Maryland House of Delegates adopts package of bills; nursing‑home reporting and immigration privacy provisions draw debate

The Maryland House of Delegates on April 7, 2025, adopted a slate of conference committee reports and bills, approving measures that include new reporting requirements for nursing‑home inspections and changes to immigration‑enforcement and privacy policy while clearing dozens of other items on the third‑reading calendar.

Lawmakers said the measures address oversight of long‑term care facilities and narrow — but debated — elements of state policy on immigration enforcement and data privacy. Several other bills on procurement reform, transit reorganization work groups, childcare programs and disaster recovery transfers were handled with little or no debate and were declared passed on recorded votes.

A key debate centered on a conference report for Senate Bill 376, which requires the Department of Health and the Office of Health Care Quality to provide new, regular reports on nursing‑home surveys and complaints. "The result of the conference was a bill that requires the Department of Health and the Office of Healthcare Quality to report annually to the Finance and Health and Government Operations Committee the number and names of all of the nursing homes surveyed throughout the year, including all of the different tiers of surveys and the number of complaints that were addressed and resolved," a committee vice chair told the chamber. "In addition, the local agencies are going to get reports, every six months on the number of nursing homes that were surveyed in their locality in the prior six months so that we're going to keep track of the surveys now." The measure was adopted and declared passed.

Lawmakers also debated changes to state policy on immigration enforcement and related privacy safeguards in House Bill 12‑22 (the Maryland Values Act). A committee chair summarized Senate amendments that removed a previously included reference to section 287(g) and said the bill, as amended, "leaves two parts to the bill. One is the part of the bill that deals with sensitive places where the attorney general has to provide guidance to state agencies and others to rules regarding immigration enforcement, and they're required to implement consistent policies by October 1, 2025. Also, the new legislation creates a requirement for government entities to work with the Department of Information Technology to develop procedures that prevent the sale and redisclosure of personal records and geolocation data provided or made available by the government entity in a way that harms the privacy of residents in the state." The House adopted the Senate amendments and passed the bill.

On related immigration legislation, House Bill 579 — titled in the journal as criminal procedure provisions related to nonimmigrant‑status petitions and immigration enforcement — was the subject of a brief floor exchange. A member asked how the bill would apply in a high‑profile case and the floor leader responded: "Just to be clear, this bill has struck sensitive locations from it. The conference report brings this bill back to just deal with crime victims." The House adopted the conference committee report and passed the bill.

Other bills and procedural items moved with minimal floor debate. The House adopted a conference report on Senate Bill 773 (health benefit plans; calculation of cost‑sharing contribution requirements); concurred in Senate amendments to House Bill 517 (work group on reorganization of the Maryland Transit Administration, adding MDOT as co‑staff and altering reporting deadlines); and passed bills on public nuisance and damage to public infrastructure by common carriers, procurement reform, the transfer of funds for state disaster recovery, and multiple childcare and education‑related measures.

Votes at a glance (selected items from the session): - Senate Bill 773 (Health benefit plans — cost‑sharing calculation): conference report adopted; declared passed (137 affirmative votes recorded). - House Bill 517 (MTA reorganization work group — adds MDOT as co‑staff, alters reporting deadline): concurrence with Senate amendments adopted; declared passed (105 affirmative votes recorded). - House Bill 860 (Public nuisance; common carriers damage to public infrastructure): declared passed (137 affirmative votes recorded). - Senate Bill 666 (Maryland Community Action Agencies funding): declared passed (110 affirmative votes recorded). - House Bill 865 (Catastrophic Event Account; transfer to State Disaster Recovery Fund): concurrence adopted; declared passed (140 affirmative votes recorded). - House Bill 500 (Procurement Reform Act of 2025): declared passed (118 affirmative votes recorded). - House Bill 826 (Office of Small, Minority, and Women Business Affairs — repeal and definitions): declared passed (132 affirmative votes recorded). - House Bill 1473 (State government — equal access to public services for individuals with limited English proficiency and individuals with disabilities): declared passed (104 affirmative votes recorded). - House Bill 579 (Criminal procedure — nonimmigrant status petitions; immigration enforcement at sensitive locations; conference report narrowed to crime‑victim provisions): conference report adopted; declared passed (124 affirmative votes recorded). - House Bill 1121 (Childcare scholarship program pilot for youth transitioning from foster care): concurrence adopted; declared passed (137 affirmative votes recorded). - House Bill 1475 (Office of Child Care Advisory Council — mixed delivery model analysis moved to a work group of regulators and providers; one House and one Senate member to be appointed): concurrence adopted; declared passed (133 affirmative votes recorded). - Senate Bill 708 (Sports wagering — independent evaluation requirement): the Senate refused to concur in House amendments and appointed a conference committee; the House agreed to a conference committee and appointed members; bill returned with committee appointments (conference committee appointed). - Senate Bill 376 (Health facilities — delegation of inspection authority; nursing homes — requires new reporting by Department of Health and Office of Health Care Quality): conference report adopted; declared passed (139 affirmative votes recorded). - House Bill 478 (Hagerstown Community College police force jurisdiction): concurrence adopted; declared passed (138 affirmative votes recorded). - House Bill 1222 (Public safety; immigration enforcement — Maryland Values Act as amended): concurrence adopted; declared passed (101 affirmative votes recorded).

What happened next: The chamber appointed joint committees to inform the governor and prepared to adjourn sine die on April 7; a message from the Senate and appointments for the joint committee were read and accepted.

Details, attributions and next steps drawn from floor remarks and roll calls are shown below in the article’s structured metadata.