Maryland bill SB533 shortens timelines for administrative charging committee reviews, county attorney says

At the St. Mary’s County Police Accountability Board meeting on May 15, county attorney John Houser told members that Maryland Senate Bill 533 has passed and will change the timeline for filing and resolving ACC cases.

Houser said the old “year-and-a-day” deadline will be replaced: agencies will now have up to 334 days from the report of an incident to forward the matter and the ACC will have 61 days to complete adjudication. He also said the law preserves the prior year-and-a-day rule where a criminal investigation or prosecution tolls administrative deadlines.

The change reduces the prior time frame governed by the one‑year‑and‑one‑day rule and, according to Houser, “This law changes that year and a day rule in a few respects. We're no longer a year and a day on most of our cases.” Houser added that the statute requires ACCs to at least consider cases received near the final deadline to determine whether more work is necessary.

Nut graf: The timing change shifts how quickly law enforcement agencies and local ACCs must process complaints. St. Mary’s County officials said the new schedule aims to keep administrative review from trailing criminal investigations while still allowing tolling where criminal matters are pending.

Board members asked procedural questions but took no formal vote on local implementation during the meeting. Houser said the revised deadlines should reduce last‑minute pressure by requiring agencies to get matters to the ACC earlier in the overall period. He cautioned that the ACC must still account for cases where criminal investigations require tolling of administrative time limits.

Ending: The board did not adopt local rule changes at the May 15 meeting; staff and legal counsel said they will monitor state guidance and update local procedures if needed.