2026 End of Session Report

April 20, 2026

April 14, 2026

Dear Constituent,

At midnight on April 13th, the 2026 Maryland General Assembly Session officially came to a close. We – Senator Justin Ready, Delegate April Rose & Delegate Chris Tomlinson – are honored to represent you in the State Senate and House of Delegates in Annapolis. This letter highlights major legislative initiatives that were considered over the last 90 days by the 47 Senators and 141 Delegates of the Maryland General Assembly.

FY 2027 State Budget

The only Constitutionally mandated task for the General Assembly to accomplish during the Session is passage of a balanced State operating budget. The Governor proposes the first version of the budget, and the General Assembly can cut spending, move funds around and in some cases, add funding. One of our top priorities, as your Senator and Delegates, is always ensuring a fiscally responsible, balanced budget without raising taxes.

The General Assembly approved a $70.6 billion state budget, an increase of more than $3 billion over last year. The budget does not include new taxes or fees this year, and unfortunately, does not include any tax relief for Maryland families already facing a high cost of living. It continues to rely on revenues from tax and fee increases enacted in prior years to sustain current spending levels.

The Budget reflects what many have described as an election-year approach — avoiding immediate impacts on taxpayers while relying on prior revenues and short-term solutions to maintain spending. The FY27 Budget does little to change the state’s long-term fiscal outlook. Current projections show future deficits growing to as much as $4 billion annually if structural issues remain unresolved.

Rather than making structural reforms, the budget relies in part on one-time actions and transfers from dedicated funds to close the gap. This includes shifting approximately $292 million from the Strategic Energy Investment Fund (SEIF) into the General Fund, along with additional transfers from the Bay Restoration Fund and the Waterway Improvement Fund. The budget also fails to address several major budgetary pressures such as the Blueprint’s fiscal impact, Medicaid growth and our state’s reliance on federal funding.

Additionally, the final budget also included cuts to disability services programs, which were a significant concern for members of the Senate Republican Caucus. These reductions were debated late into the session and, ultimately, funding was not fully restored, raising concerns about support for some of Maryland’s most vulnerable residents.

For these reasons, we felt it necessary to vote against the final version of the FY 27 Budget Bill.

Energy Policy – A Missed Opportunity for Real Relief

As the 2026 Session began, the top issue our state was facing and that constituents were most concerned about was the surging cost of energy bills. 90 days, the General Assembly was able to pass the so-called “RELIEF Act” – a sweeping, last-minute package that ultimately fails to deliver meaningful, long-term relief for ratepayers. The 93-page “Frankenstein” bill was a cobbled-together collection of policies assembled late in the session with limited transparency and little opportunity for meaningful review. It did include some small amount of relief for families experiencing increasing energy bills – but it only comes out to $12 per month, per household.

This bill was a huge opportunity for the General Assembly to provide real short-term relief for families that desperately need it AND long-term changes that can expand our energy capacity and supply to bring down prices long term. But – to do that – we have to turn back from failed, liberal Democratic policies and this bill only makes small adjustments.

At the center of this legislation is the SEIF, funded largely through Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) proceeds and Alternative Compliance Payments (ACPs) both of which are ultimately paid by Maryland ratepayers through higher electricity costs. Instead of reducing these underlying cost drivers, the RELIEF Act simply redistributes SEIF funds back to ratepayers in the form of limited, short-term relief, effectively returning a small portion of the money Marylanders were already forced to pay.

That is not real rate relief – it is a temporary rebate funded by the same policies that caused prices to rise in the first place. Republicans offered comprehensive solutions throughout Session which were largely ignored. The Republican package included reforms focused on delivering real relief and long-term stability, including rebalancing renewable energy mandates to reduce compliance costs, pausing the EmPOWER surcharge, withdrawing from costly regional programs that embed carbon costs into electricity prices (RGGI), expanding reliable, in-state energy generation, and lowering near-term costs through smarter utility cost recovery policies. These proposals would have delivered meaningful relief to ratepayers. Sadly, nearly every Republican amendment was rejected, with all but one stripped from the final legislation – a notification requirement that does improve communication to property owners who might be affected by new transmission lines and other power projects (see HB 1210 below for more information).

The bottom line is that energy was the defining issue of the 2026 session, and the General Assembly failed to meet the moment. Marylanders have been promised relief, but what they are receiving is a rushed bill, minimal savings, and more of the same policies that created the problems we face today. We will continue fighting to lower energy bills.

