Ways and Means committee advances package of bills on funding, schools and voting access

The Ways and Means Committee on March 14 voted favorably on a series of bills affecting education, elections and economic programs, approving most measures as amended.

Among the most notable actions, the committee amended and passed House Bill 185 to require a mandated appropriation of $1,500,000 for a therapeutic childcare grant program for fiscal years 2027 through 2029; amended House Bill 226 to let Anne Arundel County Schools meet the school-year requirement by hours rather than a 180-day day count and added a two-year sunset and reporting requirements; and passed House Bill 781 — the Accessible and Expedited Voting Act of Maryland — as amended to clarify eligibility and remove an immediate-adjustment requirement for local boards.

Why it matters: the package touches budget, classroom time and voting access. The school-year change affects how one county documents instructional time and how hourly employees are treated when days are reduced. The voting bills change how jurisdictions provide rapid assistance to elderly and disabled voters and expand language-access requirements for counties with substantial limited-English populations.

The committee amended and passed House Bill 185 after Delegate Plokovich Carr described the change as a strike-and-replace amendment setting a mandated appropriation. "The amendments, basically strike the bill and instead specify that the governor... have a mandated appropriation of $1,500,000 for fiscal years 2027 through '29," Plokovich Carr said before moving the amendments. The committee approved the amendment by voice vote and then passed the bill as amended.

On House Bill 226, a local bill for Anne Arundel County Schools, Delegate Ebersole said the amendments remove the statutory 180-day requirement and let the county adhere only to an annual hours requirement; the package also adds a two-year sunset and requires an end-of-year report counting hours. Ebersole said emergency late openings or early dismissals would not count as instructional time and that hourly employees "must be given the opportunity to complete other jobs that would help to make them whole for their salaries for the year." The committee moved and approved the amendments by voice vote and then passed the bill as amended.

The committee considered election-related bills in depth. For House Bill 781, Vice Chair summarized that the amendments remove a requirement for local boards to make immediate adjustments during election day and generally streamline the expedited voting language. In floor discussion, a member asked how "elderly" would be defined; Chair staff noted the Election Law Article sets the elderly threshold at 65 and older. On disability, the committee was told the bill uses self-identification rather than a screening process. Delegate Young expressed support, saying the bill would address long lines and accessibility issues seen during the COVID period. The committee passed HB 781 as amended by voice vote.

House Bill 983, which requires local boards in counties with significant limited-English voting populations to provide language assistance, was amended to require translation services via videoconference at early voting centers and election-day polling places, provide online materials in other languages and recruit bilingual election judges; the amendment removed authorization for private enforcement suits. Committee staff warned there was no revised fiscal note but said costs were expected to be roughly the same as originally estimated. Staff cited a Prince George's County 2024 pilot for video-conference technology that cost about $37,000 for that county's primary and general elections. The committee approved the amendments and then took a roll-call vote on the bill as amended; the vote was 16 in favor, 4 opposed (Buckle, Hornberger, Long, Hartman), and HB 983 passed favorably as amended.

Other bills the committee amended and advanced included: - HB 691 (House Bill 6 91): Amendments removed provisions affecting service credit in the state pension system to give the pension agency time to evaluate the impact; technical clarifications were added. Passed as amended by voice vote. - HB 799 (House Bill 7 99): Establishes the Maryland Innovation Initiative University Partnership Extension Program within TEDCO; amendments expanded eligible institutions, made certain appropriations discretionary and required TEDCO to report on similar programs in neighboring states. Passed as amended by voice vote. - HB 906: Requires entities making independent expenditures to disclose on fundraising solicitations that the solicitation is not approved by a candidate and to list the five largest recipients of the entity's expenditures in the preceding calendar quarter. Passed as amended by voice vote. - HB 1016: Would have established a Baltimore convention and tourism redevelopment and operating authority; the amendment struck provisions creating the operating authority, extended a task force and required recommendations on funding mechanisms. Passed as amended by voice vote. - HB 1204: Amended to require same-day notification to parents or guardians when a student "elopes" (leaves school grounds); clarified that "wandering" does not include a flash pass and changed the bill's short title. Passed as amended by voice vote. - HB 1316: Removes a governor-mandated funding requirement and a presentation requirement related to a student technology and social media resource guide produced by the National Center for School Mental Health and the State Department of Education; requires a needs assessment by Sept. 1, 2026. Passed as amended by voice vote. - HB 14059: Alters the Western Maryland Economic Future Investment Program and, in amendment, struck a mandatory appropriation while altering board evaluation criteria. Passed as amended by voice vote. - HB 1475: Directs the existing Office of Child Care Advisory Council within the State Department of Education to analyze Maryland's mixed-delivery publicly funded pre-K system, adding topics including services for students with disabilities and facility challenges. Passed as amended by voice vote.

Two items were flagged for later action: House Bill 1266 was held for further amendments and additional committee work.

Votes at a glance (selected items): - HB 185 — Therapeutic childcare grant program: Passed favorably as amended (voice vote); amendment sets a mandated appropriation of $1,500,000 for FY2027–FY2029. - HB 226 — Anne Arundel County Schools: Passed favorably as amended (voice vote); removes 180-day requirement, substitutes hours-based requirement, adds two-year sunset, requires end-of-year hours report and guidance on hourly-employee compensation when days are reduced. - HB 781 — Accessible and Expedited Voting Act: Passed favorably as amended (voice vote); elderly voters defined under Election Law Article as 65 and older; disability accommodation is self-identified; amendment removes an immediate-adjustment requirement for election-day procedures. - HB 983 — Language Assistance at Polling Places: Passed favorably as amended (roll call 16–4); amendments require videoconference translation at early voting and election day sites if thresholds are met (2% of citizen voting-age population or 4,000 limited-English proficient residents), online materials in other languages, and bilingual judge recruitment; private enforcement removed. - HB 1016 — Baltimore convention/tourism authority: Passed favorably as amended (voice vote); amendment struck creation of operating authority and extended the task force to recommend funding mechanisms.

Committee members and staff said additional second-reader and floor scheduling could require subcommittees to meet quickly; the chair noted more votes and possible long floor sessions the following day. The committee adjourned after completing the listed items and scheduling follow-up as needed.