By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
As the 2026 Maryland General Assembly session came to a close, lawmakers rushed to pass dozens of bills before the midnight deadline on April 13.
Bills that failed to pass before the deadline must be reintroduced next session and go through the legislative process again to be reconsidered. The 90-day session included debates on federal immigration, youth charging reform and efforts to lower utility costs.
Top bills that passed
Utility RELIEF bill
Democrat leaders finalized the Utility RELIEF (Reducing Energy Load Inflation for Everyday Families) Act (HB 1532), a package aimed at saving Maryland families around $150 on their energy bills every year. The bill provides immediate energy bill relief, modernizes Maryland’s grid infrastructure and addresses the growing energy demands of the emerging technology sector by improving accountability for data center development.
“Under this law, data centers will pay for the grid upgrades that they need and not the people of the state of Maryland,” said Moore.
While Democratic leaders touted the bill having bipartisan support, Senate Minority Leader Stephen S. Hershey Jr. (R-Md.-36), and House Minority Leader Jason C. Buckel (R-Md.-1B) spoke in opposition of the bill. Buckel called the measure an “election year game.”
Hershey argued that the policy could drive development elsewhere.
“Data centers will take a look at these regulations and say, ‘Thanks, but no thanks—we’re going to Pennsylvania,’” said Hershey.
Youth Automatic Charging Reform Act
The Youth Automatic Charging Reform Act (SB 323), one of the session’s most debated measures, passed the House 92-39 on April 6.
If signed, the bill would keep children under 16 out of adult detention facilities and require most juvenile cases to begin in juvenile court rather than automatically being charged in adult court, expanding juvenile court jurisdiction.
Community Trust Act
The Community Trust Act (SB 791) passed the Senate 32-15 on Sine Die.
The bill would limit local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, requiring a judicial warrant to detain individuals, with certain exceptions.
PACE Act
The Protecting Artists’ Creative Expression (PACE) Act (SB 475) passed the Senate 32-10 on April 9 after several years of consideration. This bill aims to protect artists by limiting the use of creative expression as evidence in criminal cases, a practice that has drawn scrutiny in recent years, particularly in cases involving rap lyrics.
“The creative expression … has to have a direct nexus to the crime itself,” said Delegate Marlon Amprey (D-Md.-40), the bill’s sponsor. “Let’s say someone made a song fantasizing about doing a joyride … they can’t use those lyrics to say that the creator steals cars. The lyrics have to point to specific facts about the case.”
Top bills that failed
Clean Slate
Both versions of the Clean Slate Act of 2026 (HB 360 and SB 483) stalled in the House. The legislation would have automatically removed eligible charges from a person’s record once expungeable, aiming to reduce barriers to employment and housing.
Modernization of legal ad publication
House Bill 10, which sought to update legal advertisement requirements, failed after being referred to the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on April 13. The bill would have required print and digital publishers to maintain a public archive and employ at least one local news professional.
Redistricting bill
Moore’s redistricting proposal (HB 488), introduced Jan. 23, passed the House but stalled in the Senate Rules Committee on Sine Die.
The plan aimed to reshape the state’s lone Republican congressional district as part of a broader response to similar efforts in other states. Despite pressure from House leaders, the governor and national Democrats, Senate President Bill Ferguson did not advance the bill.