Delegates approve amendments to mattress stewardship bill, set MDE plan deadline for 2027

The Maryland House of Delegates on March 11 adopted committee amendments to a mattress stewardship bill that require mattress producers or their representatives to develop and file stewardship plans with the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) by July 1, 2027, and to implement those plans within one year of plan approval.

The amendments, offered during a committee report on the floor, make technical changes, clarify provisions related to the mattress stewardship assessment and performance goals, and sunset an advisory board after five years. A second amendment removed references in the bill related to reuse and addressed program profitability language, according to the committee presentation.

Committee members presented two amendments on the House floor and moved their adoption. The House adopted the amendments by voice vote, then adopted the committee's favorable report as amended and ordered the bill printed for third reading. The floor transcript records voice votes of “aye” for both actions; no roll-call tally was recorded on the floor.

Under the amended language read into the record, plan submission to MDE is required by July 1, 2027, and approved plans must be implemented within 12 months of approval. The bill as amended also sunsets an advisory board created to oversee the program after five years and clarifies how the mattress stewardship assessment and performance goals will be handled, according to the committee's summary on the floor.

The bill was presented by the House Environment and Transportation Committee during the committee report. The committee's action on the bill moves it closer to a floor vote, with the bill now printed for third reading and further consideration to follow in the legislative process.