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Committee narrows data‑sharing for Maryland Longitudinal Data System, adds reporting and limits third‑party agreements
Summary
Amendments to HB 293 limit the Maryland Longitudinal Data System Center to one third‑party agreement at a time, require written data‑sharing agreements with strong security and privacy requirements and mandate reporting to legislative committees within 30 days and annually; privacy concerns were voiced but sponsors said the changes address them.
The Ways and Means Committee adopted amendments to HB 293 that restrict how the Maryland Longitudinal Data System Center can share student data with third‑party multi‑state research centers and add legislative reporting requirements.
Delegate Delia Ebersole described the amendments: the center must enter into a written data‑sharing agreement that complies with strong security and privacy requirements, affirmatively approve each data element and dataset for proposed research or reporting, and limit the number of third‑party agreements the center may enter into at any one time. "With within 30 days after entering into such agreement, the center must report to the Senate education, energy, and environment committee and yours truly, the House Ways and Means Committee, about the nature of the agreement," she said, and the center must provide an annual report thereafter on the uses of the data sharing agreement.
Delegate Dahlia Buckle said she had concerns about incremental expansions of the data system and indicated she would vote against the bill as amended, citing privacy worries. Other delegates who expressed reservations said the amendments and the center's de‑identification practices made them more comfortable.
After adopting the amendments, the committee moved HB 293 forward favorable with amendment. The amendments are intended to narrow the scope of sharing and increase legislative oversight and transparency; the bill will now continue through the legislative process with those changes in place.