Capital Budget – Carroll County Projects

The State Capital Budget is separate from the Operating Budget above. The Capital Budget uses State bonds to fund infrastructure and construction. A certain amount of capital funding is allocated every year to the General Assembly for local projects. We worked in a bipartisan fashion to secure key funding for a series of important community projects all across District 5. They range from helping critical infrastructure and public safety upgrades to school facility upgrades. Below are highlights of what we were able to secure for District 5 & Carroll County:

Manchester Wastewater Treatment Plant Enhanced Nutrient Removal Upgrade $23,085,072
Westminster Water Reuse Project $16,000,000
Hampstead Emerging Contaminants Treatment/Centralization Project $8,157,146
Carrolltowne Elementary School – HVAC Replacement $4,121,750
Northwest Middle School – HVAC Replacement $3,420,000
Carroll Community College – Systemic Renovation $1,905,000
Elmer Wolfe Elementary School Addition $1,267,484
Taneytown – Well 14 Emerging Contaminants Treatment Facility $1,223.300
Robert Morton Elementary Addition $1,135,843
Westminster Elementary Addition $1,113,000
Carroll Springs Special Education School – HVAC Replacement $1,087,780
Carroll County Youth Service Bureau -Mental Health Facility Renovation and Addition $1,000,000
Springfield Hospital Center – Water Distribution System Upgrades $1,000,000
Westminster Fiber Project $1,000,000
Runnymede Elementary School Addition $793,000
Anthony Wayne Rehabilitation Center for the Handicapped and Blind, Inc. – Supportive Housing Acquisition $770,000
Spring Garden Elementary School Addition $605,159
William Winchester Elementary School Addition $507,650
Hampstead – Chief Sites Memorial Park Skate Park Expansion $240,166
Rescue to Residence – Transforming the Historic Farmhouse, Phase II $150,000
Westminster Facade Improvement Program $145,000
Sykesville Facade Improvement Program $125,000
Finksburg Facade Improvement Program $80,000

MPRP Legislation

We remain dedicated to stopping the MPRP powerline project which seeks to install 70 miles of new powerlines using eminent domain through the heart of agricultural Carroll & Frederick Counties – with no benefit to Maryland ratepayers. We are not able to pass legislation stopping the powerline itself due to it being a federal, multi-state process. However, below are several bills that we sponsored to fight back against the project and protect homeowners.

HB 1244 – Delegate Rose – Overhead Transmission Lines and Eminent Domain – Property Value – Damages (Did Not Pass)

HB 1244 was intended to help Maryland property owners who find themselves in the path of overhead transmission lines, and who are forced to defend the value of their property in court. The bill had two principal components. First, HB 1244 would grant property owners the court-determined fair market value for their property, as well as reasonable attorney’s fees and expert witness costs if the final ruling establishes a value greater than what the condemning authority alleged. Second, the bill allows for a neighboring property owner to demonstrate that the construction of an overhead transmission line has reduced the fair market value of their property, authorizing them to seek compensation for that loss through legal action.

HB 1210 – Delegate Tomlinson – Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity and Transmission Lines – Notice to Landowners (Bill did not pass but the language from the bill was amended into the Energy RELIEF Act discussed above on pages 1-2)

This bill establishes additional notification requirements under the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) application process for the construction of a transmission line. Under current law, at least 30 days before a hearing, a public service company has to provide each owner of land and each owner of adjacent land, by certified mail, written notice of their intent to construct a transmission line over, on, or under their land. HB 1210 would have required that when submitting a CPCN application for the construction of a transmission line, the public service company must concurrently provide notice, by certified mail, of their intent to run a line over, on, or under the land to each owner of land where the construction will take place, each owner of land that abuts the property where the construction is planned, and finally, each owner of land that is adjacent to the property where the construction is planned. By notifying property owners early on in the process, we’re giving property owners a chance to research and understand what the impact of the proposed transmission line will be. Delegate Tomlinson worked immensely hard to see that language in this bill was adopted into the Energy RELIEF Act and that it stayed in the final version that passed.

SB 451 – Senator Ready – Eminent Domain – Just Compensation – Fees and Costs (Did Not Pass)

This bill would have provided additional financial and legal protections to property owners who face eminent domain proceedings. What we face with MPRP is the potential for land seizure by eminent domain for corporate gain. Because agricultural land and preserved properties are valued less by State assessments – a good thing for the preservation of open space and farmland – these properties have become an inviting target for utilities because it saves money. This bill again did not move – we will continue to pursue ways to ensure just and fair compensation.

