HB0179 • 2026

Department of Commerce - Complaint Portal and Annual Report

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: Delegate Vogel
Last action: 2026-01-19
Official status: In the House - Hearing 2/17 at 1:00 p.m. (Economic Matters)
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.

Department of Commerce - Complaint Portal and Annual Report

Requiring the Department of Commerce to create and maintain a complaint portal for reporting when a governmental unit takes longer than 60 days to process an application for a license, form, certificate, certification, permit, or registration for a business or nonprofit organization; and requiring the Department, by September 15, 2026, and each September 15 thereafter, to submit an annual report to certain committees of the General Assembly on the complaints filed through the portal.

What This Bill Does

Requiring the Department of Commerce to create and maintain a complaint portal for reporting when a governmental unit takes longer than 60 days to process an application for a license, form, certificate, certification, permit, or registration for a business or nonprofit organization; and requiring the Department, by September 15, 2026, and each September 15 thereafter, to submit an annual report to certain committees of the General Assembly on the complaints filed through the portal.

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

2026-01-19 House
Hearing 2/17 at 1:00 p.m. (Economic Matters)
2026-01-14 House
First Reading Economic Matters and Government, Labor, and Elections
2025-08-13 House
Pre-filed
Maryland General Assembly
Text - First - Department of Commerce - Complaint Portal and Annual Report

Official Summary Text

Requiring the Department of Commerce to create and maintain a complaint portal for reporting when a governmental unit takes longer than 60 days to process an application for a license, form, certificate, certification, permit, or registration for a business or nonprofit organization; and requiring the Department, by September 15, 2026, and each September 15 thereafter, to submit an annual report to certain committees of the General Assembly on the complaints filed through the portal.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0179*

HOUSE BILL 179
L6, P1 6lr0690
HB 1038/25 – ECM & HGO (PRE–FILED)
By: Delegate Vogel
Requested: August 13, 2025
Introduced and read first time: January 14, 2026
Assigned to: Economic Matters and Government, Labor, and Elections

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Department of Commerce – Complaint Portal and Annual Report 2

FOR the purpose of requiring the Department of Commerce to create and maintain a 3
complaint portal for reporting when a governmental unit takes longer than a certain 4
period of time to process a certain application for a license, form, certificate, 5
certification, permit, or registration; requiring the Department to submit an annual 6
report to certain committees of the General Assembly on the complaints submitted 7
to the portal; and generally relating to the Department of Commerce. 8

BY adding to 9
Article – Economic Development 10
Section 2.5–111 11
Annotated Code of Maryland 12
(2024 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 13

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 14
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 15

Article – Economic Development 16

2.5–111. 17

(A) IN THIS SECTION, “GOVERNMENTAL UNIT” MEANS: 18

(1) A COUNTY; 19

(2) A MUNICIPAL CORPORATION; 20

(3) A STATE UNIT; 21
2 HOUSE BILL 179

(4) A LOCAL UNIT; OR 1

(5) ANY OTHER PUBLIC BODY OR UNIT ESTABLISHED IN ACCORDANCE 2
WITH A STATE OR LOCAL LAW, ORDINANCE, OR RESOLUTION. 3

(B) (1) SUBJECT TO PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION , THE 4
DEPARTMENT SHALL CREA TE AND MAINTAIN A PO RTAL ON THE DEPARTMENT’S 5
WEBSITE THAT THE PUB LIC MAY USE TO FILE A COMPLAINT IF A GOV ERNMENTAL 6
UNIT TAKES LONGER THAN 60 DAYS TO PROCESS AN APPLICATION FOR A LICENSE, 7
FORM, CERTIFICATE, CERTIFICATION, PERMIT, OR REGISTRATION FOR A BUSINESS 8
OR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. 9

(2) A PERSON MAY NOT FILE A COMPLAINT ON THE PORTAL CREATED 10
AND MAINTAINED UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION I F A STATE OR 11
LOCAL LAW , AN ORDINANCE , OR A RESOLUTION EXPL ICITLY AUTHORIZES TH E 12
GOVERNMENTAL UNIT AGAINST WHICH THE COMPLAINT WOULD HAVE BEEN FILED 13
TO TAKE LONGER THAN 60 DAYS TO PROCESS THE APPLICATION. 14

(C) (1) ON OR BEFORE SEPTEMBER 15, 2026, AND EACH SEPTEMBER 15 15
THEREAFTER, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL SUBM IT A REPORT ON THE C OMPLAINTS 16
FILED THROUGH THE PORT AL DESCRIBED UNDER S UBSECTION (B) OF THIS 17
SECTION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH § 2–1257 OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE, 18
TO THE SENATE BUDGET AND TAXATION COMMITTEE AND THE HOUSE WAYS AND 19
MEANS COMMITTEE. 20

(2) THE REPORT REQUIRED U NDER PARAGRA PH (1) OF THIS 21
SUBSECTION SHALL IDE NTIFY, WITH RESPECT TO EACH COMPLAINT RECEIVED 22
DURING THE PRECEDING FISCAL YEAR, THE GOVERNMENTAL UNI T RESPONSIBLE 23
FOR THE LICENSE , FORM, CERTIFICATE, CERTIFICATION, PERMIT, OR 24
REGISTRATION. 25

(3) IN REPORTING THE DATA REQUIRED UNDER THIS S UBSECTION, 26
THE DEPARTMENT SHALL MAKE REASONABLE EFFORTS TO ANONYMIZE THE DATA 27
TO PROTECT THE PRIVA CY OF THE BUSINESS O R NONPROFIT ORGANIZA TION TO 28
WHICH THE COMPLAINT IS RELATED. 29

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 30
1, 2026. 31