Committee adopts amendments folding Maryland Values Act provisions into SB 828: 48-hour notice for certain detainers, ban on 287(g) agreements, and expanded "s​

The House Judiciary Committee adopted committee amendments to Senate Bill 828 that incorporate parts of House Bill 1222 (the Maryland Values Act), adding provisions on immigration detainers, prohibiting 287(g) agreements, and expanding the definition of "sensitive locations."

Under the amended language discussed by committee counsel, if requested by federal immigration authorities, an employee or agent of a state or local correctional facility or law-enforcement agent must provide notice of the release of a covered individual at least 48 hours before release to facilitate a transfer — provided the transfer does not extend the individual's time in custody beyond the scheduled release. "Covered individual" is defined consistent with House Bill 1222: an individual with an active immigration detainer who has been convicted on or before June 1, 2025, of certain crimes of violence, any felony, using a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence (under §4-204B of the Criminal Law Article), driving under the influence, or engaging in criminal organizational activity, or who has been issued an INTERPOL notice for criminal organizational activity.

The amendments also prohibit the state or units of local government, county sheriffs, or any state/local employee or agent from entering into or maintaining an immigration-enforcement agreement commonly known as a 287(g) agreement. The amended bill requires jurisdictions with such agreements to terminate them by July 1, 2025, per the agreements' termination provisions.

The committee restored some sensitive-location protections for public schools and public libraries and reinserted courthouses and places of worship; it also added a new category described as "access to justice," which counsel said includes legal-aid offices and other locations where state-funded services related to physical or mental health, education, shelter care, or legal assistance are provided.

Supporters and some committee members said the language reflected negotiation with advocates and the governor's office. Opponents raised procedural concerns about intercommittee coordination; one member said the committee's approach "keeps us in our lane" by clarifying the state's role and encouraging federal authorities to act within their jurisdiction.

The committee adopted the amendments by roll call/hand vote and reported the bill favorably as amended.