HB0458 • 2026

General Provisions - Commemorative Months - Water Safety Month

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: Delegates Patterson , Toles , Fennell , Guyton , Kaufman , Odom , Pasteur , Terrasa , Wims , and Wolek
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 Months - Water Safety Month

Requiring the Governor to annually proclaim the month of May as Water Safety Month; and requiring the proclamation to urge certain activities designed to raise awareness about drowning prevention and to promote safe practices around all bodies of water.

What This Bill Does

Requiring the Governor to annually proclaim the month of May as Water Safety Month; and requiring the proclamation to urge certain activities designed to raise awareness about drowning prevention and to promote safe practices around all bodies of water.

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

2026-02-16 House
Hearing 3/17 at 1:00 p.m.
2026-01-23 House
First Reading Government, Labor, and Elections
Maryland General Assembly
Text - First - General Provisions - Commemorative Months - Water Safety Month

Official Summary Text

Requiring the Governor to annually proclaim the month of May as Water Safety Month; and requiring the proclamation to urge certain activities designed to raise awareness about drowning prevention and to promote safe practices around all bodies of water.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0458*

HOUSE BILL 458
P1, J1 6lr2258

By: Delegates Patterson, Toles, Fennell, Guyton, Kaufman, Odom, Pasteur,
Terrasa, Wims, and Wolek
Introduced and read first time: January 23, 2026
Assigned to: Government, Labor, and Elections

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

General Provisions – Commemorative Months – Water Safety Month 2

FOR the purpose of requiring the Governor to annually proclaim a certain month as Water 3
Safety Month; and generally relating to commemorative months. 4

BY renumbering 5
Article – General Provisions 6
Section 7–504 through 7–507 7
to be Section 7–505 through 7–508, respectively 8
Annotated Code of Maryland 9
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 10

BY adding to 11
Article – General Provisions 12
Section 7–504 13
Annotated Code of Maryland 14
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 15

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 16
That Section(s) 7–504 through 7–507 of Article – General Provisions of the Annotated Code 17
of Maryland be renumbered to be Section(s) 7–505 through 7–508, respectively. 18

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FU RTHER ENACTED, That the Laws of Maryland read 19
as follows: 20

Article – General Provisions 21

7–504. 22

2 HOUSE BILL 458

(A) THE GOVERNOR ANNUALLY SHALL PROCLAIM THE MONT H OF MAY AS 1
WATER SAFETY MONTH. 2

(B) THE PROCLAMATION SHAL L URGE EDUCATIONAL A ND CIVIC 3
ORGANIZATIONS TO OBS ERVE WATER SAFETY MONTH PROPERLY WITH 4
APPROPRIATE PROGRAMS , EVENTS, AND ACTIVITIES DESIGNED TO RAISE 5
AWARENESS ABOUT DROW NING PREVENTION AND PROMOTE SAFE PRACTIC ES 6
AROUND ALL BODIES OF WATER. 7

SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 8
October 1, 2026. 9