Ready, Rose & Tomlinson Legislative Initiatives From Session

SB 707 – Senator Ready – Mental Health Law – Definition of Danger to the Life of Safety of the Individual or of Others and Reports on Emergency Evaluation Petitions (Right to Treatment) (Passed)

SB 707 will facilitate access to treatment for those with serious mental illness, such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, who are unable because of their illness, to recognize they are seriously ill and need treatment. Before this bill, Maryland was one of the only 2 states that had no definition for the “danger standard” for involuntary evaluation and inpatient treatment, leaving courts and our health system often in limbo. This leads to a small but significant number of people wandering the streets, having to frequently utilize emergency rooms and occupy law enforcement and first responder resources. Beginning on October 1, 2026, Maryland will have the needed definition in the law to ensure people can help their loved ones with the treatment they desperately need.

HB 1386 – Delegate Tomlinson – Criminal Law – Distribution of Heroin/Fentanyl Causing Serious Injury or Death (Victoria, Scottie, Ashleigh, and Yader’s Law) (Did not Pass)

Delegate Tomlinson reintroduced Victoria, Scottie, Ashleigh, and Yader’s Law that would have created a new crime for distribution of heroin or fentanyl which results in another person’s death or serious bodily injury, with a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. This bill was designed to go after drug dealers who are selling the worst of the worst to our loved ones. The families of victims who lost their lives to fentanyl or heroin from across Maryland came to Annapolis to share their tragic stories. Despite receiving bi-partisan support, the bill never received a vote.

HB 976 – Delegate Rose – Primary and Secondary Education – Funding Accuracy and Full-Time Equivalent Enrollment Count – Alterations and Reporting (Education Funding Accuracy Act) (Did Not Pass)

This bill, sponsored by Delegate Rose, would require the Maryland Department of Education to accurately count the number of students attending school for the entire school year for the basis of per-pupil funding in the Blueprint funding formula. Additionally, it would begin an annual report to study data on students who begin attendance when counted on September 30th of each year but are no longer in school in subsequent attendance counts to include the final count of the school year. It is vitally important that we develop better and more transparent reporting on how many of these students are actually missing and unaccounted for in their school attendance and why. Once again, Maryland Democrats wouldn’t pass this common sense legislation but Delegate Rose will continue pursuing this.

HB 1448 – Delegate Tomlinson – Municipal Elections – Reporting of Information to the State Board (Passed)

HB 1448 requires a municipality to submit to the State Board of Elections the qualifications to be a candidate for each office on the ballot in a municipal election, information on how to vote and where to vote, and the list of candidates. The bill also requires the State Board of Elections to publish the information reported by the municipality on the Board’s website. This bill expands on a previous bill that Delegate Tomlinson sponsored and passed, further helping to close information gaps that too often discourage participation in our local democracy.

SB 566 – Senator Ready – Vehicle Laws – Historic Motor Vehicles – Minimum Age (Partially Passed as BRFA Amendment)

Last year, an amendment in the budget bill changed the rolling 20-year eligibility requirement for historic vehicle tags to a hard line at vehicles older than 1999, cutting off thousands of drivers. This change was basically behind closed doors, and the public was unable to make their voices heard. An amendment to this year’s budget restores eligibility to a rolling timeline, allowing vehicles 25 years or older to qualify. Senator Ready sponsored a bill at the beginning of the 2026 Legislative Session that would have done just that, while grandfathering any vehicles in the 20 to 24 years old window. The Democratic Supermajority would not accept the grandfathering part of the bill but we were able to get an amendment into the state budget/BRFA to make the correction from a stagnant requirement of 1999 or older, to a rolling requirement of 25 years or older.

Democratic Supermajority Ignores Real Issues – Focuses on D.C, Politics

Throughout the 2026 Legislative Session, there was a lack of focus from the Democrat Supermajority when it came to real everyday issues facing Marylanders. We would have liked to work with them to bring down Maryland’s extremely high cost of living as well as add some accountability to the government in our state.

Instead, the Democrat Supermajority chose to spend a huge amount of time attempting to defang Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without any real authority to do so, as well as go after law-abiding gun owners and their right to safely practice the 2nd Amendment. Below are some of the most ridiculous bills from the 2026 Legislative Session which summarize the lack of focus by the Democrat Supermajority in Annapolis.

