House approves special orders to advance Maryland budget and financing bill to next day

The Maryland House of Delegates' Appropriations Committee on Monday presented the state budget for fiscal year 2026 and the companion Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act and secured floor special orders to consider both measures at the appropriate time on Tuesday, March 25.

The Appropriations Committee chair told members, "the Appropriations Committee has completed its work on the state budget for fiscal year 2026," and described the package as balanced after a mix of cuts and new revenue. The committee moved that House Bill 350 (the budget bill) and House Bill 352 (the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act, or BRFAA) and their committee amendments be special ordered to the appropriate time tomorrow; the motions were approved by the House.

Why it matters: The budget and BRFAA set spending, offsets and program funding across Maryland state government. On the floor, the committee chair reported that the package relied on roughly $1.6 billion in cuts and $1.2 billion in new revenue, reduced general fund spending by about $400 million from fiscal 2025 levels, and left about $400 million in cash surplus alongside roughly $2 billion in the rainy day fund.

Details from the floor: The committee chair outlined major priorities in the package, saying the budget fully funds the fourth year of the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, restores $180 million for developmental disability services, fully funds Medicaid covering about 1.5 million residents, and includes nearly $500 million more for transportation and $136 million for private-sector innovation investments. "This budget is balanced. It is responsible," the committee chair said.

The chair also explained floor and committee procedures: amendments to the budget are numbered and must be drawn to the committee reprint; proposed additions must include an identified offsetting reduction; and the Department of Legislative Services analyses are available through the chamber's floor system and the General Assembly website. The committee provided a reprint and supplemental materials describing each amendment and committee narrative; committee narrative items, the chair noted, are not amendments and are not subject to floor action.

A member requested an additional day to review the printed budget, saying the document was not available to them until hours earlier. That delegate asked for "an additional day to review this budget because it's a completely different budget with tremendous changes." The request was opposed on the floor by other members who said the committee had acted last week and that materials had been available; the motion to special order was nonetheless carried.

Votes at a glance: The House approved special orders for House Bill 350 (budget bill, fiscal 2026) and House Bill 352 (BRFAA) to be considered at the appropriate time on March 25. The motions were made from the floor by the Appropriations Committee chair and approved by voice/house vote; the transcript records the motions as carried but does not provide a roll-call tally.

What happens next: The bills and committee amendments are scheduled for consideration at the appropriate time on Tuesday, March 25. Members were reminded that analysis from the Department of Legislative Services and the committee reprint materials are available to the public online and on members' chamber devices.

Closing notes: On adjournment, the House stood adjourned until 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 25, the majority leader announced.