Click here to download a PDF of the report: 2019 MLAWAgenda Final

BILLS THAT PASSED

HB 768/SB 759   Health – Prescription Drug Affordability Board
This bill creates a Prescription Drug Affordability Board in Maryland, an independent body with the authority to evaluate high cost drugs and set fair rates for Marylanders to pay.
OUTCOME: Bill PASSED both chambers and is awaiting signature by the Governor.

HB 814/SB 802   Maryland Easy Enrollment Health Insurance Program [formerly Maryland Health Insurance Option (Protect Maryland Health Care Act of 2019)]
This bill establishes the Maryland Easy Enrollment Health Insurance Program to improve data collection on uninsured individuals and to maximize enrollment of eligible uninsured individuals in affordable insurance programs. It also requires the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange to establish a Maryland Easy Enrollment Health Insurance Program Advisory Workgroup, and requires the Comptroller to include a checkoff to indicate whether an individual is interested in obtaining minimum essential health coverage on certain State income tax forms.
OUTCOME: Bill PASSED both chambers and is awaiting signature by the Governor.

HB 1249/SB 657   Pilot Program – Alleged Rape, Sexual Offense, or Child Sexual Abuse-HIV Postexposure Prophylaxis
This bill establishes a pilot program to prevent HIV infection for victims of an alleged rape or sexual offense or victims of alleged child sexual abuse.
OUTCOME: Bill PASSED both chambers and is awaiting signature by the Governor.

BILLS THAT DID NOT PASS

HB 122/SB 209   Protective Orders – Relief Eligibility – Rape and Sexual Offenses    
This bill would have amended the definition of persons eligible for relief in a protective order to include a victim of rape or sexual offense or attempted rape or sexual offense in any degree and removing it from the peace order.
OUTCOME: Bill passed both chambers amended. Conference committee appointed to reconcile differences but agreement reached was not passed by both the House and Senate before General Assembly ended.  

HB 341/SB 500   Labor and Employment – Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program -Establishment (Time to Care Act of 2019)
Building on 2018’s successful state employees parental leave legislation and the 2016-2017 Maryland Task Force to Study Family and Medical Leave Insurance, this bill would have established a private sector family and medical leave insurance fund to provide partial wage replacement for employees who take unpaid leave to care for a new child or a family member with a serious health condition, their own serious medical condition, a family member’s military deployment.
OUTCOME: Bills did not receive a vote in committees.

HB 634/SB 738   Labor and Employment – Wage History and Wage Range
This bill would have ensured that women are not forced to carry lower earnings and pay discrimination with them from job to job by prohibiting employers from seeking and relying on job applicants’ salary history and by requiring employers to provide the salary range for a position upon a job applicant’s request.
OUTCOME: Bills did not receive a vote in committees.

HB 782/SB 691   Criminal Procedure – Motion to Vacate Judgment – Human Trafficking (True Freedom Act of 2019)
This bill would have expanded Maryland’s current “vacating convictions” law to allow criminalized survivors of human trafficking to remove crimes other than prostitution from their criminal records, which would significantly increase the ability of these survivors to access employment and stable housing, as well as heal from the trauma of their trafficking experience.
OUTCOME: House version passed but did not receive a vote in the Senate Committee.

HB 937   Family Law – Child Support – Eligibility of a Child Who Has Attained the Age of 18 Years  and SB 264  General Provisions – Age of Majority – Right to Parental Support and Maintenance
These bills would have allowed the court to retain jurisdiction for child support until age 21 for those enrolled in post-secondary college education or a vocational training program.
OUTCOME: Bills received unfavorable votes in committee; HB 937 was withdrawn.

HB 1107/SB 518   Discrimination in Employment – Pregnancy and Childbirth
This bill would have expanded existing pregnancy discrimination laws to include not just women with pregnancy-related disabilities, but also women with healthy pregnancies who also need reasonable accommodations.
OUTCOME: Bills did not receive a vote in committees.

Revised 4/23/19