Ways and Means holds broad bill hearings on school safety, child care, special education and parental access

The House Ways and Means Committee held a series of hearings March 3 on a wide set of bills touching school safety, child care and early learning, special education technology, and parent access to school materials.

Several bills drew sustained testimony and cross‑cutting policy questions about state responsibilities versus local control, how to resource new programs, and protections for vulnerable students. Lawmakers and witnesses stressed workforce and technical obstacles: counties are pursuing their own systems for special education IEPs, child‑care providers report chronic staffing shortages, and schools and districts are uneven in implementing safety and disciplinary policies.

Delegate Terry Hill testified in support of House Bill 1393, describing the bill as “an effort to put into statute the kinds of training and ... uniform personnel policies and practices that have become standard for most youth sports programs,” and said the measure would require a statewide registry of volunteers and online basic training on heat, cardiac events and head trauma for adults working with children under age 12. Hill noted tragic local cases where existing protections proved insufficient and said the bill’s intent is to extend baseline standards to private leagues and programs not currently covered by MSDE or local rec programs.

On child care, Delegate Emily Shetty and a panel of foster‑care and provider witnesses supported House Bill 1121, a pilot to remove some application barriers to Maryland’s childcare scholarship program so young parents transitioning out of foster care (the bill as presented applies to people ages 16–22) can access vouchers without providing proof of employment or a co‑parent signature. Shetty said the Economic Policy Institute figure for average childcare costs—“$19,000”—illustrates how childcare is often a family’s largest expense and a barrier to employment and education.

Several education bills prompted extended debate about implementation and equity. Delegate Mark Fisher’s House Bill 1180, the Right to Learn Act, would create scholarship options including military boarding schools for students attending a school that has been classified as “failing” for three consecutive years. Fisher framed the bill as giving…