Exempting spouses and financially dependent children of State or local public safety employees who die as a result of or in the course of performance of duties from paying out-of-state or out-of-county tuition at a public institution of higher education in the State.

Establishing the policy of the State to use public school employees to perform functions for public schools in preference to contracting with the private sector; and requiring, under certain conditions, a county board of education that seeks to enter into a service contract to submit to the State Department of Education information to justify the need for the service contract, and to submit a plan of assistance for employees adversely affected by the service contract.

Requiring, on or before July 1, 2027, the State Department of Education to design and develop a new system of professional development in public schools for paraeducators and other education support professionals.

Establishing a Class AER (equity retail) beer, wine, and liquor license in Prince George's County; authorizing the Board of License Commissioners for Prince George's County to issue the license to an applicant that meets certain criteria for use only in certain areas, subject to certain requirements; limiting to 2 licenses per year and a total of 10 licenses under the Act the number of Class AER licenses that the Board may issue; and authorizing an annual license fee of $910.

Converting the Biotechnology Investment Incentive Tax Credit to be the Biotechnology Investment Incentive Grant Program in the Department of Commerce; requiring the Department to disburse a grant within 90 days of determining that the investment has been made; allowing a subtraction modification under the Maryland income tax for certain grants received during the taxable year; establishing a Biotechnology Investment Incentive Grant Program Fund; authorizing the Governor to include $10,000,000 in the annual budget bill for the Fund; etc.

Applying certain provisions of law establishing that certain noncompete and conflict of interest provisions in certain employment contracts are null and void as being against the public policy of the State to licensed architects employed by certain employers that relocate the majority of its employees or principal place of business outside the State; and applying the Act only to employment contracts or similar documents or agreements for employment executed on or after October 1, 2026.

Prohibiting a local jurisdiction in the State from denying or restricting the operation of certain family child care homes if the family child care home meets the licensing requirements established by the State Department of Education; and requiring a local jurisdiction to designate the operation of certain family child care homes as a residential activity and as a permitted use.

Requiring the Maryland Health Care Commission and the Maryland Medical Assistance Program jointly to study the impact of requiring the Maryland Medical Assistance Program to provide reimbursement for room and board services provided by a hospice house; and requiring the Department to report its findings to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Health Committee by December 1, 2026.

Providing that a District Court commissioner may not issue an arrest warrant under certain circumstances; establishing that it is a misdemeanor to intentionally cause offensive contact, engage in conduct tending to put another in fear of offensive contact, or attempt to cause offensive contact; and altering a certain list of convictions that are eligible for expungement under certain circumstances.

Altering the appointing authority and method of appointment of parole commissioners by repealing certain authority of the Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services and requiring the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint members of the Maryland Parole Commission from nominees chosen by a certain panel; and requiring the Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy to provide staffing for the panel.

Altering from 7 to 14 days the time period during which a temporary protective order is effective after the issuance of the order; requiring that a final protective order hearing be held not later than 14 days after the temporary protective order is issued.

Prohibiting, on or after January 1, 2027, a person from manufacturing, selling, offering for sale, purchasing, receiving, or transferring a certain machine gun convertible pistol, subject to certain exceptions; and authorizing the Department of State Police to adopt regulations to implement the Act including publishing a list of prohibited machine gun convertible pistols.

Requiring the Department of the Environment, by January 1, 2028, to develop, in consultation with the Department of Agriculture, and adopt regulations and standards governing the permitting of carbon dioxide capture, removal, and sequestration projects that utilize biochar or wood vault technologies

Requiring the Department of Natural Resources to prohibit the donation of certain processed venison to certain entities unless the deer was harvested using nonlead ammunition or a bow and arrow; and establishing that a person who violates the Act is subject to a civil fine not exceeding $750.

Requiring the Secretary of Human Services to establish and maintain a Guardianship Assistance Program to promote the placement and maintenance of children in permanent guardianship homes by providing guardianship assistance to guardians of minor children; and establishing the State Foster Youth Ombudsman in the Department of Human Services.

Requiring the Department of Natural Resources to require, through a certain phasing-out process, the use of nonlead ammunition for the hunting of all game species on or before July 1, 2030; and requiring the Department to authorize the use of lead ammunition for muzzleloaders, handguns, rifles, and shotguns if nonlead ammunition is not commercially available for the specific firearm; and establishing a civil penalty for a first violation of the Act of a fine of $750.

Requiring a citation issued for violations relating to public consumption of alcohol and possession of an open container to contain notice that fines for the violation may be prepaid; establishing a maximum fine for public consumption and open container violations and authorizing the Chief Judge of the District Court to establish a schedule for prepayment of the fines; establishing that prepayment of a fine is a plea of guilty; etc.

