The Maryland General Assembly ended its 2025 session Monday after passing nearly 900 bills.
Here’s a look at some of the legislation lawmakers passed during the 90-day session.
Federal workforce
Maryland’s revenues board predicted in March that more than 28,000 federal workers in the state would lose their jobs under U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration and workforce cuts.
The Protect Our Federal Workers Act will provide financial assistance to laid off federal workers. It will also expand Maryland’s Catastrophic Event Account to include federal layoffs.
“This was one of, if not the hardest sessions, that we have faced,” Senate president Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) said at a news conference Tuesday. “The level of uncertainty and instability that we saw from the federal level and where we are moving in the weeks and months ahead was a cloud over top of every single decision we were forced to make.”
The bill will ease workers’ transition from government positions to other jobs, Sen. Nick Charles (D-Prince George’s) said during a hearing on March 6.
“A lot of our federal employees who have lost their jobs right now are in financial distress,” Charles said during the hearing. “They don’t know where to go and they don’t know where to turn to.”
A new federal action oversight committee will also continue to track federal actions and coordinate the state’s response while the General Assembly is in recess, Ferguson and House speaker Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County) announced Tuesday.
Budget
The legislature passed its final fiscal year 2026 budget plan Monday amid a projected $3 billion deficit.
The $67 billion spending plan would reduce funding for the University System of Maryland, the state network of colleges that includes the University of Maryland, by $155 million. It would also create more than $1.6 billion in new tax revenue for the state, two new tax brackets for wealthier Maryland residents and new taxes on certain goods, such as a 3 percent sales tax on data and IT services.
[Maryland legislature finalizes budget plan that reduces USM funding by $155 million]
“We crafted a balanced approach that involved difficult but necessary decisions,” Ferguson said at a news conference Tuesday. “These actions were necessary and essential to stabilize our state’s finances while safeguarding the critical services that many vulnerable Marylanders absolutely rely on.”
The budget will be passed to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore to be signed into law.
Criminal justice
A number of criminal justice reform bills were passed during the legislative session, including some of Moore’s top priorities.
The Expungement Reform Act will reduce the waiting period for erasing certain convictions from someone’s record and expand the list of misdemeanors that can be removed to include those such as alcohol offenses or traffic violations.
“Our expungement bill will provide second chances to more Marylanders, so they can become part of our economic future,” Moore wrote in a news release Monday.
Another bill, the Maryland Second Look Act, will allow people convicted of crimes between the ages of 18 and 25 to petition for a sentence reduction after serving 20 years in prison. The bill will not apply if someone was sentenced to life in prison or is a sex offender.
Energy
Lawmakers gave their final approval on Monday to three bills that will encourage growth in the state’s energy grid and lower electricity and gas bills.
The Next Generation Energy Act will spur new nuclear and gas energy development, expedite the approval process for energy-related projects and encourage Maryland to rely less on neighboring states’ grids.
The bill will prevent energy prices from increasing and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Ferguson, one of the bill’s co-sponsors, said at a joint hearing Feb. 28.
“We’re not just responding to today’s needs, we’re trying to protect the long-term interests of Maryland’s residents,” Ferguson said during the hearing.
The Renewable Energy Certainty Act will encourage the development of renewable energy and create standards for solar energy projects, while the Energy Resource Adequacy and Planning Act established an office to create energy forecasts, strategies and models, according to the bills.
[Maryland General Assembly creates committee to track federal policy changes]
“As technology evolves, so must our approach to energy production and consumption,” Del. Brian Crosby (D-St. Mary’s County), who was a sponsor of two of the bills, said at the Feb. 28 joint hearing. “What was once theoretical is now a reality and Maryland must proactively plan for the future energy demands.”
Health care
One bill will establish a new grant program within the state’s health department to reimburse health care providers for abortion costs. The program will have access to about $25 million that comes from surplus insurance premiums out of the Affordable Care Act.
“An unpredictable patchwork of rights and restrictions forces our urgent attention,” Del. Lesley Lopez (D-Montgomery), the bill’s primary sponsor, said in a committee hearing Feb. 27. “Maryland has been, and is, a proud leader on reproductive healthcare.”
