed House Bill 161, a bill to establish a comprehensive family‑life and health education framework for primary and secondary schools, after extended floor debate over parental opt‑out and age appropriateness. The House recorded 95 votes in the affirmative and declared the bill passed.

Supporters said the bill standardizes health instruction across counties and preserves protections for students. “We teach kindergartners about respect. We teach kindergartners that people are different,” the Committee Chair said in defense of the bill, adding that every parent in the state currently can opt children out of the sensitive portions of family‑life curriculum.

Opponents argued the measure would remove meaningful parental control over specific lessons and singled out gender identity and sexual orientation as points of concern. “The first bill dealing with public education doesn’t tackle those challenges. What it does is make gender identity and sexual orientation its own standalone curriculum… and then removes the opt out for parents,” a delegate opposing the bill said on the floor.

The debate featured emotional testimony from lawmakers on both sides. The Vice Chair described personal experience as a sexual‑assault survivor and said age‑appropriate instruction could have changed her childhood: “I am a sexual assault survivor… I bet you if someone had told me when I was 9 years old that what was happening to me was wrong, it would have made all the difference in my life,” she said, urging support for the bill. Other members raised concerns about what specific kindergarten lessons would contain and asked for greater transparency in lesson plans.

Floor exchanges also addressed factual claims in the debate. The Committee Chair, who identified herself as a lawyer, challenged several statements from opponents and said the state board developed the framework with input from local jurisdictions. House members referenced the Maryland State Department of Education’s existing nondiscrimination statement and said the framework acknowledges the existence and dignity of LGBTQ Marylanders while leaving age‑appropriateness and lesson detail to local jurisdictions.

The House also noted that 69 people had signed up to testify on the bill in committee. The previous question was moved and adopted, and the clerk recorded 95 affirmative votes on final passage. No amendments that changed the bill’s core requirement were adopted on the floor during third reading.

The bill now proceeds according to the legislative calendar for any additional cross‑house action required or enrollment as prescribed by House rules.","The Maryland House of Delegates passed House Bill 161, a statewide framework for family‑life and health education that representatives debated over parental opt‑out, age appropriateness and protections for LGBTQ students. The bill passed on third reading by a constitutional majority.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: House approves consumer and leasing bills with little floor debate

House approves study of data‑center impacts after debate over energy, power lines and incentives

House passes bill aligning family‑life curriculum statewide after heated debate