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Senate bill would extend Access to Counsel in Evictions program funding and shift task force to Housing department
Summary
Sen. Shelley Hettleman proposed extending the ACE program's funding through fiscal 2028 and transferring the implementation task force from the Attorney General's office to the Department of Housing and Community Development; state and AG witnesses told the committee the program reduced eviction losses and saved public dollars.
Sen. Shelley Hettleman appeared before the committee to present Senate Bill 154, a measure to extend the Access to Counsel in Evictions (ACE) program and to move the ACE task force from the Attorney General's Office to the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).
Hettleman described the program's record since enactment, saying it closed "just under 9,000 cases" in the past year — a 124% increase over the prior year — and that representation materially improved outcomes. "Without legal counsel between 51–75% of tenants typically lose their cases. With legal counsel that goes up to over 84%." She said Maryland was the first state to adopt a statewide program and that extending funding and relocating the task force would support continued implementation.
Louise Blavahan of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General told the committee the Office strongly supports SB 154 with amendments. Blavahan, who helped staff the ACE task force, said the task force includes stakeholders across the justice and housing systems and that the program delivers demonstrable returns. "Knowing these successes and the widespread support for the program's continued implementation, the OAG strongly supports extending the $14,000,000 contribution through FY 2028," Blavahan said, adding that the program yields about "$3 in return to the state for every $1 spent and an estimated annual savings of $46,000,000."
Blavahan also supported moving the task force to DHCD, which she said is positioned to convene stakeholders following passage of the Renters Rights and Stabilization Act and creation of the Office of Landlord and Tenant Affairs.
Ending — Supporters urged the committee to pass SB 154 with amendments to fund and maintain the ACE program; the committee took no formal vote during the hearing.
