In Session

Requiring certain county boards of education to consider the pursuit of certain certificates, certifications, or apprenticeships as the equivalent of pursuing postsecondary education; requiring certain county boards to provide a method for certain individuals to not authorize the release of a student’s personal information and certain results to certain apprenticeship sponsors and employers; requiring a county board to pay for a student to take an apprenticeship or industrial certification exam under certain circumstances; etc.

Continuing the Apprenticeship and Training Council in accordance with the provisions of the Maryland Program Evaluation Act (sunset law) by extending to July 1, 2025, the termination provisions relating to the statutory and regulatory authority of the Council.

Adding Worcester County to the list of counties where an existing agricultural building used for agritourism is not considered a change of occupancy that requires a building permit if the subordinate use of agritourism does not require more than 200 people to occupy an individual building at any one time and the total width of means of egress meets or exceeds the International Building Code standard that applies to egress components other than stairways in a building without a sprinkler system.

Altering the purpose and use of the Maryland Farms and Families Fund; establishing the Maryland Food and Agricultural Resiliency Mechanism Grant Program and Fund to provide grants to food banks and charitable emergency food providers to alleviate food insecurity; and establishing the Maryland Farm-to-School Meal Grant Pilot Program and Fund to award grants to eligible school districts that include a local food component in school meals and to incentivize the production, procurement, and provision of local foods in school meals.

Transferring the regulation of pesticides, plant diseases, and mosquitos in the State from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of the Environment.

Altering the definition of “agritourism” to include camping and incidental stays for the purpose of a certain provision of law authorizing a local jurisdiction to adopt the definition of “agritourism”.

Altering the definition of “agritourism” to include special events and occasions conducted on a farm that generates income from an agricultural activity.

Altering the definition of “Tier 1 renewable source” for purposes of excluding energy derived from qualifying biomass, methane from the anaerobic decomposition of organic materials, certain fuel cells, poultry litter-to-energy, waste-to-energy, refuse-derived fuel, and thermal energy from a thermal biomass system from being eligible for inclusion in the renewable energy portfolio standard.

Establishing the Project Restore Program within the Department of Housing and Community Development to provide financial incentives for small businesses and commercial developers to revitalize certain vacant retail and commercial space; authorizing the award of certain grants to certain businesses and developers under certain circumstances; establishing the Project Restore Fund as a special, nonlapsing fund in the Department; requiring interest earnings of the Fund to be credited to the Fund; etc.

Altering the definition of “cottage food business” for the purpose of increasing from $25,000 to $100,000 the cap on the annual revenue from the sale of cottage food products that a cottage food business may earn.

Requiring a certified nursing assistant to meet certain federal requirements and pass a competency exam on or after October 1, 2023; and requiring the Maryland Department of Health to establish a program to assist certified nursing assistants in meeting licensing requirements established by the Act.

Authorizing a health care practitioner who is not licensed in the State to provide behavioral health services via telehealth to a patient in the State under certain circumstances; providing that an out-of-state health care practitioner who provides behavioral health services via telehealth to a patient located in the State will be held to the same standards of practice that are applicable to in-person health care settings in the State.

Establishing the Career Pathways for Health Care Workers Program in the Maryland Department of Labor for the purpose of providing grants to eligible employers for training programs attended by health care workers.

Prohibiting, beginning January 1, 2023, a food service business from providing certain single-use food or beverage products to a customer ordering carryout or delivery from or dining inside the food service business unless the customer requests or accepts an offer for the single-use products; requiring a food service business to maintain a limited stock of single-use plastic straws for certain customers; and authorizing a food service business to submit a request to a governmental entity for a waiver of up to 3 months.

Requiring the State to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions through the use of various measures, including the alteration of statewide greenhouse gas emissions goals, the establishment of a net-zero statewide greenhouse gas emissions goal, the development of certain energy efficiency and electrification requirements for certain buildings, and requiring electric companies to increase their annual incremental gross energy savings through certain programs and services; etc.

Exempting a community solar energy generating system that provides at least 50% of the energy it produces to low-or moderate-income customers at a cost that is at least 20% less than the amount charged by the electric company in the area and is installed on a rooftop, parking facility canopy, or brownfield from local energy taxes and personal property taxes.

Requiring an essential employer to give a written statement regarding certain hazard pay paid to certain essential workers for each pay period; requiring an essential employer to take certain actions related to occupational safety and health during an emergency; authorizing an essential worker to refuse to fulfill a work responsibilities under certain circumstances; prohibiting an essential employer from retaliating or taking other adverse action against an essential worker or other worker for certain actions; etc.