Requiring the Office of the Comptroller, by December 1, 2026, to study and report to the Governor and the General Assembly regarding certain matters related to an addition modification under the Maryland income tax for certain income exempt from federal tax by federal law or treaty but not State tax.

Requiring the Interagency Commission on School Construction to distribute funds to public charter schools for capital improvements to public charter school facilities, debt service, or rent or lease payments; beginning in fiscal year 2028, requiring the Governor to include in the annual budget bill an appropriation for capital improvements to public charter school facilities, debt service, or rent or lease payments that is equal to the total aggregate student enrollment in the Program for the prior year multiplied by $200; etc.

Authorizing the Commission, in carrying out certain responsibilities relating to evaluating facility resources to meet certain financial requirements and reviewing costs and rates of hospital services, to take into account all reasonable costs incurred or expenditures made by a health facility in connection with the operation of the facility; and requiring by June 1, 2027, the Commission, in coordination with certain entities, to report to certain committees of the General Assembly on the status of efforts to evaluate facility resources.

Authorizing certain persons to use specie for the payment of certain debts, taxes, fees, or other obligations; and prohibiting a person from being required to accept specie as payment.

Prohibiting the Maryland Department of Health from collecting a fee for a copy of a vital record issued to a homeless individual; altering the period of time after which a homeless youth who holds a learner's instructional permit and is under a certain age may take certain examinations for a provisional driver's license; requiring the Motor Vehicle Administration, by December 1, 2027, to report to certain committees of the General Assembly on the number and types of fees that the Administration did not impose on homeless individuals; etc.

Providing that the Department of Natural Resources may authorize the reduction of the deer population on certain property with deer damage using certain methods; altering the time restrictions for Sunday deer hunting in certain counties during deer firearms season; repealing certain time restrictions that apply to the hunting of game birds and mammals on certain Sundays on private property in Wicomico County; authorizing the Department to allow a person to hunt deer on each Sunday of the deer bow hunting season in Baltimore City; etc.

Requiring a landlord of property that is served by an on-site wastewater system to ensure, on or before July 1, 2028, and before each new tenant occupies the property thereafter, that the system has been inspected and pumped out in a certain manner; requiring a delegated approval authority to approve, to the extent practicable, the repair or replacement of any failed components of a drain field of a failing on-site wastewater system; extending certain dates; etc.

Exempting spouses and financially dependent children of State or local public safety employees who die as a result of or in the course of performance of duties from paying out-of-state or out-of-county tuition at a public institution of higher education in the State.

Establishing the policy of the State to use public school employees to perform functions for public schools in preference to contracting with the private sector; and requiring, under certain conditions, a county board of education that seeks to enter into a service contract to submit to the State Department of Education information to justify the need for the service contract, and to submit a plan of assistance for employees adversely affected by the service contract.

Requiring, on or before July 1, 2027, the State Department of Education to design and develop a new system of professional development in public schools for paraeducators and other education support professionals.

Establishing a Class AER (equity retail) beer, wine, and liquor license in Prince George's County; authorizing the Board of License Commissioners for Prince George's County to issue the license to an applicant that meets certain criteria for use only in certain areas, subject to certain requirements; limiting to 2 licenses per year and a total of 10 licenses under the Act the number of Class AER licenses that the Board may issue; and authorizing an annual license fee of $910.

Converting the Biotechnology Investment Incentive Tax Credit to be the Biotechnology Investment Incentive Grant Program in the Department of Commerce; requiring the Department to disburse a grant within 90 days of determining that the investment has been made; allowing a subtraction modification under the Maryland income tax for certain grants received during the taxable year; establishing a Biotechnology Investment Incentive Grant Program Fund; authorizing the Governor to include $10,000,000 in the annual budget bill for the Fund; etc.

Applying certain provisions of law establishing that certain noncompete and conflict of interest provisions in certain employment contracts are null and void as being against the public policy of the State to licensed architects employed by certain employers that relocate the majority of its employees or principal place of business outside the State; and applying the Act only to employment contracts or similar documents or agreements for employment executed on or after October 1, 2026.

Prohibiting a local jurisdiction in the State from denying or restricting the operation of certain family child care homes if the family child care home meets the licensing requirements established by the State Department of Education; and requiring a local jurisdiction to designate the operation of certain family child care homes as a residential activity and as a permitted use.

Requiring the Maryland Health Care Commission and the Maryland Medical Assistance Program jointly to study the impact of requiring the Maryland Medical Assistance Program to provide reimbursement for room and board services provided by a hospice house; and requiring the Department to report its findings to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Health Committee by December 1, 2026.

