Legislative Wrap-up |
2024 Legislative Wrap-up |
During this year’s legislative session, the Maryland Public Health Association was able to provide testimony on an extensive number of public health bills. Through the relentless support and dedication of our committee members and distinguished partners, we made some significant achievements this year, including establishing Nonoccupational Postexposure Prophylaxis (nPEP) Standing Order Program, establishing and implementing the Qualified Resident Enrollment Program (Access to Care Act), revising the Public Health - Clean Indoor Air Act, the Universal expansion of the Primary and Secondary Education - Breakfast and Lunch Programs, passage of Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, among other critical bills that MdPHA provided testimony for in the 2024 legislative session.
Bills Passed and Signed by the Governor or EnactedPublic Health - Nonoccupational Postexposure Prophylaxis (nPEP) Standing Order Program - Establishment Establishing the Nonoccupational Postexposure Prophylaxis (nPEP) Standing Order Program to authorize pharmacists to dispense nPEP under certain circumstances; requiring the Maryland Department of Health to adopt regulations necessary for the administration of the Program and that address the needs of certain populations, including victims of sexual assault and pediatric patients; and authorizing the Department to administer the Program, collect certain fees, and establish guidelines for training related to the Program.
Health Insurance - Qualified Resident Enrollment Program (Access to Care Act) Requiring the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange to establish and implement the Qualified Resident Enrollment Program to facilitate the enrollment of qualified residents in qualified plans; providing that the operation and administration of the Program may include functions delegated by the Exchange to a third party; and providing that the implementation of the Program is contingent on approval of a certain waiver application amendment.
Legally Protected Health Care - Gender-Affirming Treatment Altering the definition of "legally protected health care" to include certain gender-affirming treatment, including medications and supplies, for the purposes of certain provisions of law that prohibit health occupations disciplinary actions and certain actions in criminal and civil proceedings and the use of certain resources in furtherance of certain investigations and proceedings related to legally protected health care.
Maryland Health Benefit Exchange – State–Based Young Adult Health Insurance Subsidies Pilot Program – Amount of Annual Subsidies Altering the amount of funds in each of calendar years 2024 and 2025, the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange is authorized to designate for annual subsidies under the State-Based Young Adult Health Insurance Subsidies Pilot Program to include unspent funds designated for subsidies for young adults in a previous calendar year.
Primary and Secondary Education - Breakfast and Lunch Programs - Universal Expansion Report Requiring the State Department of Education, on or before December 1, 2024, to report to the General Assembly on the cost to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students in public schools in the State.
Public Health - Clean Indoor Air Act - Revisions Prohibiting vaping in certain indoor areas and places of employment and certain mass transportation; requiring that certain signs be posted in each public indoor area and each public entrance to an indoor area where smoking or vaping is prohibited; requiring the convening of a workgroup to study the issuance of alcoholic beverages licenses to tobacconists; and prohibiting the issuance of a local alcoholic beverages license to a tobacconist from July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2026, both inclusive.
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Plans Requiring each electric company, each gas company, and the Department of Housing and Community Development to develop a plan for achieving certain energy efficiency, conservation, and greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets through certain programs and services and superseding certain existing energy efficiency and conservation goals; requiring the Public Service Commission to establish a working group to study and make recommendations on extending certain program assistance to certain moderate-income households; etc.
Behavioral Health Crisis Response Services - 9-8-8 Trust Fund Fees Establishing a 9-8-8 fee to be paid by each subscriber to switched local exchange access service, commercial mobile radio service, or other 9-8-8-accessible service; establishing a prepaid wireless 9-8-8 fee to be paid on certain retail transactions; requiring the Comptroller to deposit the 9-8-8 fees and the prepaid wireless 9-8-8 fees in the 9-8-8 Trust Fund; and requiring the Comptroller to adopt procedures for auditing fee collection and remittance by telephone companies and commercial mobile radio service providers. HB0933: Delegates Feldmark, Atterbeary, Bartlett, Cullison, Fair, Guzzone, Hill, Hornberger, A. Johnson, S. Johnson, Kaiser, Lehman, R. Lewis, McComas, Pena-Melnyk, Simpson, Terrasa, Ziegler, Alston, Bagnall, Bhandari, Kerr, Lopez, Martinez, Rosenberg, Taveras, White Holland, and Woods SB0974: Sponsored by Senator Guzzone MdPHA Position: Support Outcome: Passed Senate (121-17), Passed in House (44-3)
Task Force on Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances Establishing the Task Force on Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances to study and make recommendations related to the use of natural psychedelic substances; and requiring the Task Force to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly on or before July 31, 2025.
