End of Session Wrap Up

April 11, 2025

At midnight on April 7th, the 2025 Maryland General Assembly Session officially came to a close. We 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 2026 State Budget

Operating 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 a State 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.

Prior to the start of the 2025 Session in January, Maryland lawmakers knew they had to contend with a $3 billion budget deficit which is projected to grow to nearly $7 billion within the next three years. Maryland Democrats attempted to deflect blame for the State’s fiscal woes on President Trump, however, the State’s financial challenges existed long before he took office and are a direct result of two primary things:

1. Years of passing of aspirational spending mandates with no funding source – like the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future – that was passed over Republican opposition and Governor Larry Hogan’s vetoes.

A long-standing overreliance on the Federal government to balance the budget. For more than two decades, economists have warned that Maryland was very vulnerable to changes in federal spending. Instead of supporting efforts to grow and develop Maryland’s private sector to reduce this dependency, Maryland Democrats continue to pass new taxes that chase them away.

It took until Sine Die to pass the $67 billion operating budget. The Operating Budget is made up of two pieces of legislation – the Budget Bill and the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act (BRFA). The BRFA is the piece of legislation that goes with the budget bill to make the legislative changes necessary to balance the budget and is where the taxes and fees are hidden.

This year’s BRFA included $1.67 billion in increased taxes making it the largest tax increase in Maryland’s history and that’s after we defeated over $2 billion MORE in proposed taxes.

The biggest losers this year are individual taxpayers and Maryland businesses as well as local governments that will be absorbing costs that were punted to them by the State. These costs will still likely be paid by taxpayers.

This budget did not have to include tax increases. Senate & House Republicans offered amendments to the budget that would have eliminated the need to find an additional $1.67 billion in new revenue sources (taxes & fees). The cuts proposed by our caucus to get there included:

A 5% across the board spending cut for State agencies;
A State employee hiring freeze and pause in planned salary increases;
Pausing spending increases for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future;
Cut taxpayer (Medicaid) funded transgender cosmetic surgeries; and
Rolling back Medicaid eligibility to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. Currently, a family of four making $100,000 is eligible for Medicaid. It’s not sustainable.

Unfortunately, these proposed cuts and many others were rejected, and Maryland’s families and businesses will pay more. The budget is actually still larger than last year’s budget by billions despite so-called “cuts” in spending that Governor Moore is touting publicly. The spending is driven by the passage of the BRFA which features the largest combined tax increase in state history. All three of us (Senator Ready, Delegate Rose and Delegate Tomlinson) voted no.

Taxes in the FY2026 Budget & BRFA:

Throughout the Legislative Session, there was extensive debate over raising taxes and fees for Maryland taxpayers to address the self-inflicted $3 billion deficit we faced for FY 2026. Most of these proposed increases are included in the BRFA. During the final weeks, a “compromise” was struck which included the following tax and fee increases:

Implements a 3% tax on all data and IT services – a $500 million new tax;
Creates a new 2% tax on capital gains above $350,000;
Accelerates the phase-in of vehicle registration tax increases that were doubled in 2024 – originally this wasn’t supposed to take full effect until 2026;
More than doubles the VEIP Emissions biannual fee from $14 to $30;
Increases the excise tax on vehicle sales from 6% to 6.8%;
Increases the highest allowed county income tax rate from 3.2% to 3.3%;
Doubles titling fees on new and used cars to $200;
Increases the sports wagering tax from 15% to 20%;
Implements a 6% sales tax on precious metal coins and bullion purchases over $1,000;
Applies the 6% sales tax on all vending machine sales;
Adds the 6% sales tax to advertising photos/artwork; and
Alters the definition of a historic vehicle from “20 years or older” to “pre-1999.”

Again, all three of us (Senator Ready, Delegate Rose and Delegate Tomlinson) voted against the State Budget and final BRFA tax increase bill.

Capital Budget

We did get some positive news in the State Capital Budget which is separate from the Operating Budget above. The Capital Budget uses State bonds to fund infrastructure and construction. We worked in a bi-partisan 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 fixing school playgrounds. Below are highlights of what we secured:

ARC of Carroll County – $150,000
Carroll County Veterans Independence Project – $50,000
Eldersburg Elementary School Playground – $25,000
Mount Airy Flat Iron Building – $245,500
Mount Airy Police Station – $100,000
Union Bridge Fire Company – $70,000
Union Bridge Memorial VFW – $50,000
The City of Westminster’s Broadband Infrastructure – $1,000,000

Ready, Rose & Tomlinson Legislative Initiatives From Session

As Republicans in a Democrat supermajority legislature, one of our top priorities is trying to kill bad bills, or get amendments adopted to remove negative components of a bill. However, we also put forward legislation that promoted common sense, conservative values. Below are some that we proposed:

SB 336 – Senator Ready – Gun Theft Felony Act of 2025 (Passed as part of SB 413)

Under current Maryland law, stealing or possessing stolen firearms falls under general theft statutes. Unless the firearm is valued at over $1,500, the crime is only a misdemeanor. SB 336 established a new felony theft charge with up to 5 years in prison for the first conviction and 10 years for the second conviction. Stealing firearms should be treated as a serious crime. This stand-alone bill did not pass out of committee, but WAS added to SB 413 and passed.