SB 791 – Correctional Services and Criminal Procedure – Immigration Enforcement – Prohibitions (Community Trust Act) (Passed)

This bill essentially makes Maryland a Sanctuary State. It restricts state and local correctional facilities from collaborating with federal immigration enforcement (ICE). It prohibits holding individuals on ICE detainer requests without a federal judicial warrant and bans notifying ICE of release dates, aiming to protect illegal communities. Republicans fought this bill late into the night on Sine Die, however it was passed. We are imploring Governor Moore to veto.

SB 245/HB 444 – Public Safety – Immigration Enforcement Agreements – Prohibition (Passed as Emergency Legislation)

This bill, already signed into law by Governor Moore, prohibits the State, a unit of local government, a county sheriff, or any agency, officer, employee, or agent of the State or a local unit of local government from entering into an immigration enforcement agreement, otherwise known as a 287(g) agreement. This incredibly short-sighted bill not only makes Maryland less safe but actively seeks to allow criminals wanted by federal law enforcement back onto the streets of Maryland. Republicans fought against this bill and offered a slew of amendments which mostly failed on party-line votes, the same fate for the final vote on the bill.

SB 323 – Juvenile Court – Jurisdiction, Detention, and Confinement (Youth Charging Reform Act) (Passed)

SB 323 removes first-degree assault and several handgun offenses from the current list of 33 offenses that automatically lead to adult court for 16- and 17-year-olds. This is a continuation of the left’s soft-on-crime mindset, especially when it comes to violent criminal juveniles. Once again, the consideration seems to be all for the criminal who is harming the community with no concern for the victims.

SB 1 – Public Safety – Law Enforcement Officers – Prohibition on Face Coverings (Passed)

This bill requires the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission to develop a model policy prohibiting the use of a face covering in the performance of duty. It is a retaliatory bill to federal law enforcement officers concealing their identity due to public interference with their official duties, as well as threats outside of their official duties.

SB 334/HB 577 – Criminal Law – Firearm Crimes – Machine Gun Convertible Pistols (Passed)

SB 334/HB 577 prohibits any handgun from being manufactured, sold or purchased in the State of Maryland that includes a “cruciform trigger bar,” which could be altered to make a semi-automatic handgun shoot at a rate of speed similar to a fully-automatic firearm. Altering a semi-automatic firearm into a fully-automatic firearm is already illegal under Maryland law. This bill will basically ban most Glock handguns, as well as many other popular consumer handguns all because some criminals illegally tamper with them. The Democratic sponsor arguments proved their lack of firearm knowledge. We expect that this bill will be taken to court and is likely to be overturned.

Bad Bills Killed By Republicans

Although several horrible pieces of legislation passed, Republicans were able to kill some truly awful bills. Below are some of the craziest proposals from the 2026 Legislative Session that Republicans were able to keep from passing.

SB 463/HB 432 – Municipalities – Vagrancy – Repeal of Authority to Prohibit (Did Not Pass)

This bill would have essentially legalized vagrancy in Maryland and made it impossible for law enforcement to clear out vagrant encampments.

SB 181 – Hunting – Lead and Lead-Based Ammunition – Phase-Out (Did Not Pass)

This bill would effectively ban hunting with lead ammunition after July 2029. Non-lead ammunition is often notably more expensive than lead ammunition. Plus, Maryland has strict laws regarding the sale or distribution of hunted game meat. Banning lead ammunition only makes it harder for law-abiding citizens to hunt.

HB 649 – Advancing Equal Education Opportunities for All Students in Maryland (Did Not Pass)

HB 649 threatened to take away the constitutional freedom of religious education and would have overridden the conscious rights of Christian families, replacing freedom with regulatory control.

HB 941 – Public Health – Public Buildings – Hygiene Products (Did Not Pass)

This bill would have required all public restrooms in public buildings to provide an adequate supply of hygiene products, meaning any state-owned building would be required to stock tampons in men’s restrooms.

HB239/SB36 – Starter and Silver Homes Act of 2026 (Did Not Pass)

This bill would have stripped counties and municipalities of their rightful ability to and enforce zoning restrictions on house size and type and lot size and usage.

Carroll County Delegation Legislation

Every year, Carroll’s Delegation introduces legislation that will only impact Carroll County. This year, our Delegation introduced five bills with four of them passing. These bills will help our Sheriff’s Correctional Deputies, benefit local distilleries in Carroll, among other things.

Conclusion

It is an honor and a great responsibility to serve you in the Maryland General Assembly and fight every day for conservative principles. We will do our best to continue updating you with future developments. Please feel free to reach out to our offices anytime with questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Senator Justin Ready Delegate April Rose Delegate Chris Tomlinson

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