Altering the program the Maryland Department of Labor is required to establish for the retraining and placement of certain hospital employees; requiring the Department to allocate money from the Hospital Employees Retraining Fund to local workforce development boards under certain circumstances; altering certain workforce development programs to require inclusion of local workforce boards; requiring the Department to provide funding to local workforce boards; requiring local workforce boards to provide certain grants; etc.

Authorizing an address in this State supplied by a commercial mail receiving agency to be designated as the principal office of a Maryland corporation, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or limited partnership; and defining "commercial mail receiving agency" as a person that is authorized by the U.S. Postal Service to accept delivery of mail on behalf of another person as a business service.

Delaying the implementation of the Earned Income Tax Credit Assistance Program until taxable year 2030; requiring the Comptroller's Office, on or before December 1, 2026, to study and make recommendations regarding outreach efforts to encourage eligible taxpayers to claim the State earned income tax credit; and requiring the Department of Service and Civic Innovation to make certain recommendations concerning methods to assist low-income Marylanders with claiming certain credits and obtaining certain assistance.

Altering the dates by which certain local employers are required to pay the State Retirement and Pension System a certain amount of the charges certified to the local employer; clarifying the interest rate a county government is charged for certain delinquent amounts owed to the State Retirement and Pension System; clarifying that an eligible government unit that satisfies certain requirements is eligible to participate in a certain system of the State Retirement and Pension System under certain circumstances; etc.

Establishing competitive proof of concept procurements as an authorized procurement method; providing that a competitive proof of concept procurement may have multiple phases of evaluation; requiring a unit of State government to obtain the approval of the Chief Procurement Officer or a designee before conducting a certain competitive proof of concept procurement; altering the required contents of a competitive proof of concept procurement solicitation; etc.

Requiring membership in the Correctional Officers' Retirement System for certain local detention center officers of Allegany County in the event Allegany County becomes a participating governmental unit in the Correctional Officers' Retirement System; and providing that certain local detention center officers who join the Correctional Officers' Retirement System and receive certain service credit shall no longer be members of the Employees' Pension System.

Requiring the Maryland Department of Health to organize the Maryland Medical Reserve Corps; requiring the Department to notify each health officer for a county of a certain procurement to offer the opportunity for the county health department to join the procurement; requiring the Department of Legislative Services to develop a process to assess the health equity impacts of relevant legislation; requiring the Department to convene a workgroup to review local health department recruiting and classification processes; etc.

Transferring the authority to regulate certain crematories and reduction facilities from the Office of Cemetery Oversight to the State Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors; altering the circumstances under which the Governor may remove an appointed member of the Board; altering the quorum of the Board; and specifying that the Board may take action with a simple majority vote of the quorum.

Authorizing a licensee at Laurel Park to conduct live racing of Arabian breed horses under certain circumstances; etc.

Requiring the Department of the Environment to develop a statewide action plan for the enforcement of standards for secondary maximum contaminant levels to address water discoloring, taste, and odor at community water systems and nontransient, noncommunity water systems; and requiring the Department to report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by December 1, 2026.

Authorizing the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority to award certain grants and loans for certain purposes; authorizing the Authority to require matching funds in whatever proportion the Authority considers appropriate; repealing certain requirements for certain grants and loans; decreasing from 10% to 7% or $600,000, whichever amount is greater, of Program Open Space funds transferred to the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority Financing Fund that may be used for certain operating expenses; etc.

Altering provisions relating to children who are placed in an out-of-home placement by a local department of social services under a voluntary placement agreement; requiring, by October 1, 2029, the Department of Human Services and the Maryland Department of Health to jointly submit a report to certain entities concerning children who are placed in an out-of-home placement under a voluntary placement agreement; and establishing that certain child support due to the State before the effective date of the Act is uncollectable.

Requiring a municipality that is seeking to annex land that is located in a different legislative district than a legislative district in which the municipality or any part of the municipality is located to notify the members of the General Assembly for the district in which the land is located and for the district to which the land is being annexed by electronic communication and the United States Postal Service.

Requiring counties in which a volunteer fire company is located to offer no-cost preventive cancer screenings in accordance with certain guidelines to volunteer firefighters volunteering and retired volunteer firefighters who volunteered with the volunteer fire company; authorizing a county to satisfy the requirement by providing a certain annual examination or applying for a certain grant; requiring the volunteer fire companies to maintain a list of volunteer firefighters and retired volunteer firefighters; etc.

Providing an exemption from the sales and use tax for a sale made at a book fair by an elementary or secondary school or a nonprofit parent-teacher organization or other nonprofit organization within an elementary or secondary school at an in-person book fair on school premises; requiring that the net proceeds of the book sale be used solely for the educational benefit of the school or its students; etc.

Prohibiting the State or a unit of local government from approving the construction or operation of a building, structure, or other real property for use as a detention facility by a private entity; establishing that a building, structure, or other real property is considered proposed for use as a detention facility, regardless of how the use is descried in an application or permit request under certain circumstances; establishing a certain penalty; authorizing the Attorney General to bring a civil action to enforce the Act; etc.

