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HB0333 • 2026

General Assembly Vacancy - Political Party Central Committee - Procedures

General Assembly Vacancy - Political Party Central Committee - Procedures

Elections
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Delegates Palakovich Carr and Griffith
Last action
2026-03-15
Official status
In the Senate - Hearing 3/25 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 Assembly Vacancy - Political Party Central Committee - Procedures

Establishing requirements for the filling of a vacancy in the office of Senator or Delegate in the General Assembly by a central committee of a political party under the Maryland Constitution relating to applications, public notice, public meetings, and voting; and requiring a member of the central committee who has applied to fill the vacancy to recuse themselves from voting on the individual to fill the vacancy.

What This Bill Does

  • Establishing requirements for the filling of a vacancy in the office of Senator or Delegate in the General Assembly by a central committee of a political party under the Maryland Constitution relating to applications, public notice, public meetings, and voting; and requiring a member of the central committee who has applied to fill the vacancy to recuse themselves from voting on the individual to fill the vacancy.

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. 2026-03-15 Senate

    Hearing 3/25 at 1:00 p.m.

  2. 2026-02-23 House

    Favorable Report by Government, Labor, and Elections

  3. 2026-02-20 House

    Third Reading Passed (122-7)

  4. 2026-02-19 Senate

    Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment

  5. 2026-02-18 House

    Favorable Adopted

  6. 2026-02-18 House

    Second Reading Passed

  7. 2026-02-06 House

    Hearing canceled

  8. 2026-02-06 House

    Hearing 2/11 at 2:00 p.m.

  9. 2026-01-28 House

    Hearing 2/11 at 1:00 p.m.

  10. 2026-01-19 House

    First Reading Government, Labor, and Elections

  11. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - First - General Assembly Vacancy - Political Party Central Committee - Procedures

  12. Maryland General Assembly

    Vote - House - Committee - Government, Labor, and Elections

  13. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - Third - General Assembly Vacancy - Political Party Central Committee - Procedures

Official Summary Text

Establishing requirements for the filling of a vacancy in the office of Senator or Delegate in the General Assembly by a central committee of a political party under the Maryland Constitution relating to applications, public notice, public meetings, and voting; and requiring a member of the central committee who has applied to fill the vacancy to recuse themselves from voting on the individual to fill the vacancy.

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.
*hb0333*

HOUSE BILL 333
G1, P5 6lr2135
HB 237/25 – W&M
By: Delegates Palakovich Carr and Griffith
Introduced and read first time: January 19, 2026
Assigned to: Government, Labor, and Elections
Committee Report: Favorable
House action: Adopted
Read second time: February 18, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

General Assembly Vacancy – Political Party Central Committee – Procedures 2

FOR the purpose of establishing requirements for the filling of a vacancy in the office of 3
Senator or Delegate in the General Assembly by a central committee of a political 4
party under the Maryland Constitution relating to applications, public notice, public 5
meetings, and voting; and generally relating to the procedures of a central committee 6
of a political party for filling a vacancy in the General Assembly. 7

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 8
Article – Election Law 9
Section 4–101 10
Annotated Code of Maryland 11
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 12

BY adding to 13
Article – Election Law 14
Section 4–206 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 – Election Law 20

2 HOUSE BILL 333

4–101. 1

Except as to a matter of compelling State interest OR WITH RESPECT TO A 2
CONFLICT WITH § 4–206 OF THIS TITLE, if any provision of this title relating to party 3
governance conflicts with the constitution and bylaws of a political party, the constitution 4
and bylaws shall apply to the extent of the conflict. 5

4–206. 6

(A) THIS SECTION APPLIES ONLY TO THE PROCESS OF FILLING A VACANCY 7
IN THE OFFICE OF SENATOR OR DELEGATE IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY UNDER 8
ARTICLE III, § 13 OF THE MARYLAND CONSTITUTION. 9

(B) (1) THE APPLICATION PERIOD TO APPLY TO A CENTRAL COMMITTEE 10
TO FILL A VACANCY SHALL BE: 11

(I) OPEN FOR AT LEAST 7 DAYS; AND 12

(II) ADVERTISED IN A CONSPICUOUS MANNER BY THE CENTRAL 13
COMMITTEE FILLING THE VACANCY BY A PUBLIC NOTICE THAT INCLUDES: 14

1. THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE’S INTENT TO MEET TO FILL 15
THE VACANCY; 16

2. THE TIME AND PLACE OF ANY MEETINGS TO BE HELD 17
TO DISCUSS OR VOTE ON THE FILLING OF THE VACANCY; 18

3. THE PROCESS FOR FILLING THE VACANCY; AND 19

4. THE MANNER IN WHICH INDIVIDUALS MAY APPLY TO 20
FILL THE VACANCY. 21

(2) THE NOTICE REQUIRED U NDER PARAGRAPH (1)(II) OF THIS 22
SUBSECTION SHALL BE TRANSLATED INTO A LA NGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH IF 23
THE LOCAL BOARD FOR THE COUNTY IN WHICH THE CENTRAL COMMITTE E IS 24
LOCATED IS REQUIRED TO TRANSLATE ELECTION MATERIALS INTO THAT LANGUAGE 25
UNDER § 203 OF THE FEDERAL VOTING RIGHTS ACT. 26

(C) (1) ALL APPLICATIONS SUBM ITTED TO A CENTRAL C OMMITTEE TO 27
FILL A VACANCY SHALL: 28

(I) BE POSTED ONLINE PRO MPTLY AFTER THE APPL ICATION 29
DEADLINE BY THE COUN TY CENTRAL COMMITTEE OR THE STATE CENTRAL 30
COMMITTEE OF THE POLITICAL PARTY; AND 31

HOUSE BILL 333 3

(II) REMAIN POSTED ONLINE UNTIL AT LEAST 30 DAYS AFTER 1
THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE VOTES ON AN INDIVIDUAL TO FILL THE VACANCY. 2

(2) THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE MAY REDACT PERSONAL 3
INFORMATION FROM THE APPLICATIONS POSTED ONLINE UNDER PARAGRA PH (1) 4
OF THIS SUBSECTION. 5

(D) THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE SHALL HOLD A PUBLIC MEETING TO 6
INTERVIEW THE INDIVIDUALS WHO APPLIED TO FILL THE VACANCY. 7

(E) A MEETING HELD BY A CE NTRAL COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS OR VOTE ON 8
FILLING A VACANCY SHALL BE: 9

(1) OPEN TO THE PUBLIC; AND 10

(2) ANNOUNCED AT LEAST 3 DAYS BEFORE THE MEETING. 11

(F) (1) THE VOTE BY A CENTRAL COMMITTEE TO CHOOSE AN INDIVIDUAL 12
TO FILL A VACANCY SHALL BE: 13

(I) BY ROLL CALL VOTE OR BY SIGNED BALLOTS; AND 14

(II) IN A MEETING OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. 15

(2) A MEMBER OF THE CENTRA L COMMITTEE WHO HAS APPLIED TO 16
FILL THE VACANCY SHALL RECUSE THEMSELVES FROM: 17

(I) ADMINISTERING THE PR OCESS OF FILLING THE VACANCY, 18
INCLUDING ADVERTISIN G THE VACANCY , REVIEWING APPLICATIO NS, AND 19
INTERVIEWING CANDIDATES; AND 20

(II) VOTING ON THE INDIVIDUAL TO FILL THE VACANCY. 21

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 22
October 1, 2026. 23