Committee hears bill to bar evictions tied solely to emergency calls

Senate Bill 125, presented to the Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Jan. 23, 2025, would clarify a 2023 law that tried to stop local nuisance rules being used to penalize landlords or tenants whose properties draw repeated calls for police, fire or emergency medical service.

Supporters said the current statute as written prohibits only the enactment — not the enforcement — of certain local nuisance ordinances, creating what Senator Don Guile called “an accidental loophole.” The bill would make enforcement of those local nuisance laws impermissible where they single out people for calling emergency services, the sponsor said.

The bill’s backers told the committee that the gap can chill calls for help. “If they are being enforced against people, you’re forcing victims and survivors of intimate partner violence to choose sometimes between their own safety and possible homelessness,” Laurie Ruth, public policy director at the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence, told the committee. She cited an attorney general opinion cited in outside testimony that the 2023 measure was meant to prevent enforcement as well as new enactments.

Bill Castelli, representing the Maryland Realtors, said the measure removes a perverse incentive for a landlord who faces licensing fines tied to emergency-response counts. Senator Don Guile, District 33, urged a favorable report and noted the fiscal note found the change is not anticipated to materially affect state operations or finances.

Committee members asked how the bill would interact with existing state anti-retaliation provisions for tenants (cited in testimony as real property section 8-208.1) and how to preserve local discretion to address genuinely abusive or frivolous calls. Guile said the bill is intended to prevent eviction or other penalties based solely on the quantity of calls while preserving the ability to assess context where misuse occurs.

The committee closed the hearing on SB 125 after testimony and questions from members including Senator West and Senator James.

Votes/decisions: No formal vote was recorded at the hearing.

Why it matters: Supporters said the change would reduce pressure on victims of domestic violence and households with chronic medical needs who otherwise might avoid calling for emergency help to escape fines or loss of housing.

What’s next: The sponsor requested a favorable report from the committee.