Altering the duties of the Virginia I. Jones Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Council; establishing the Dementia Services and Brain Health Program in the Maryland Department of Health to lead the State's public health efforts relating to brain health and dementia; requiring, by October 1, 2027, the Maryland Department of Health in partnership the Department of Aging, the Council and other entities to develop a provider resource toolkit for dementia care for health care providers; etc.

Revising provisions related to the disqualification of a program participant from the Maryland Children's Service Animal Program, the Maryland Disability Service Animal Program, or the Maryland Veterans Service Animal Program; providing that a nonprofit training entity may disqualify a Program participant if the training entity determines the participant's involvement presents a direct threat to others; etc.

Altering and updating the standards and procedures governing the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Critical Area Protection Program related to the approval of regulations, local program comprehensive reviews, locational standards for growth allocation, correcting mapping mistakes, and tree replanting.

Requiring the State Acupuncture Board to make available proof of renewal, rather than issuing a renewal certificate; prohibiting a person from employing an individual to practice acupuncture without a license or aiding or abetting the unauthorized practice of acupuncture; and providing that a person who violates the Act, for a first offense, is guilty of a misdemeanor and is subject to a fine of up to $5,000 or imprisonment of up to 1 year or both.

Authorizing a person to use living shorelines as a certain erosion control measure; applying the Act only to a shoreline stabilization project for which any portion of the project is in an area that is not designated as appropriate for structural stabilization measures by Department mapping; requiring that certain regulations adopted by the Department of the Environment require the Department to take certain action during the evaluation of a certain waiver request; requiring the Department to develop a certain scoring system; etc.

Clarifying that the Maryland Statewide Independent Living Council is a tax-exempt body politic and corporate.

Establishing certain civil penalties for violations of law involving the employment of minors; prohibiting employers from allowing the formation of a certain organization or entity under certain circumstances; authorizing certain private employees to petition the Public Employee Relations Board to resolve certain matters under certain circumstances; prohibiting Executive Branch units from applying for a waiver of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act; etc.

Authorizing the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority to award grants and loans to local jurisdictions to develop certain management plans and encourage revitalization of and reinvestment in certified heritage area resources; decreasing from 10% to 7% or $600,000, whichever is greater, of Program Open Space funds transferred to the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority Financing Fund that may be used for certain operating expenses; and increasing from $3,000,000 to $9,000,000 the maximum amount of funding that may be transferred to the Fund.

Altering the program the Maryland Department of Labor is required to establish for the retraining and placement of certain hospital employees; requiring the Department to allocate money from the Hospital Employees Retraining Fund to local workforce development boards under certain circumstances; altering certain workforce development programs to require inclusion of local workforce boards; requiring the Department to provide funding to local workforce boards; requiring local workforce boards to provide certain grants; etc.

Authorizing an address in this State supplied by a commercial mail receiving agency to be designated as the principal office of a Maryland corporation, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or limited partnership; and defining "commercial mail receiving agency" as a person that is authorized by the U.S. Postal Service to accept delivery of mail on behalf of another person as a business service.

Delaying the implementation of the Earned Income Tax Credit Assistance Program until taxable year 2030; requiring the Comptroller's Office, on or before December 1, 2026, to study and make recommendations regarding outreach efforts to encourage eligible taxpayers to claim the State earned income tax credit; and requiring the Department of Service and Civic Innovation to make certain recommendations concerning methods to assist low-income Marylanders with claiming certain credits and obtaining certain assistance.

Altering the dates by which certain local employers are required to pay the State Retirement and Pension System a certain amount of the charges certified to the local employer; clarifying the interest rate a county government is charged for certain delinquent amounts owed to the State Retirement and Pension System; clarifying that an eligible government unit that satisfies certain requirements is eligible to participate in a certain system of the State Retirement and Pension System under certain circumstances; etc.

Establishing competitive proof of concept procurements as an authorized procurement method; providing that a competitive proof of concept procurement may have multiple phases of evaluation; requiring a unit of State government to obtain the approval of the Chief Procurement Officer or a designee before conducting a certain competitive proof of concept procurement; altering the required contents of a competitive proof of concept procurement solicitation; etc.

Requiring membership in the Correctional Officers' Retirement System for certain local detention center officers of Allegany County in the event Allegany County becomes a participating governmental unit in the Correctional Officers' Retirement System; and providing that certain local detention center officers who join the Correctional Officers' Retirement System and receive certain service credit shall no longer be members of the Employees' Pension System.

Requiring the Maryland Department of Health to organize the Maryland Medical Reserve Corps; requiring the Department to notify each health officer for a county of a certain procurement to offer the opportunity for the county health department to join the procurement; requiring the Department of Legislative Services to develop a process to assess the health equity impacts of relevant legislation; requiring the Department to convene a workgroup to review local health department recruiting and classification processes; etc.

