Inside Annapolis - Legislation and Key Issues That Impact Your Practice

INSIDE ANNAPOLIS | LEGISLATIVE OUTLOOK

Inside Annapolis: Legislation and Key Issues That Impact Your Practice Lawmakers and advocates entered the 2026 Maryland legislative session facing a difficult financial picture yet again, with a $1.4 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2027. Projections show significant increases to the deficit over the next few years due to education funding mandates, rising health care costs, and impacts from federal actions. Legislative priorities in both chambers included affordability, protections for immigration enforcement, and juvenile justice reforms.

New Leadership in the House The session began with a shift in leadership in the House of Delegates. Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk succeeded Speaker Adrienne Jones, who resigned in December 2025 after serving as the first woman and the first African American to hold the role.

Speaker Jones supported economic and social stability for Maryland throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, prioritized education funding and environmental priorities, and championed social and reproductive rights. Speaker Peña-Melnyk was elected unanimously and is the first Afro-Latina to hold the position. Speaker Peña-Melnyk shifted leadership and membership of many committees and split the former Health and Government Operations Committee into two committees. She has focused on civility, collegiality, financial discipline, affordable health care, energy rates, and immigration policy.

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MSBA reviewed and engaged on several bills throughout the session, with direct outreach to sponsors and advocates, committee testimony, public awareness, and with the essential support of our member attorneys serving on MSBA Sections and Committees.

Priority Issues MSBA reviewed and engaged on several bills throughout the session, with direct outreach to sponsors and advocates, committee testimony, public awareness, and with the essential support of our member attorneys serving on MSBA Sections and Committees.

Association priorities include: Promoting court security and access; Opposing taxes and fees on professional services and promoting smart business policies; Safeguarding civil legal aid organizations; and, Upholding the rule of law and administration of justice.

Below are some key bills introduced this session that impact the profession. MSBA will provide updated outcomes in a future issue as legislation is finalized and reviewed by the Governor.

Court Security—Minimum Standards: The judiciary requested legislation to establish minimum adequate security standards for all courthouses in Maryland, requiring responsible security entities to make best efforts to have at least one security officer present in each courtroom for criminal, family, or juvenile matters, two officers for proceedings involving incarcerated individuals or those likely to be taken into custody, and one additional officer for every four or fewer courtrooms on each floor, with expanded requirements by 2029. (HB 492 and SB 544) Investigation of Threats by Office of the State Prosecutor: The judiciary requested a bill authorizing the Office of the State Prosecutor to investigate a threat made against a judge or judge-elect.

(HB 1031 and SB 634)

Protecting Personal Information: Legislators considered bills that would protect the personal information of public servants (including public-facing attorneys) and state elected officials, similar to the information privacy protections enacted in SB 575 in 2024 in honor of Judge Andrew Wilkinson. (SB 121 and SB 632) Regulating Fees That Impact Attorneys: In 2025, the State Archives proposed a new land records fee in 2025 that would have significantly increased costs for Maryland attorneys and clients accessing digital land records. MSBA successfully defeated the fee, and this year, legislators introduced bills that would require any fees established by the State Archives (including land records) to be established by regulation. MSBA supported the bill and continues to advocate to avoid unregulated and unreasonable fees that would affect our members. (HB 576 and SB 425) Attracting Businesses to Maryland, Increasing State Revenue: MSBA, through its Business Law Section, developed and supported legislation that would allow for an expedited filing fee for certain business filings, to improve business efficiency, bring more business to the state, and increase revenue. (HB 1346 and SB 278)

Banning 287(g) Agreements: Lawmakers took up immigration enforcement early in the session. Governor Moore signed into law bills banning agreements between local law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities. (HB 444 and SB 245)

Redistricting: While the House approved a bill to redraw Maryland’s eight congressional districts after much floor debate, Senate President Ferguson indicated opposition to redistricting and did not take up the bill for debate.

(HB 488)

MSBA encourages members to participate in advocacy efforts throughout the legislative session to ensure their voices are heard by the parties responsible for crafting the laws that affect their profession and, potentially, to impact how such legislation is drafted.

Violations of Constitutional Rights: Legislators debated a new legal pathway for individuals in Maryland to sue if they believe their constitutional rights have been violated by someone acting under the authority of law.

(HB 351 and SB 346)

Youth Charging Reform: Legislators continued to promote systemic reforms to address juveniles. This year, they focused on directing juvenile cases to juvenile court rather than automatically charging them as adults, and on limiting juvenile contact with incarcerated adults in detention.

(HB 409 and SB 323)

MSBA encourages members to participate in advocacy efforts throughout the legislative session to ensure their voices are heard by the parties responsible for crafting the laws that affect their profession and, potentially, to impact how such legislation is drafted. If you want to learn more about MSBA’s advocacy process and efforts, contact us at advocacy@msba.org or visit our advocacy page.

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