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HB0217 • 2026

General Provisions - Commemorative Month - Maryland Native Plant Month

General Provisions - Commemorative Month - Maryland Native Plant Month

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Delegates Stein , Guyton , Forbes , and Ruth
Last action
2026-02-16
Official status
In the House - Hearing 3/17 at 1:00 p.m.
Effective date
2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

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

General Provisions - Commemorative Month - Maryland Native Plant Month

Requiring the Governor to annually proclaim May as Maryland Native Plant Month in recognition of the benefits that native plants have on Maryland's natural environment; and requiring the proclamation to urge educational and environmental organizations and businesses to observe Maryland Native Plant Month properly.

What This Bill Does

  • Requiring the Governor to annually proclaim May as Maryland Native Plant Month in recognition of the benefits that native plants have on Maryland's natural environment; and requiring the proclamation to urge educational and environmental organizations and businesses to observe Maryland Native Plant Month properly.

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

  1. 2026-02-16 House

    Hearing 3/17 at 1:00 p.m.

  2. 2026-01-14 House

    First Reading Government, Labor, and Elections

  3. 2025-10-27 House

    Pre-filed

  4. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - First - General Provisions - Commemorative Month - Maryland Native Plant Month

Official Summary Text

Requiring the Governor to annually proclaim May as Maryland Native Plant Month in recognition of the benefits that native plants have on Maryland's natural environment; and requiring the proclamation to urge educational and environmental organizations and businesses to observe Maryland Native Plant Month properly.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0217*

HOUSE BILL 217
P1 6lr1351
(PRE–FILED) CF SB 229
By: Delegates Stein, Guyton, Forbes, and Ruth
Requested: October 27, 2025
Introduced and read first time: January 14, 2026
Assigned to: Government, Labor, and Elections

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

General Provisions – Commemorative Month – Maryland Native Plant Month 2

FOR the purpose of requiring the Governor to annually proclaim a certain month as 3
Maryland Native Plant Month; requiring the proclamation to urge educational and 4
environmental organizations and businesses to observe Maryland Native Plant 5
Month properly; and generally relating to Maryland Native Plant Month. 6

BY renumbering 7
Article – General Provisions 8
Section 7–504 through 7–507 9
to be Section 7–505 through 7–508, respectively 10
Annotated Code of Maryland 11
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 12

BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 13
Article – Agriculture 14
Section 10–401(a) and (c) 15
Annotated Code of Maryland 16
(2016 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 17

BY adding to 18
Article – General Provisions 19
Section 7–504 20
Annotated Code of Maryland 21
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 22

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY TH E GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 23
That Section(s) 7–504 through 7–507 of Article – General Provisions of the Annotated Code 24
of Maryland be renumbered to be Section(s) 7–505 through 7–508, respectively. 25

2 HOUSE BILL 217

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the Laws of Maryland read 1
as follows: 2

Article – Agriculture 3

10–401. 4

(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 5

(c) (1) “Native plant” means a plant that occurs naturally in the State and 6
surrounding region, ecosystem, and habitat, without direct or indirect human actions. 7

(2) “Native plant” includes a plant that: 8

(i) Was present before colonial settlement; or 9

(ii) Is listed as native to Maryland on the Maryland Plant Atlas 10
website. 11

Article – General Provisions 12

7–504. 13

(A) IN THIS SECTION , “NATIVE PLANT ” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 14
10–401 OF THE AGRICULTURE ARTICLE. 15

(B) THE GOVERNOR ANNUALLY SHALL PROCLAIM THE MONT H OF MAY AS 16
MARYLAND NATIVE PLANT MONTH IN RECOGNITION OF THE BENEFITS THAT 17
NATIVE PLANTS HAVE ON MARYLAND’S NATURAL ENVIRONMENT. 18

(C) THE PROCLAMATION SHALL URGE EDUCATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL 19
ORGANIZATIONS AND BUSINESSES TO OBSERVE MARYLAND NATIVE PLANT MONTH 20
PROPERLY WITH APPROPRIATE PROGRAMS, EVENTS, AND ACTIVITIES. 21

SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 22
October 1, 2026. 23