HB0028 • 2026

Higher Education - Private Career Schools - Advertising

Education

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Delegates Fair , Miller , Pasteur , Patterson , Schindler , Stinnett , and Wu
Last action: 2026-02-11
Official status: In the Senate - First Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Higher Education - Private Career Schools - Advertising

Authorizing the Secretary of Higher Education to allow certain private career schools to advertise certain information and collect contact information from potential new students before receiving a certificate of approval from the Maryland Higher Education Commission to operate a private career school in the State under certain circumstances; requiring an approved private career school to advertise only information relating to the opening of the private career school and include a certain disclosure; etc.

What This Bill Does

Authorizing the Secretary of Higher Education to allow certain private career schools to advertise certain information and collect contact information from potential new students before receiving a certificate of approval from the Maryland Higher Education Commission to operate a private career school in the State under certain circumstances; requiring an approved private career school to advertise only information relating to the opening of the private career school and include a certain disclosure; etc.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-02-13 House
Third Reading Passed (128-0)
2026-02-12 House
Second Reading Passed
2026-02-11 Senate
Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment
2026-02-10 House
Favorable Adopted
2026-02-10 House
Motion Special Order until 2/11 (Delegate Smith) Adopted
2026-02-09 House
Favorable Report by Appropriations
2026-01-16 House
Hearing 1/27 at 1:00 p.m.
2026-01-14 House
First Reading Appropriations
2025-09-19 House
Pre-filed
Maryland General Assembly
Text - First - Higher Education - Private Career Schools - Advertising
Maryland General Assembly
Vote - House - Committee - Appropriations
Maryland General Assembly
Text - Third - Higher Education - Private Career Schools - Advertising

Official Summary Text

Authorizing the Secretary of Higher Education to allow certain private career schools to advertise certain information and collect contact information from potential new students before receiving a certificate of approval from the Maryland Higher Education Commission to operate a private career school in the State under certain circumstances; requiring an approved private career school to advertise only information relating to the opening of the private career school and include a certain disclosure; etc.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*hb0028*

HOUSE BILL 28
F2 6lr0910
HB 1138/25 – APP (PRE–FILED) CF SB 383
By: Delegates Fair, Miller, Pasteur, Patterson, Schindler, Stinnett, and Wu
Requested: September 19, 2025
Introduced and read first time: January 14, 2026
Assigned to: Appropriations
Committee Report: Favorable
House action: Adopted
Read second time: February 12, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Higher Education – Private Career Schools – Advertising 2

FOR the purpose of authorizing the Secretary of Higher Education to allow certain private 3
career schools to advertise certain information and collect certain contact 4
information before receiving a certificate of app roval from the Maryland Higher 5
Education Commission to operate a private career school in the State; and generally 6
relating to private career schools. 7

BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 8
Article – Education 9
Section 10–101(a) and (j) 10
Annotated Code of Maryland 11
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 12

BY adding to 13
Article – Education 14
Section 11–212 15
Annotated Code of Maryland 16
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 17

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 18
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 19

Article – Education 20
2 HOUSE BILL 28

10–101. 1

(a) In this division the following words have the meanings indicated. 2

(j) “Private career school” means a privately owned and privately operated 3
institution of postsecondary education other than an institution of higher education that 4
furnishes or offers to furnish programs, whether or not requiring a payment of tuition or 5
fee, for the purpose of training, retraining, or upgrading individuals for gainful employment 6
as skilled or semiskilled workers or technicians in recognized occupations or in new and 7
emerging occupations. 8

11–212. 9

(A) THE SECRETARY MAY APPROVE A REQUEST FROM AN APPLICANT FOR A 10
PRIVATE CAREER SCHOO L TO ADVERTISE AND C OLLECT CONTACT INFOR MATION 11
FROM POTENTIAL NEW STUDENTS BEFORE THE PRIVATE CAREER SCHOOL RECEIVES 12
A CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL TO OPERATE. 13

(B) A PRIVATE CAREER SCHOO L APPROVED UNDER SUB SECTION (A) OF 14
THIS SECTION: 15

(1) SHALL: 16

(I) ADVERTISE ONLY INFORM ATION RELATING TO TH E 17
OPENING OF THE PRIVATE CAREER SCHOOL, INCLUDING THE ANTICIPATED DATE OF 18
OPENING, PROGRAMS OF INSTRUCTION, AND THE APPLICATION PROCESS; AND 19

(II) INCLUDE, IN ANY ADVERTISEMENT , A DISCLOSURE THAT 20
THE CERTIFICATE OF A PPROVAL TO OPERATE T HE PRIVATE CAREER SC HOOL IS 21
PENDING APPROVAL; AND 22

(2) MAY NOT COLLECT ANY F EES OR ENTER INTO AN ENROLLMENT 23
AGREEMENT WITH POTENTIAL STUDENTS. 24

(C) THE SECRETARY SHALL ADOPT REGULATIONS PROVIDIN G FOR THE 25
PROCESS TO APPROVE A PRIVATE CAREER SCHOO L TO ADVERTISE UNDER THIS 26
SECTION. 27

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 28
1, 2026. 29