ANNAPOLIS, Md. — As we continue keeping our lawmakers accountable, we're taking a look at bills that have not only bipartisan support but also faced no votes in opposition.
Here's a look at some of the bills that were unanimously passed out of their original chamber before the Crossover Day deadline:
📄HB34 - Mason's Law (131-0)
This bill requires municipalities to construct or install a grating system over the opening of an open drainage inlet. The bill is named for Mason Kearns, who died last summer after being swept into a drainage pipe in Mount Airy. The cross-filed version of the bill, SB189, also passed unanimously in the Senate, 45-0.
📄HB97 - State Designations - State Shark - Megalodon (135-0)
The bill to make the megalodon the designated state shark faced no opposition in the House of Delegates. The Calvert Marine Museum is advocating for this to pass.
📄HB154 - Local Boards of Education Transparency Act (133-0)
This legislation would enhance the requirements for county Boards of Education and the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners under the Open Meetings Act.
📄HB222 - Naloxone Access Act (133-0)
This bill requires certain policies to be updated to include information on naloxone and allow certain high school students to have it.
📄HB264 - Maryland Data Privacy and Protection Act of 2026 (128-0)
It would limit what personal information can be collected, maintained, processed, and retained by parts of the Maryland state government in certain scenarios.
📄HB358 - Sales and Use Tax - Elementary or Secondary School Book Fairs - Exemption (125-0)
This bill exempts anything sold at a book fair held by an elementary or secondary school or nonprofit from the sales and use tax. The Senate cross-file, SB403, also passed unanimously, 45-0.
📄HB474 - Clear Before You Drive Act (127-0)
This requires Marylanders to make a reasonable effort to remove snow and ice from exposed surfaces of their vehicles before driving. The Senate cross-file of this bill, also passed unanimously, 45-0.
📄HB776 - NyKayla Stawder Memorial Act (131-0)
This legislation would require an intake officer to file a Child in Need of Supervision (CINS) petition if a child under 13 years old is suspected of causing the death of another person. The bill is named for NyKayla Strawder, 15, who was shot and killed by a 9-year-old playing with a loaded gun in 2022.
📄HB980 - Kanaiyah's Law (127-0)
The bill establishes a State Foster Youth Ombudsman within the State's Department of Human Services. It is named for 16-year-old Kanaiyah Ward, who died while under state supervision in a hotel.
📄SB8 - Criminal Law - Identity Fraud - Artificial Intelligence and Deepfake Representations (45-0)
This bill would prohibit someone from using AI or a deepfake to intentionally cause harm by impersonating or claiming to represent another person; or use AI or a deepfake to create a false record for harmful purposes.
📄SB141 - Election Law - Election Misinformation, Election Disinformation and Deepfakes (44-0)
This bill would require the State Administrator of Elections to issue a correction if they receive a credible report of misinformation or disinformation that has been disseminated, and would give them the authority to seek an injunction or a subpoena.
📄SB205 - Health Insurance - Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders - Codification of Federal Requirements (43-0)
This would codify in State law some parts of Federal regulations related to mental health parity and clarify that the Maryland Insurance Administration can enforce certain laws. The House cross-file made it through Crossover Day but was not unanimous.
📄SB389 - Maryland Transit and Housing Opportunity Act (44-0)
This bill, one of Governor Wes Moore's legislative priorities for this session, would automatically designate certain transit-oriented developments as enterprise zones under specific conditions. The House cross-file did get through crossover day, but was not unanimous.
📄SB413 - State Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors - Board Operations and Regulation of Crematories and Reduction Facilities (39-0)
This legislation gives the State Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors the authority to oversee crematoriums and reduction facilities in the state. The House cross-file of this bill, HB698, also passed unanimously, 136-0.
📄SB524 - Juvenile Records - Access by Baltimore City Mayor's Office (39-0)
This bill would allow MONSE and other offices within the Mayor's Office to access certain confidential juvenile police records and court records under certain circumstances.
📄SB720 - Artificial Intelligence Ready Schools (41-0)
This bill requires the State Department of Education to provide certain guidance on AI to local school systems, educators, parents, and students.
📄SB775 - Public Safety - Gun Buyback Programs - Destruction of Firearms (45-0)
If passed, this would require law enforcement agencies and FFLs that have gun buyback programs to destroy each firearm, including all of its components.
📄SB928 - Maryland Phone-Free Schools Act (40-0)
Requires county boards of education to create a policy prohibiting the use of phones during the school day, beginning with a policy in place by September 1, 2027. The House cross-file of this bill passed almost unanimously, 135-1.
To find full details and text of each of these bills and more, visit the Maryland General Assembly website here.