By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
Several new laws from the 2025 Maryland General Assembly session takes effect Jan. 1, from improved access to heart disease testing to domestic violence awareness.
Enhanced coverage for testing for heart disease
House Bill 666 aims to improve accessibility to heart disease testing in Maryland. The law requires all Medicaid and health insurance plans in the state to cover costs for coronary calcium score testing, a test that can detect early signs of heart disease and help prevent cardiac arrest.
The law can be especially helpful for Black Marylanders, who face a disproportionately higher burden of heart disease than their White counterparts. According to the University of Chicago Medicine, over 30 million Americans are affected by heart disease, but Black Americans are approximately 30 percent more likely to die from heart disease than White Americans.
Property tax and tax sale changes
House Bill 59 permits certain owner-occupied or heir-occupied properties to be withheld from tax sale in certain circumstances, which can save homeowners from losing their property to tax delinquency.
Tax sales occur when a property owner gets behind on paying their property taxes and the county sells a tax lien, a debt attached to a person’s property, to collect the dues.
The new law, which makes significant alterations to how property tax sales function in Maryland, also sets a statewide tax sale minimum so that properties with less than $1,000 in unpaid taxes, interest and penalties cannot be sold via tax sale.
Domestic violence training
House Bill 1547 requires the State Board of Barbers and the State Board of Cosmetologists to make domestic violence awareness training a qualification for licensure. Applicants must complete one hour of training in domestic violence awareness.
The Maryland Department of Labor will select approved training programs that applicants may complete in person or virtually. The law aims to ensure certified barbers and cosmetologists know how to recognize signs of domestic violence, navigate conversations with clients who may be victims, and connect them with resources and support groups.
Improved rideshare transparency
House Bill 861 requires rideshare companies to provide weekly fare and earnings reporting to the Public Service Commission. The companies must submit the data on or before Feb. 1 each year.
The aim of the new law is to increase transparency and provide important information that can inform future policies surrounding rideshares. Drivers will now know how much of a passenger’s fare they are getting, which was a growing concern among drivers.
The new law requires rideshare companies to report the total fares and fees collected from passengers, the specific percentage that went to the driver and a list of any fees the company charged the operator.