Cigarettes, Other Tobacco Products, and Electronic Smoking Devices - Revisions (Tobacco Retail Modernization Act of 2024) Prohibiting licensees that sell cigarettes, other tobacco products, or electronic smoking devices at retail from displaying cigarettes, other tobacco products, or electronic smoking devices for sale unless located behind a counter; requiring certain licensed retailers to verify an individual's date of birth before selling cigarettes, other tobacco products, or electronic smoking devices in a certain manner; altering the application fee for a county license to sell cigarettes or tobacco products at retail; etc.
Bills That Did Not Make it Out of Committee, Were Withdrawn, or Had Unfavorable ReportsPrescription Drug Affordability Board - Authority for Upper Payment Limits and Funding (Lowering Prescription Drug Costs for All Marylanders Act of 2024) Requiring the Governor in fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter to include in the annual budget bill an appropriation of at least $1,000,000 for the Prescription Drug Affordability Fund which provides funding for the Board; and requiring the Board, under certain circumstances, to establish a process for setting upper payment limits for all purchases and payor reimbursements of prescription drug products in the State that the Board determines have led or will lead to affordability challenges.
Food Supplement Benefits – Students – Eligibility (SNAP for Students) Requiring the Department of Human Services to provide food supplement benefits to students who are residents of the State, are enrolled in an institution of higher education for at least 15 credit hours per year, whose family contribution is expected to be $0, and who are eligible to participate in a certain work study program; and requiring, for fiscal year 2027 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Governor to include in the annual budget bill an appropriation sufficient to reimburse the Department for certain expenditures.
Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard - Eligible Sources - Alterations (Reclaim Renewable Energy Act of 2024) Altering the definition of "Tier 1 renewable source" for purposes of excluding energy derived from waste and refuse from being eligible for inclusion in the renewable energy portfolio standard; and applying the Act to all renewable energy portfolio standard compliance years starting on or after January 1, 2024.
Environment - Impact of Environmental Permits and State Agency Actions Requiring the Department of the Environment to perform a certain environmental justice evaluation of certain environmental permit applications under certain circumstances; authorizing the Department to take certain actions on certain environmental permit applications based on certain findings to address environmental concerns; requiring the Department to maintain a publicly accessible website, part of a website, or application that identifies pending permit applications with specific census tracts; etc.
Major Highway Capacity Expansion Projects - Impact Assessments and Mitigation Plans (Transportation and Climate Alignment Act of 2024) Requiring the Department of Transportation to establish a process for performing major highway capacity expansion project impact assessments; requiring the Department and a metropolitan planning organization to perform an impact assessment under certain circumstances; requiring the Department to use the impact assessment to determine whether a project meets certain requirements; requiring the Department and a metropolitan planning organization to develop a certain mitigation plan under certain circumstances; etc.
Maryland Building Performance Standards – Fossil Fuel Use, Energy Conservation, and Electric– and Solar–Ready Standards (Better Buildings Act of 2024) Requiring the Maryland Department of Labor to adopt, on or before certain dates and as part of the Maryland Building Performance Standards, a requirement that new buildings meet all water and space heating demands of the building without the use of fossil fuels, energy conservation requirements, and an electric- and solar-ready standard for certain buildings; etc.
Responding to Emergency Needs From Extreme Weather (RENEW) Act of 2024 Establishing the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Payment Program in the Department of the Environment to secure payments from certain businesses that extract fossil fuels or refine petroleum products in order to provide a source of revenue for State efforts to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change and to address the health impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations; establishing the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Fund to support efforts to mitigate climate change; etc.
Pesticides - PFAS Chemicals – Prohibition Prohibiting, beginning June 1, 2025, a person from selling a pesticide that has PFAS chemicals listed as an active ingredient on the labeling accompanying the pesticide; and prohibiting, beginning December 31, 2025, a person from using a pesticide that has PFAS chemicals listed as an active ingredient on the labeling.
Commemorative Weeks - Maryland Climate Education Week Requiring the Governor annually to proclaim the first week of April as Maryland Climate Education Week; and requiring the proclamation to urge residents of all ages to participate in educational activities that promote awareness of climate change and take action toward the State's climate commitments.
Public Health - Opioids and Opioid Overdose Reversal Drugs - Information Requiring a licensed health care provider who prescribes or dispenses an opioid or an opioid overdose reversal drug, to provide certain information to the individual receiving the prescription; and authorizing a pharmacist to comply with the requirement by posting the information in a conspicuous location.
Use of Nuclear Weapons Stating that the General Assembly joins seven other state legislative bodies and over 75 municipalities and counties in passing a Back from the Brink resolution on reducing the possibility of the use of nuclear weapons; urging members of the State's Congressional Delegation who have not yet done so to cosponsor House Resolution 77 relating to the use of nuclear weapons; and urging the U.S. President and the U.S. Senate to endorse the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
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