In Session

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Providing an exemption from the sales and use tax for the sale of electricity used for agricultural purposes under certain circumstances.

Increasing, from 5% to 6%, the maximum hotel rental tax rate that counties in the Eastern Shore class of code counties may impose.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Allowing a subtraction modification under the Maryland income tax for certain qualified broadband grants awarded during the taxable year for broadband deployment.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.