Providing that a District Court commissioner may not issue an arrest warrant under certain circumstances; establishing that it is a misdemeanor to intentionally cause offensive contact, engage in conduct tending to put another in fear of offensive contact, or attempt to cause offensive contact; and altering a certain list of convictions that are eligible for expungement under certain circumstances.

Altering the appointing authority and method of appointment of parole commissioners by repealing certain authority of the Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services and requiring the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint members of the Maryland Parole Commission from nominees chosen by a certain panel; and requiring the Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy to provide staffing for the panel.

Altering from 7 to 14 days the time period during which a temporary protective order is effective after the issuance of the order; requiring that a final protective order hearing be held not later than 14 days after the temporary protective order is issued.

Prohibiting, on or after January 1, 2027, a person from manufacturing, selling, offering for sale, purchasing, receiving, or transferring a certain machine gun convertible pistol, subject to certain exceptions; and authorizing the Department of State Police to adopt regulations to implement the Act including publishing a list of prohibited machine gun convertible pistols.

Requiring the Department of the Environment, by January 1, 2028, to develop, in consultation with the Department of Agriculture, and adopt regulations and standards governing the permitting of carbon dioxide capture, removal, and sequestration projects that utilize biochar or wood vault technologies

Requiring the Department of Natural Resources to prohibit the donation of certain processed venison to certain entities unless the deer was harvested using nonlead ammunition or a bow and arrow; and establishing that a person who violates the Act is subject to a civil fine not exceeding $750.

Requiring the Secretary of Human Services to establish and maintain a Guardianship Assistance Program to promote the placement and maintenance of children in permanent guardianship homes by providing guardianship assistance to guardians of minor children; and establishing the State Foster Youth Ombudsman in the Department of Human Services.

Requiring the Department of Natural Resources to require, through a certain phasing-out process, the use of nonlead ammunition for the hunting of all game species on or before July 1, 2030; and requiring the Department to authorize the use of lead ammunition for muzzleloaders, handguns, rifles, and shotguns if nonlead ammunition is not commercially available for the specific firearm; and establishing a civil penalty for a first violation of the Act of a fine of $750.

Requiring a citation issued for violations relating to public consumption of alcohol and possession of an open container to contain notice that fines for the violation may be prepaid; establishing a maximum fine for public consumption and open container violations and authorizing the Chief Judge of the District Court to establish a schedule for prepayment of the fines; establishing that prepayment of a fine is a plea of guilty; etc.

Requiring the Office of the Comptroller, by December 1, 2026, to study and report to the Governor and the General Assembly regarding certain matters related to an addition modification under the Maryland income tax for certain income exempt from federal tax by federal law or treaty but not State tax.

Requiring the Interagency Commission on School Construction to distribute funds to public charter schools for capital improvements to public charter school facilities, debt service, or rent or lease payments; beginning in fiscal year 2028, requiring the Governor to include in the annual budget bill an appropriation for capital improvements to public charter school facilities, debt service, or rent or lease payments that is equal to the total aggregate student enrollment in the Program for the prior year multiplied by $200; etc.

Authorizing the Commission, in carrying out certain responsibilities relating to evaluating facility resources to meet certain financial requirements and reviewing costs and rates of hospital services, to take into account all reasonable costs incurred or expenditures made by a health facility in connection with the operation of the facility; and requiring by June 1, 2027, the Commission, in coordination with certain entities, to report to certain committees of the General Assembly on the status of efforts to evaluate facility resources.

Authorizing certain persons to use specie for the payment of certain debts, taxes, fees, or other obligations; and prohibiting a person from being required to accept specie as payment.

Prohibiting the Maryland Department of Health from collecting a fee for a copy of a vital record issued to a homeless individual; altering the period of time after which a homeless youth who holds a learner's instructional permit and is under a certain age may take certain examinations for a provisional driver's license; requiring the Motor Vehicle Administration, by December 1, 2027, to report to certain committees of the General Assembly on the number and types of fees that the Administration did not impose on homeless individuals; etc.

Providing that the Department of Natural Resources may authorize the reduction of the deer population on certain property with deer damage using certain methods; altering the time restrictions for Sunday deer hunting in certain counties during deer firearms season; repealing certain time restrictions that apply to the hunting of game birds and mammals on certain Sundays on private property in Wicomico County; authorizing the Department to allow a person to hunt deer on each Sunday of the deer bow hunting season in Baltimore City; etc.

Requiring a landlord of property that is served by an on-site wastewater system to ensure, on or before July 1, 2028, and before each new tenant occupies the property thereafter, that the system has been inspected and pumped out in a certain manner; requiring a delegated approval authority to approve, to the extent practicable, the repair or replacement of any failed components of a drain field of a failing on-site wastewater system; extending certain dates; etc.