Agriculture
Maryland Forestry Education Fund – Establishment
SB0282 (HB0289)
Sponsored by: Senators King, Bailey, Benson, Carozza, Corderman, Elfreth, Gile, Guzzone, Hettleman, Jackson, Jennings, Klausmeier, Kramer, McCray, McKay, Rosapepe, Salling, and Zucker
Additional Details
Establishing the Maryland Forestry Education Fund to expand and enhance the Maryland Forestry Foundation’s capacity to provide certain education and resources to forest landowners, the ability of district forestry boards and the knowledge of local governments to achieve healthy and sustainable forests, and the ability of businesses to test innovative best management practices in forestry; and requiring the Governor to include in the annual budget bill $250,000 for the Fund in fiscal years 2025 and 2026.
Agriculture
Consumer Protection – Right to Repair – Farm Equipment
(HB0712)
Sponsored by: Delegates Hornberger, Anderton, Baker, Ebersole, Ghrist, Griffith, Hartman, McComas, Miller, T. Morgan, Nawrocki, Otto, Palakovich Carr, Schmidt, Stewart, Szeliga, and Tomlinson
Additional Details
Requiring a farm equipment manufacturer to make available certain documentation, updates, or information to an independent repair provider or owner of farm equipment to allow for the diagnosis, maintenance, or repair of the farm equipment; prohibiting a farm equipment manufacturer from knowingly misrepresenting or withholding farm equipment part numbers from a customer for a certain purpose; etc.
Agriculture
Sales and Use Tax – Electricity for Agricultural Purposes
(HB0678)
Sponsored by: Delegates Sample-Hughes, Adams, Arentz, Fair, Ghrist, Jacobs, and Otto
Additional Details
Exempting from the sales and use tax the sale of electricity used for agricultural purposes such as raising livestock or poultry, preparing, irrigating, or tending the soil, or planting, maintaining, or transporting seeds or crops.
Labor
Labor and Employment – Maryland Healthy Working Families Act – Seasonal Temporary Workers
SB0902 (HB1015)
Sponsored by: Senators Carozza, Mautz, Hershey, and Corderman
Additional Details
Increasing, from 106 to 120 days, the period during which an employer is not required to allow an employee to use earned sick and safe leave; altering the circumstances under which an employer is required to reinstate certain unused sick and safe leave; and altering the circumstances under which an employer is authorized to require an employee who uses earned sick and safe leave to provide certain verification.
Labor
Labor and Employment – Payment of Minimum Wage – Tipped Employees
SB0803 (HB1256)
Sponsored by: Senator Ellis
Additional Details
Specifying a certain tip credit amount that is in effect for certain time periods; prohibiting certain employers of tipped employees, beginning July 1, 2027, from including a tip credit amount as part of the employees’ wages; and requiring the Commissioner of Labor and Industry to establish the High Road Kitchen Program as a recognition program for restaurants that do not include the tip credit as part of certain employees’ wages.
Agriculture
Agriculture – Confinement of Egg-Laying Hens in Commercial Egg Production – Prohibitions
SB0690
Sponsored by: Senator Lewis Young
Additional Details
Prohibiting a certain farm owner or operator from knowingly confining egg-laying hens in an enclosure in a certain manner, subject to certain exceptions, on and after January 1, 2025; prohibiting a business owner or operator or a farm owner or operator from selling shell eggs or egg products under certain circumstances on and after January 1, 2025; and specifying that a certain certification be obtained in a certain manner to sell shell eggs and egg products.
Agriculture
Sales and Use Tax – Electricity for Agricultural Purposes – Exemption
SB0640
Sponsored by: Senator Jackson
Additional Details
Providing an exemption from the sales and use tax for the sale of electricity used for agricultural purposes under certain circumstances.
Economic Development
Eastern Shore Code Counties – Maximum Hotel Rental Tax Rate – Alteration
SB0612 (HB0931)
Sponsored by: Eastern Shore Senators
Additional Details
Increasing, from 5% to 6%, the maximum hotel rental tax rate that counties in the Eastern Shore class of code counties may impose.
Agriculture
Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard – Eligible Sources – Alterations (Reclaim Renewable Energy Act of 2023)
SB0590 (HB0718)
Sponsored by: Senator Lewis Young
Additional Details
Altering the definitions of “qualifying biomass”, “thermal biomass system”, and “Tier 1 renewable source” for purposes of excluding energy derived from certain forest-related resources, animal manure, waste, and refuse and gas produced from the anaerobic decomposition of animal waste or poultry waste from being eligible for inclusion in the renewable energy portfolio standard.
Labor
Fair Wage Act of 2023
SB0555 (HB0549)
Sponsored by: The President (By Request – Administration) and Senators Waldstreicher, Augustine, Benson, Carter, Ellis, Hettleman, Jackson, Kagan, King, Kramer, Lam, McCray, Muse, Rosapepe, Smith, Sydnor, M. Washington, and Watson
Additional Details
Increasing the State minimum wage rate in effect for certain periods of time; increasing, except under certain circumstances, the State minimum wage rate in effect for certain periods of time based on annual growth in a certain consumer price index; altering the authority of the Board of Public Works to temporarily suspend an increase in the minimum wage rate; and repealing the requirement that the Governor’s budgets for certain fiscal years include certain provider rate increases.
