Ways and Means Committee advances election, school and absentee-ballot bills; transgender sports ban fails

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — On Feb. 6, 2025, the Ways and Means Committee held its first voting session of the 2025 session and voted on a series of bills affecting election procedures, student records and school health curriculum. The committee approved several bills favorably, rejected House Bill 156 (a bill that would have restricted transgender girls from competing in girls’ sports), and granted requests to withdraw multiple bills.

The measures advance or clarify administrative election procedures, change the voter-registration eligibility age, set statewide requirements for local health-education curricula and bar withholding student transcripts for unpaid debts at certain private schools. The session also included a motion to withdraw six bills by unanimous consent and a subcommittee scheduling announcement.

House Bill 41, a departmental proposal from the State Board of Elections, moved favorably. The bill changes the deadline for filing petitions to form a new political party from the first Monday in August to the first Monday in July and prohibits resubmitting signatures from a rejected petition. The committee approved the bill by voice vote.

House Bill 153, which would lower the voter-registration age from 16 years to 15 years and 9 months to align initial registration with the timing for applying for a learner’s permit, passed favorably on a roll-call vote.

Ho…