ANNAPOLIS, Jan. 28, 2025 — The Senate of Maryland on Tuesday advanced more than 20 committee-reported bills to third reading after adopting favorable committee reports without objection, moving measures from economic-development and higher education to public safety and housing closer to final floor consideration.

The most substantive items included Senate Bill 4, a measure by Sen. Hayes (committee report sponsor on the floor) that restructures the West North Avenue Development Authority to make it a permanent instrumentality of the state, creates a special fund, and changes board composition; the body's lone committee amendment excluded owner-occupied residential properties from the authority's eminent-domain power and was adopted on the floor. The Senate also took up an emergency corrective bill, Senate Bill 9, to align Maryland Higher Education Commission program-approval procedures with the intent of a 2024 conference committee report.

Why it matters: SB 4 changes the statutory structure and authorities of a locally focused redevelopment entity and explicitly narrows its eminent-domain reach for owner-occupied homes; SB 9 clarifies reporting and letter-of-intent timing for private nonprofit and public institutions and is billed as a corrective emergency technical measure to complete work left undone at the end of last session.

Other bills advanced touched many areas of state policy and administration. Among the measures the Senate ordered printed for third reading after adopting committee reports were:

- Senate Bill 163: replaces references to "mental hygiene" with "mental health" and sets a deadline for a regulatory update to July 1, 2027 (committee amendment clarified regulatory timeline).

- Senate Bill 222: amends membership of the Cannabis Public Health Advisory Council to add the motor-vehicle administrator (or designee) and adds the executive director (or designee) of the Office of Social Equity in the Maryland Cannabis Administration.

- Senate Bill 238: allows nonprofit organizations to participate in local housing rehabilitation programs run by the Department of Housing and Community Development.

- Senate Bill 9: emergency measure requiring private nonprofit institutions to submit semiannual letters of intent to MHEC identifying new graduate-level programs they plan to propose within 6 months to two years; the bill also repeals temporary exclusive authority previously granted to five institutions for certain workforce programs.

- Senate Bill 36: authorizes the 911 Trust Fund to be used for shared costs related to operating the 988 suicide prevention hotline.

- Senate Bill 41: adds the state controller to the Maryland Small Business Retirement Savings Program board.

- Senate Bill 86: requires online sports-wagering sites to provide a landing page and contact information for problem-gambling resources.

- Senate Bill 123: expands duties for operators involved in vessel collisions to stop, render aid and provide information, and establishes criminal penalties for failure to comply.

- Senate Bill 180: extends renewal periods for handgun permits issued to retired law-enforcement officers from three to five years.

- Senate Bill 187: aligns state law with federal commercial motor-vehicle requirements to impose a one-year disqualification for certain driving under the influence offenses.

A number of other departmental and technical bills reported out of committee were advanced in the same manner; committee chairs presented background and moved the favorable reports on the floor, and the Senate proceeded "without objection" in each instance.

Votes at a glance

- SB 4 (Hayes) '1: West North Avenue Development Authority; committee amendment adopted excluding owner-occupied residences; favorable committee report adopted; ordered printed for third reading.
- SB 9 (Chair, Education, Energy & Environment) '1: MHEC program-approval corrections; two committee amendments adopted; favorable committee report adopted; ordered printed for third reading.
- SB 36 (Kagan) '1: 911 Trust Fund use for 988 hotline; favorable committee report adopted; ordered printed for third reading.
- SB 41 (Rosa Papp) '1: Small Business Retirement Savings Board membership; favorable committee report adopted; ordered printed for third reading.
- SB 86 (Waldstreicher) '1: Problem gambling resources for online wagering; two committee amendments adopted; favorable committee report adopted; ordered printed for third reading.
- SB 123 (Simon Nair) '1: Boating accidents, duty to remain and render assistance; favorable committee report adopted; ordered printed for third reading.
- SB 142 (Sidnor) '1: Spousal confidential communications in criminal actions; favorable committee report adopted; ordered printed for third reading.
- SB 163 (M. Washington) '1: Replace "mental hygiene" references with "mental health"; committee amendment clarifies regulatory timeline; favorable committee report adopted; ordered printed for third reading.
- SB 180 (West) '1: Handgun permits for retired officers; favorable committee report adopted; ordered printed for third reading.
- SB 184 (Jud. Proc. chair) '1: Charitable organizations late fees and registration; favorable committee report adopted; ordered printed for third reading.
- SB 187 (Jud. Proc. chair) '1: CDL disqualification for DUI aligned with federal law; favorable committee report adopted; ordered printed for third reading.
- SB 199 (Jud. Proc. chair) '1: Sexual assault exam payment responsibility moved to Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Youth Policy; favorable committee report adopted; ordered printed for third reading.
- SB 197 (Jud. Proc. chair) '1: Correctional Training Commission membership expansion; two committee amendments adopted; favorable committee report adopted; ordered printed for third reading.
- SB 203 (Jud. Proc. chair) '1: Exceptional hauling permits for farm products; one committee amendment adopted; favorable committee report adopted; ordered printed for third reading.
- SB 222, SB 224, SB 231, SB 238, SB 251, SB 238 (additional committee-reported departmental items) '1: Favorable committee reports adopted; ordered printed for third reading (details noted for each in committee reports).

Procedural notes and next steps

Most measures on Tuesday were advanced after committee chairs described the bills and asked for adoption of favorable committee reports. The floor commonly disposed of the measures "without objection," which the Senate used in lieu of roll-call votes at this stage. Bills ordered printed for third reading are scheduled for a later floor vote on final passage.

Committee schedules announced on the floor: Finance (1 p.m., 10 bills, 64 witnesses), Education, Energy & Environment (1 p.m. fiscal briefing; 1:30 p.m. Chesapeake Bay briefing; then 10 environmental bills), Budget & Taxation (11:15 a.m. short voting session; tomorrow 10:30 a.m. bill hearings), Judicial Proceedings (1 p.m. hearings) and additional committee activities across the week.

The desk was declared clear at the close of the session; the Senate stands adjourned until a pro forma session on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, at 10 a.m.

Ending note: Several ceremonial introductions and guest recognitions took place during the floor session, including the Maryland School for the Deaf robotics team and representatives from nonprofit and veterans organizations, but those were separate from the committee actions that advanced the bills summarized above.