Utilities
Broadband Expansion Incentive Act of 2023
SB0547 (HB0551)
Sponsored by: The President (By Request – Administration) and Senators Augustine, Bailey, Beidle, Benson, Carozza, Carter, Corderman, Elfreth, Ellis, Feldman, Folden, Gallion, Gile, Hayes, Hershey, Hester, Hettleman, Jackson, James, Jennings, Kagan, Klausmeier, Lam, McKay, Muse, Ready, Rosapepe, Salling, Sydnor, Waldstreicher, M. Washington, Watson, and West
Additional Details
Allowing a subtraction modification under the Maryland income tax for certain qualified broadband grants awarded during the taxable year for broadband deployment; and providing an exemption from the sales and use tax for the sale of certain equipment related to providing Internet service and deploying broadband.
Healthcare
Preserve Telehealth Access Act of 2023
SB0534
Sponsored by: Senators Gile, Beidle, Ellis, Griffith, Hershey, Klausmeier, and Mautz
Additional Details
Extending to June 30, 2025, the inclusion of certain audio-only telephone conversations under the definition of “telehealth” for the purpose of certain provisions of law relating to reimbursement and coverage of telehealth by the Maryland Medical Assistance Program and certain insurers, nonprofit health service plans, and health maintenance organizations; etc.
Healthcare
Health and Human Services Transportation Improvement Act of 2023
SB0511 (HB0596)
Sponsored by: Senators Ellis and Hester
Additional Details
Establishing the Rural Nonemergency Medical Transportation Program for hospitals to coordinate transportation provided by a nonprofit organization to or from medical services for eligible individuals; repealing a certain cap on the amount of grants that may be awarded by the Maryland Transit Administration under the Maryland Senior Rides Program; requiring the Governor to provide $1,000,000 annually for the Rural Nonemergency Medical Transportation Program in the State budget beginning in fiscal year 2025; etc.
Agriculture
Oysters – Rotational Harvest – Pilot Program
SB0492 (HB0932)
Sponsored by: Senators Carozza, Hershey, Mautz, and Bailey
Additional Details
Establishing the rotational harvest pilot program for oysters to be implemented by the Department of Natural Resources; requiring the Department to open certain areas of the Chesapeake Bay to the rotational harvest of oysters in certain manners; requiring the Department, before opening an area to oyster harvesting under the pilot program, to survey and investigate the area to collect certain baseline data and, after closing the area, to continue to monitor the area to collect certain additional data; etc.
Agriculture
Property Tax – Agricultural Land and Improvements – Assessment
SB0418 (HB0592)
Sponsored by: Senators Elfreth, Hester, Feldman, Gile, Guzzone, Jackson, King, and Zucker
Additional Details
Providing that value-added agricultural activities are a farm or agricultural use of land for assessment purposes; creating a subclass of real property consisting of improvements on an actively used farm that support value-added agricultural activities; requiring improvements on an actively used farm that support value-added agricultural activities to be assessed at the agricultural use rate; etc.
Utilities
Income Tax – Subtraction Modification – Qualified Broadband Grants
SB408 (HB0442)
Sponsored by: Senators Ready, Carozza, Gallion, Salling, and West
Additional Details
Allowing a subtraction modification under the Maryland income tax for certain qualified broadband grants awarded during the taxable year for broadband deployment.
Labor
Maryland Fair Scheduling Act
SB0345 (HB0349)
Sponsored by: Senators Benson and Ellis
Additional Details
Requiring an employer who employs individuals in a food service facility or retail establishment to pay certain employees at a certain rate of pay for certain shifts of work, except under certain circumstances; providing that certain employees employed in a food service facility or retail establishment have the right to decline to work hours that occur during the 11 hours following the end of a shift; etc.
Education
Education – Public High Schools – Financial Literacy Curriculum
SB0316 (HB0099)
Sponsored by: Senators Brooks, Jackson, Kramer, and Augustine
Additional Details
Requiring the State Board of Education to develop curriculum content for a half-credit course in financial literacy; requiring each county board of education to implement the financial literacy curriculum content and make the course available to students in every public high school in the county; and repealing a provision of law requiring the State Department of Education to report on certain financial literacy information at a certain interval.
Labor
Employment for Minors – Opportunities for Work (Job Opportunities for High School Students Act)
SB0172 (HB0229)
Sponsored by: Senator Rosapepe
Additional Details
Requiring the Commissioner of Labor and Industry, to release certain personal information of a minor who has a work permit to employers and apprenticeship sponsors, educational programs and institutions, and local workforce development boards that have requested and have registered with the Maryland Department of Labor for the purpose of receiving the information, if a parent or legal guardian of the minor or the minor elects to allow the sharing of the information.
Education
More Opportunities for Career–Focused Students Act of 2023
SB0121 (HB1247)
Sponsored by: Senator Rosapepe
Additional Details
Requiring certain county boards of education to consider the pursuit of certain certificates, certifications, or apprenticeships as the equivalent of pursuing postsecondary education and provide a method for certain individuals to authorize the release of certain student information to certain apprenticeship sponsors and employers; requiring each public high school to inform students of certain employment and skills training opportunities in a certain manner; etc.
Labor
Labor and Employment – State Minimum Wage Rate – Acceleration (Fight for Fifteen Acceleration Act of 2023)
SB0081
Sponsored by: Senator Waldstreicher
Additional Details
Increasing the State minimum wage rate changes in effect for certain periods of time; and repealing the authority of the Board of Public Works to temporarily suspend an increase to the State minimum wage rate.
Agriculture
Department of Agriculture – State Specialist for Value-Added Agriculture
SB0034 (HB0389)
Sponsored by: Senators Hester and Gallion
Additional Details
Establishing the State Specialist for Value-Added Agriculture as a position in the Department of Agriculture to serve as the primary point of contact for individuals engaging in, or interested in engaging in, value-added agriculture in the State, etc.