Votes at a glance: Ways and Means Committee approves multiple bills, places several on consent calendar

April 3, 2025 — The Ways and Means Committee used a consent calendar and voice votes to advance a slate of bills and concur with Senate amendments on several House measures during a voting session on April 3, 2025.

Consent calendar: The chair called a consent calendar for bills without amendments and asked for a motion. Delegate Feldmark moved to place Senate Bill 131, Senate Bill 178, Senate Bill 337, Senate Bill 602 and Senate Bill 633 on a consent calendar; the chair called for a favorable vote and announced the items “move successfully out of here.”

Other committee actions (selected): - Senate Bill 550 (property tax treatment for vacant and abandoned property): As amended, the bill authorizes the city to impose regular and existing special property tax rates on nonprofit-owned vacant lots or improved property cited as vacant and unfit for habitation. Delegate Wells moved the amendments; the committee passed the amendments and passed the bill as amended. Delegate Long recorded an opposed vote on final passage for this measure.

- House Bill 11 89 (cross-file posture with SB550): Delegate Wells moved amendments to place the House cross-file in the same posture; the committee passed the bill as amended, with Delegate Long recorded as opposed on final passage.

- Senate Bill 596 (Hagerstown multi-use sports and events facility): See separate article for detail. The committee passed the bill as amended.

- Senate Bill 845 and House Bill 1025 (education clearinghouse / educator screening): As amended, the bills require the State Department of Education to register each local school system as an associate member of a national membership organization to use an educator-identification clearinghouse; screening timing was changed from application to hire. Delegate Ebersole moved the amendments; both bills passed favorably as amended.

- Senate Bill 923 and House Bill 1483 (sports officiating pay parity): The bills require the State Department of Education, in consultation with the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association, to develop a list of similar boys and girls sports so officiating services receive comparable pay; the committee amended and passed both bills.

Concurrences: The committee concurred with Senate amendments on House Bill 258 (West North Avenue Development Authority), preserving application of the State’s minority business enterprise program and making technical corrections. The committee also concurred with Senate amendments on House Bill 325 (adult education, high-school diploma by examination), changing the effective date to align House and Senate posture.

Procedure and logistics: The chair told members the committee would meet again the next day for further votes and that a backroom would be scheduled that morning; the exact time was to be announced.

The transcript records these actions as voice votes; the committee announcements stated each bill passed as amended where noted. The record did not include detailed roll-call tallies for the measures listed above.