The six bills that make up MLAW’s 2013 Legislative Agenda have all been filed. Below is a list of the six bills along with links to their information on the Maryland General Assembly website. Most bills have been assigned hearing dates so watch your email for action alerts.

SB94 – Child Abuse and Neglect – Notice and Reporting Requirements, Disclosure, and Task Force
Synopsis: Expanding immunity from civil liability or criminal penalty to a person who provides or participates in providing notice of child abuse or neglect to the appropriate authorities; requiring the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to send an autopsy report to specified officials if the office finds a death investigated by the office was caused by or related to child abuse or neglect; making it a misdemeanor for a specified person to knowingly and willfully fail to make a specified report of abuse under specified circumstances; etc.
Committee(s) Assigned: JPR

SB861/HB478 – Crimes – Committing a Crime of Violence in the Presence of a Minor – Penalties
Synopsis: Prohibiting a person from committing a specified crime of violence when the person knows or reasonably should know that a minor is present in a residence; establishing specified circumstances under which a minor is present; establishing an enhanced penalty not exceeding 5 years for a violation of the Act; authorizing a court to impose an enhanced penalty if the State’s Attorney provides a specified written notice to the defendant and if specified elements have been proven beyond a reasonable doubt; etc.
Committee(s) Assigned: JPR, JUD

HB713 – Criminal Procedure – Seizure and Forfeiture – Property Used in Human Trafficking
Synopsis: uthorizing a State or local law enforcement agency, on process issued by a court of competent jurisdiction, to seize specified property used or intended for use in connection with a violation of specified criminal statutes relating to human trafficking; creating an Anti-Human-Trafficking Fund to be administered by the Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention; specifying the revenue sources for the Fund; providing for disbursements from the Fund for specified purposes; etc.
Committee(s) Assigned: JUD

SB490/HB1230 – Domestic Violence – Persons Eligible for Relief and Orders to Vacate Home
Synopsis: Altering, for specified purposes relating to domestic violence, the definition of “person eligible for relief” to include an individual involved in a specified intimate relationship with the respondent and an individual who has had a sexual relationship with the respondent; expanding the instances in which a final protective order may order the respondent to vacate the home immediately and award temporary use and possession of the home to the person eligible for relief; etc.
Committee(s) Assigned: JPR, JUD

SB620/HB715 – Family Law – Denial of Paternity, Custody, and Visitation
Synopsis: Excluding as a father of a child a man who has committed a specified sexual crime against the child’s mother for purposes of specified provisions relating to the paternity of a child in a guardianship or adoption proceeding under specified circumstances; requiring a court to consider a specified statement when making a specified finding; prohibiting a court from requiring publication of specified information under specified circumstances; etc.
Committee(s) Assigned: JPR, JUD

SB698/HB735 – Labor and Employment – Maryland Earned Sick and Safe Leave Act
Synopsis: and safe leave is accrued by the employee and treated by the employer; requiring an employer to allow an employee to use earned sick and safe leave for specified purposes; requiring an employee, under specified circumstances, to request leave, notify the employer of specified information, and comply with specified procedures; etc.
Committee(s) Assigned: FIN, ECM