MD FAMILY LAW BILLS AS OF 1/28/15
(non-family law bills of interest are in italics)
BILL #
SPONSOR(S)
TITLE
SYNOPSIS
STATUS
Delegate Glenn
Family Law Unattended Child
Under the Age of
3 Years
Prohibiting a person who is
charged with the care of a child
under the age of 3 years from
allowing the child to be locked
or confined in a dwelling, a
building, an enclosure, or a
motor vehicle out of the sight of
the person charged unless the
person charged with care
provides a reliable person at
least 15 years old to remain
with the child to protect the
child; provides a penalty not to
exceed $500 or imprisonment
not to exceed 30 days, or both,
for violations of the Act; and
making the Act an emergency
measure.
11/20/2014 Prefiled
Family Law Child Abuse and
Neglect Expungement of
Reports and
Records - Time
Period
Requiring a local department of
social services to maintain
specified reports of suspected
abuse or neglect and all
assessments and investigative
findings for specified periods of
time for the purpose of
determining whether a pattern
exists; and increasing the time
period after which a local
department is required to
expunge specified reports and
records of suspected child
abuse and neglect.
11/18/2014 Prefiled
Criminal
Procedure Vulnerable Adult
Abuse Registry
Establishing a vulnerable adult
abuse registry; requiring the
Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene to establish and
maintain a registry containing
the names of specified
individuals; requiring that
names and information
contained in the registry be
11/20/2014 Prefiled
(crossfiled)
HB 61
HB 7
(SB 12)
HB 232
Delegate
Sophocleus
Delegate Glenn
1/14/2015 First
Reading
Judiciary
Hearing 1/28 at
1:00 p.m.
1/14/2015 First
Reading
Judiciary
Hearing 1/28 at
1:00 p.m.
1/14/2015 First
Reading
Judiciary
Hearing 1/27 at
1:00 p.m.
1
Bill is an Emergency Bill, introduced in prior sessions as HB 383 in the 2014 Regular Session (unfavorable report by
Judiciary) and HB 1480 in the 2013 Regular Session (unfavorable report by House Rules and Executive Nominations,
withdrawn)
2
Introduced in a prior session as: HB 325 in the 2013 Regular Session (unfavorable report by Judiciary) and HB 379 in the
2014 Regular Session (unfavorable report by Judiciary)
1
MD FAMILY LAW BILLS AS OF 1/28/15
(non-family law bills of interest are in italics)
BILL #
SPONSOR(S)
TITLE
SYNOPSIS
STATUS
(crossfiled)
available for public inspection;
authorizing the Department to
discharge specified
responsibilities in a specified
manner; requiring a State
agency that makes a specified
finding to notify the Department
in a specified manner; etc.
HB 1633
HB 165
Delegate
Dumais
Delegate
Dumais
Child Support Adjusted Actual
Income Multifamily
Adjustment
Altering the definition of
“adjusted actual income” under
the State child support
guidelines; providing for the
calculation of a certain
allowance required to be
deducted from adjusted actual
income under the child support
guidelines; requiring that the
amount of a certain allowance
be subtracted from a parent’s
actual income before the court
determines the amount of a
child support award; repealing
a factor the court may consider
in determining whether the
application of the child support
guidelines would be unjust or
inappropriate in a particular
case; and generally relating to
child support.
1/28/2015 First
Reading
Judiciary
Family Law Grounds for
Limited Divorce
Altering a specified ground for
limited divorce by repealing a
requirement that separation of
the parties be voluntary and
without a reasonable
expectation of reconciliation;
and repealing a specified
condition precedent to granting
a decree of limited divorce.
1/28/2015 First
Reading
Judiciary
Hearing 2/12 at
1:00 p.m.
Hearing 2/12 at
1:00 p.m.
Adds interesting language to
grounds for limited divorce:
“The court may decree a
divorce under this section for a
limited time or for an indefinite
time.”
3
Introduced in a prior session as: HB0400 (and SB 579) Session: 2012and as HB0849 Session: 2013 (both years unfavorable
report in Judiciary)
2
MD FAMILY LAW BILLS AS OF 1/28/15
(non-family law bills of interest are in italics)
BILL #
SPONSOR(S)
TITLE
SYNOPSIS
STATUS
(crossfiled)
“The court that granted a
decree of limited divorce may
revoke the decree at any time
on the joint application of the
parties.”
If an absolute divorce is prayed
and the evidence is sufficient to
entitle the parties to a limited
divorce, but not to an absolute
divorce, the court may decree a
limited divorce.”
SB 124
(HB 7)
SB 40
SB 785
4
Senator
DeGrange
Family Law Child Abuse and
Neglect Expungement of
Reports and
Records - Time
Period
Requiring a local department of
social services to maintain
specified reports of suspected
abuse or neglect and all
assessments and investigative
findings for specified periods of
time for the purpose of
determining whether a pattern
exists; and increasing the time
period after which a local
department is required to
expunge specified reports and
records of suspected child
abuse and neglect.
11/18/2014 Prefiled
Senators Pugh,
Astle, Benson,
Conway,
Currie,
Ferguson,
Gladden,
Kelley, King,
Lee, Madaleno,
Manno,
Montgomery,
Muse, NathanPulliam, Peters,
Pinsky,
Ramirez,
Raskin,
Rosapepe, and
Young
Labor and
Employment Maryland Healthy
Working Families
Act
Requiring specified employers
to provide employees with
specified earned sick and safe
leave; providing for the manner
in which earned sick and safe
leave is accrued by the
employee and treated by the
employer; requiring an
employer to allow an employee
to use earned sick and safe
leave for specified purposes;
requiring an employee, under
specified circumstances, to
request leave, notify the
employer of specified
information, and comply with
specified procedures; etc.
1/20/2015 First
Reading Finance
Senators
Rape Survivor
Excluding as a father of a child,
1/23/2015 First
1/14/2015 First
Reading Judicial
Proceedings
Hearing 2/03 at
1:00 p.m.
Introduced in a prior session as SB 1055 in the 2014 Regular Session (passed the Senate, died in committee in the House)
3
MD FAMILY LAW BILLS AS OF 1/28/15
(non-family law bills of interest are in italics)
BILL #
SPONSOR(S)
TITLE
SYNOPSIS
STATUS
Raskin, Astle,
Benson,
Brochin,
Cassilly,
Eckardt,
Feldman,
Ferguson,
Guzzone,
Hough, Kagan,
Kelley, King,
Klausmeier,
Lee, Madaleno,
Manno,
Mathias,
Middleton,
Montgomery,
Muse, NathanPulliam,
Pinsky, Pugh,
Ramirez,
Rosapepe,
Shank,
Simonaire,
Young, and
Zirkin
Family Protection
Act
for purposes of specified
provisions relating to the
paternity of a child in a
guardianship or adoption
proceeding, a man who has
committed a specified sexual
crime against the child's
mother; requiring a court to
consider a specified statement
when making a specified
finding; prohibiting a court from
requiring publication of
specified information under
specified circumstances; etc.
Reading Judicial
Proceedings
(crossfiled)
5
Introduced in a prior session as: 2013 Regular Session as SB 620 (passed the Senate, died in committee in the House) and
2014 Regular Session SB 411 (passed the Senate, died in Judiciary the House)
4