Transferring the authority to regulate certain crematories and reduction facilities from the Office of Cemetery Oversight to the State Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors; altering the circumstances under which the Governor may remove an appointed member of the Board; altering the quorum of the Board; and specifying that the Board may take action with a simple majority vote of the quorum.

Authorizing a licensee at Laurel Park to conduct live racing of Arabian breed horses under certain circumstances; etc.

Requiring the Department of the Environment to develop a statewide action plan for the enforcement of standards for secondary maximum contaminant levels to address water discoloring, taste, and odor at community water systems and nontransient, noncommunity water systems; and requiring the Department to report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by December 1, 2026.

Authorizing the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority to award certain grants and loans for certain purposes; authorizing the Authority to require matching funds in whatever proportion the Authority considers appropriate; repealing certain requirements for certain grants and loans; decreasing from 10% to 7% or $600,000, whichever amount is greater, of Program Open Space funds transferred to the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority Financing Fund that may be used for certain operating expenses; etc.

Altering provisions relating to children who are placed in an out-of-home placement by a local department of social services under a voluntary placement agreement; requiring, by October 1, 2029, the Department of Human Services and the Maryland Department of Health to jointly submit a report to certain entities concerning children who are placed in an out-of-home placement under a voluntary placement agreement; and establishing that certain child support due to the State before the effective date of the Act is uncollectable.

Requiring a municipality that is seeking to annex land that is located in a different legislative district than a legislative district in which the municipality or any part of the municipality is located to notify the members of the General Assembly for the district in which the land is located and for the district to which the land is being annexed by electronic communication and the United States Postal Service.

Requiring counties in which a volunteer fire company is located to offer no-cost preventive cancer screenings in accordance with certain guidelines to volunteer firefighters volunteering and retired volunteer firefighters who volunteered with the volunteer fire company; authorizing a county to satisfy the requirement by providing a certain annual examination or applying for a certain grant; requiring the volunteer fire companies to maintain a list of volunteer firefighters and retired volunteer firefighters; etc.

Providing an exemption from the sales and use tax for a sale made at a book fair by an elementary or secondary school or a nonprofit parent-teacher organization or other nonprofit organization within an elementary or secondary school at an in-person book fair on school premises; requiring that the net proceeds of the book sale be used solely for the educational benefit of the school or its students; etc.

Prohibiting the State or a unit of local government from approving the construction or operation of a building, structure, or other real property for use as a detention facility by a private entity; establishing that a building, structure, or other real property is considered proposed for use as a detention facility, regardless of how the use is descried in an application or permit request under certain circumstances; establishing a certain penalty; authorizing the Attorney General to bring a civil action to enforce the Act; etc.

Altering the duties of the Virginia I. Jones Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Council; establishing the Dementia Services and Brain Health Program in the Maryland Department of Health to lead the State's public health efforts relating to brain health and dementia; requiring, by October 1, 2027, the Maryland Department of Health in partnership the Department of Aging, the Council and other entities to develop a provider resource toolkit for dementia care for health care providers; etc.

Revising provisions related to the disqualification of a program participant from the Maryland Children's Service Animal Program, the Maryland Disability Service Animal Program, or the Maryland Veterans Service Animal Program; providing that a nonprofit training entity may disqualify a Program participant if the training entity determines the participant's involvement presents a direct threat to others; etc.

Altering and updating the standards and procedures governing the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Critical Area Protection Program related to the approval of regulations, local program comprehensive reviews, locational standards for growth allocation, correcting mapping mistakes, and tree replanting.

Requiring the State Acupuncture Board to make available proof of renewal, rather than issuing a renewal certificate; prohibiting a person from employing an individual to practice acupuncture without a license or aiding or abetting the unauthorized practice of acupuncture; and providing that a person who violates the Act, for a first offense, is guilty of a misdemeanor and is subject to a fine of up to $5,000 or imprisonment of up to 1 year or both.

Authorizing a person to use living shorelines as a certain erosion control measure; applying the Act only to a shoreline stabilization project for which any portion of the project is in an area that is not designated as appropriate for structural stabilization measures by Department mapping; requiring that certain regulations adopted by the Department of the Environment require the Department to take certain action during the evaluation of a certain waiver request; requiring the Department to develop a certain scoring system; etc.

Clarifying that the Maryland Statewide Independent Living Council is a tax-exempt body politic and corporate.

Establishing certain civil penalties for violations of law involving the employment of minors; prohibiting employers from allowing the formation of a certain organization or entity under certain circumstances; authorizing certain private employees to petition the Public Employee Relations Board to resolve certain matters under certain circumstances; prohibiting Executive Branch units from applying for a waiver of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act; etc.

Authorizing the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority to award grants and loans to local jurisdictions to develop certain management plans and encourage revitalization of and reinvestment in certified heritage area resources; decreasing from 10% to 7% or $600,000, whichever is greater, of Program Open Space funds transferred to the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority Financing Fund that may be used for certain operating expenses; and increasing from $3,000,000 to $9,000,000 the maximum amount of funding that may be transferred to the Fund.