Finance Committee advances several bills unanimously, holds or withdraws a handful

During its Feb. 13 voting list session, the Senate Finance Committee acted on multiple bills with largely unanimous support, placed holds on two bills for possible amendment, and formally withdrew several bills from the voting list.

Notable actions: - Senate Bill 413: The committee accepted chair-sponsored amendments that apply the statutory three-year contract standard more broadly to consumer contracts, exclude certain regulated entities, and delay the bill's effective date from Oct. 1, 2025, to June 1, 2026, at the request of the Maryland Bankers Association and Comcast. The committee approved the amended bill by unanimous vote.

- Senate Bill 459: Labeled an "emergency use epinephrine" measure, the bill replaces references to auto-injectable epinephrine with "emergency use epinephrine" to accommodate different delivery methods (for example, nasal sprays in addition to auto-injectors). The committee approved the bill with a unanimous vote.

- Holds: The chair asked that Senate Bill 124 be held for an amendment and also asked that Senate Bill 314 be held for a possible amendment.

- Withdrawals: The committee moved to mark the following bills "unfavorable, withdrawn" (motions carried unanimously): SB 799, SB 971, SB 607 (human remains transportation), SB 801 (Dorchester County alcoholic beverages issuance of a license in a place of worship). Two withdrawals had been on the list and two additional withdrawals were filed the same day.

The transcript indicates that many of the amendments were offered at the chair's request or in response to stakeholder requests (for example, banks and carriers). Most votes recorded in this portion of the session were unanimous voice votes; the transcript does not record roll-call tallies for these items in the excerpt provided.