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Weiner family urges Maryland lawmakers to pass short-term rental fire-safety bill after fatal blaze
Summary
At a Senate committee hearing, sponsor Sen. Feldman and Alisa Weiner urged passage of SB 624 to require functioning smoke/CO alarms, evacuation diagrams, fire extinguishers and annual inspections for short-term rentals after the Weiner family’s fatal house fire; public safety advocates and first responders backed the measure while platforms sought narrower host-documentation rules.
Senator Brian Feldman opened the committee hearing by saying Senate Bill 624 was crafted in response to “gut‑wrenching personal tragedies” and presented the bill as narrowly focused on basic, life‑safety measures for short‑term rental units. The bill would require hosts to post evacuation diagrams and emergency numbers, provide a working fire extinguisher, and keep carbon monoxide and smoke detectors that sound in all sleeping areas. It would also require booking platforms to notify hosts of requirements and allow counties and Baltimore City to require annual inspections with reports to the State Fire Marshal by July 1, 2028.
Alisa Weiner, whose two daughters Jillian and Lindsay died in an out‑of‑state rental fire, gave an…
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