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Sen. Karen Lewis Young urges online transparency rules for HOAs in Judiciary hearing
Summary
Sen. Karen Lewis Young told the Judicial Proceedings Committee that Senate Bill 9-19 would require HOAs of 100+ lots to publish governing documents, meeting minutes and recordings online and give two weeks' notice for meetings; advocates said the changes would protect homeowners, opponents raised cost and training concerns.
Senator Karen Lewis Young, District 3, asked the Judicial Proceedings Committee to give a favorable report to Senate Bill 9-19, describing it as a targeted measure to improve communications and transparency in homeowner associations (HOAs).
“This bill does require homeowner associations of a 100 or more lots to electronically make available their articles of incorporation, their bylaws, rules and regulations, meeting minutes for the past 12 months,” said Senator Karen Lewis Young, outlining requirements that include recorded governing-body meetings from the prior 12 months and meeting notices delivered at least two weeks in advance with virtual call-in information.
Why it matters: The sponsor said roughly 17% of Maryland residents live in HOAs — about 1,000,000 people — and cited frequent constituent complaints about uneven rule enforcement, surprise assessments and poor communications. William Steinwoodle, deputy advocacy director for Home Ownership Preservation at Maryland Legal Aid, said the bill would “go a long way” toward preventing problems such as fraudulent management changes and unclear financial records.
Opponents’ concerns: Vicky Kane, a member of the Maryland Legislative Action Committee, testified in opposition, saying training and low uptake of websites among residents make a simple online requirement impractical. “We're just starting with a website, and less than half of the people ever use the website,” she said, arguing additional outreach and training would be needed for meaningful access.
Implementation: Senator Lewis Young said the bill phases in a requirement for an online portal with an implementation date of October 1, 2027, and acknowledged committee flexibility on the 100-lot cutoff and outreach mechanisms.
Next steps: Committee members asked about the 100-lot threshold, notice mechanisms and the risk of constitutional or wiretapping issues related to recordings; the sponsor referenced a 2023 advisory letter from the Attorney General that suggested HOA meetings open to the public generally may be recorded. The committee moved on after Q&A to the next docket item.