HB 1398 – 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.

SB 699/HB 1224 – Senator Ready and Delegate Rose – Forest Conservation Act – Linear Projects – Alteration (Did not Pass)

This bill would have altered the definition of “linear project” under the Forest Conservation Act to exclude a project for a new transmission line or new distribution line constructed on or after October 1, 2025. Neither the House or Senate Committee voted the bill out.

SB 556 – Senator Ready – Real Property – Fraudulent Possession and Unauthorized Lease or Listing – Prohibition and Removal (Passed as part of SB 46)

Senator Ready’s SB 556 allowed for a much quicker process to remove someone from a property who is “squatting” or overstaying a lease. This language was combined into SB 46 (a similar bill) and passed the full General Assembly. Under current law, the legal proceedings can sometimes take months when someone has no legal right to reside in someone else’s property. SB 46 (with SB 556 in it) makes it easier for a property owner to stop squatting in their property.

HB 1396 – Delegate Rose – Property Rights Protection Act of 2025 (Did not Pass)

This bill aimed to stop someone from exercising a right of condemnation to acquire property for the purpose of constructing a power line or a certain generating station that produces electricity from wind energy or solar energy. In addition, it would have prohibited the State or political subdivisions from acquiring by condemnation, property that is burdened by conservation easements or if it would be used for the construction of a power line or a certain generating station.

SB 557 – Senator Ready – Prohibition on Vehicle-Miles-Traveled Tax (Transportation Freedom Act of 2025) (Did Not Pass, however, Vehicle-Miles-Tax Bill was Killed)

SB 557 would have prohibited the State or a local jurisdiction from imposing or levying a vehicle-miles-traveled tax. It would also have prohibited the State or a local jurisdiction from requiring the installation of a device in a privately owned vehicle to facilitate the reporting of vehicle miles traveled. This bill did not pass. However a very bad proposal to create a Vehicle-Miles-Traveled tax was killed during the legislative session which is a big win for Maryland drivers, especially those who often commute to work.

Energy Policy & the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP)

Maryland must get serious about fixing our short-sighted, failing energy policy. Even before Governor Moore was in office talking about Maryland producing 100% “net zero” emissions by 2035, the General Assembly Democrat supermajority was ramming through policies like EmPOWER Maryland, which essentially taxes you monthly to allegedly invest in creating more renewable energy in the state but generally just gets spent on buying out of state “green” energy, the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022, and other terrible policies that put all of our energy-production “eggs” in the solar and wind basket.

As the 2025 Session began, we heard from hundreds of constituents wanting action to lower their utility bills. Some Democrats did acknowledge that changes are needed and passed a package of energy bills, but they fell woefully short in giving real ratepayer relief or making the necessary policy changes to reduce Marylanders’ energy rates. We will continue to fight for real ratepayer relief and to change our energy production laws to incentivize more in-state production.

As to MPRP, we did receive some good news in the last couple of weeks. The Maryland Public Service Commission announced that PSGE’s application did not provide adequate information and deemed it “incomplete.” This means that PSEG will need to submit additional materials to bring the application into compliance which will delay the start of the formal review process, and it gives advocates more time to prepare and organize.

In addition to bills mentioned in our “Legislative Initiatives” section above, here are two other MPRE-related proposals we put forward in the 2025 Legislative Session:

SB 332 – Senator Ready – Task Force to Stop the Premature Retirement of Electricity Generation Facilities (Did Not Pass – Some Elements folded into other bills)

SB 332 sought to prevent yet another Maryland coal-fired plant from being shut down (Brandon Shores). Maryland already imports approximately 40% of its energy from out of state. Brandon Shores was scheduled to close in June 2025; however, that has been delayed and it is our hope that this is reconsidered due to our state not having enough “clean energy” to support energy demands. While this bill did not pass, it did help get a conversation started and there is language in other energy-related bills that will study this issue.

SB 657/HB 1362 -Senator Ready, Delegate Tomlinson Co-Sponsor – Eminent Domain – Just Compensation – Fees and Costs (Did Not Pass – Coming Back Next Year)

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.

SB 116 – Data Center Impact & Analysis Report – Senator Ready co-sponsored with Senator Lewis-Young (Passed – Delegates Rose & Tomlinson voted for it in the House)

The bill requires the Maryland Department of Environment and University of Maryland School of Business to conduct a full analysis of the environmental and economic impacts of data center development in the state. This is important because we know that the MPRP is all about feeding power to Northern Virginia data centers. This bill will slow down data center growth in Maryland until we can get a better grasp of the full environmental and energy impacts.

HB 1397 – Delegate Tomlinson, Delegate Rose Co-sponsor – The Electrical Grid Optimization and Expansion Act (Passed as part of HB 829) – This will would have required that before the Public Service Commission can take final action on a Certificate of Public Convenience Necessity application, the applicant would need to need to show that they looked at using grid enhancing technologies as an alternative to constructing a transmission line. HB 1397 never received a vote but the intent of the bill lived on within HB 829, which did pass the House with Delegates Rose & Tomlinson voting in favor.

Our hope is that we stop MPRP or at least get major changes. We are still hopeful that the Public Service Commission will put an end to it, and if not, we will be introducing more legislation during the 2026 Legislative Session to address the many issues this project brings.

Battling Blueprint – The Fight for Flexibility

Throughout the Session, we have been hearing the concerns from Carroll County residents regarding the implementation of the Kirwan Blueprint for K-12 Education and how its massive $40 billion mandate will affect our schools and budgets. Senator Ready and Delegate Rose voted against the Blueprint when it was rammed through the General Assembly (Delegate Tomlinson was not elected yet). We worked all Session to gain flexibility on its implementation.

We all want to thank thousands of Carroll County residents for their proactive outreach. We appreciate that our colleagues in both parties in Annapolis were receptive to our need to create a waiver that will provide us with some flexibility and relief that means we will no longer have to cut programs or jobs in Carroll.

We are confident that in the next week or so, the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Accountability & Implementation Board will be approving a waiver which will delay the full implementation of very destructive mandates for Carroll County for at least three years. This will give us more time to prepare for the financial constraints that Blueprint will cause.

While this agreement will not solve all long-term issues associated with the implementation of the Blueprint, it will grant time for local impact of the statewide implementation to be digested by the Governor, General Assembly, and other decision makers. Blueprint still needs real reform.

Crime Legislation

HB 853 – Postconviction Review – Procedure to Reduce Duration of Sentence (Maryland Second Look Act) (Passed – Ready, Rose & Tomlinson voted NO)

This bill expands the application of the Juvenile Restoration Act of 2021 to allow an individual to file a motion to reduce a sentence if the individual was convicted between the ages of 18 and 25, was not sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, is not a sex offender, and has been imprisoned for at least 20 years for the offense. Essentially, this bill doubles down on the Democrat supermajority’s soft-on-crime initiative and will give those who commit serious acts of violence a more direct pathway to being released. Senate Republicans did manage to add an amendment to exclude individuals convicted of murdering a first responder.

HB 1222 – Attacking ICE and the 287G Program in Maryland – (Bill heavily amended, 287G Program preserved).

HB 1222 was introduced by extreme, pro-amnesty liberals in the House of Delegates. It sought to end the 287G program that local sheriffs use to coordinate with ICE to pick up criminals who are here illegally. This bill would have ended this highly effective program. Fortunately, in the Senate, Republicans were able to strip this out of the bill and only passed a skeleton version that didn’t include anything about 287G. This was a big win for public safety in the 2025 Session.

HB 1282 – Delegate Tomlinson – MaKenzi’s Law – (Never received a vote) – This bill would have prohibited a person from uploading a video of an action that is a crime to a social media application with the intent to promote or condone the activity. This anti-bullying legislation was introduced in conjunction with Carroll’s Bee a Rae of Sunshine Foundation and named in honor of a 14-year-old student from Westminster High who tragically lost her life to bullying.

2nd Amendment Legislation

SB 634/HB 741 Hunting – Banning Lead Ammunition (Defeated)

This bill would have required Maryland DNR to create a lead ammunition phase-out plan by 2029. Non-lead ammo is more expensive, meaning the eventual ban of lead hunting ammunition would ultimately eliminate sufficient opportunities for hunters and wildlife management. The bill did not make it out of committee due to strong Republican and constituent opposition.

HB 937 – Sales and Use Tax – Firearms, Firearm Accessories, and Ammunition – Rate Alteration (Defeated)

This bill would have doubled the State sales and use tax for the purchase of firearms, firearm accessories, and ammunition from 6% to 12%. HB 937 did not make it out of the House Ways and Means Committee. Under no circumstance would any of us support this awful bill.

We remain committed to protecting the 2nd Amendment rights for law-abiding citizens and supporting real penalties on illegal possession of stolen and trafficked firearms.

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.

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