HB0570 • 2026

Foster Care – Adjacent County Applicants and Reporting Requirements

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: Delegate Grammer
Last action: 2026-02-02
Official status: In the House - Hearing 2/19 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.

Foster Care – Adjacent County Applicants and Reporting Requirements

Authorizing an individual to apply to be approved as a foster parent by the local department of social services for the county where the individual resides or a county adjacent to the county where the individual resides; prohibiting a local department from denying an application to be a foster parent due to the applicant's county of residence if the individual resides in the same county as, or an adjacent county to, the county where the local department is located; etc.

What This Bill Does

Authorizing an individual to apply to be approved as a foster parent by the local department of social services for the county where the individual resides or a county adjacent to the county where the individual resides; prohibiting a local department from denying an application to be a foster parent due to the applicant's county of residence if the individual resides in the same county as, or an adjacent county to, the county where the local department is located; 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

2026-02-02 House
Hearing 2/19 at 1:00 p.m.
2026-01-28 House
First Reading Judiciary
Maryland General Assembly
Text - First - Foster Care – Adjacent County Applicants and Reporting Requirements

Official Summary Text

Authorizing an individual to apply to be approved as a foster parent by the local department of social services for the county where the individual resides or a county adjacent to the county where the individual resides; prohibiting a local department from denying an application to be a foster parent due to the applicant's county of residence if the individual resides in the same county as, or an adjacent county to, the county where the local department is located; 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.
*hb0570*

HOUSE BILL 570
D4, O4 6lr1826

By: Delegate Grammer
Introduced and read first time: January 28, 2026
Assigned to: Judiciary

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Foster Care – Adjacent County Applicants and Reporting Requirements 2

FOR the purpose of authorizing an individual to apply to be approved as a foster parent by 3
the local department of social services for the county where the individual resides or 4
a county adjacent to the county where the individual resides; prohibiting a local 5
department from denying an application to be a foster parent due to the applicant’s 6
county of residence if the individual resides in the same county as, or an adjacent 7
county to, the county where the local department is located ; requiring local 8
departments to submit a certain quarterly report to the Department of Human 9
Services; and generally relating to foster care. 10

BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 11
Article – Family Law 12
Section 1–101(a) and (h) and 5–101(a) and (e) 13
Annotated Code of Maryland 14
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 15

BY adding to 16
Article – Family Law 17
Section 5–505.3 and 5–505.4 18
Annotated Code of Maryland 19
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 20

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 21
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 22

Article – Family Law 23

1–101. 24

(a) In this article the following words have the meanings indicated. 25
2 HOUSE BILL 570

(h) “Local department” means: 1

(1) a local department of social services; or 2

(2) in Montgomery County, the county department of health and human 3
services. 4

5–101. 5

(a) In this title the following words have the meanings indicated. 6

(e) “Department” means the State Department of Human Services. 7

5–505.3. 8

(A) AN INDIVIDUAL MAY APPLY TO BE APPROVED AS A FOSTER PARENT BY 9
THE LOCAL DEPARTMENT FOR: 10

(1) THE COUNTY WHERE THE INDIVIDUAL PRIMARILY RESIDES; OR 11

(2) A COUNTY ADJACENT TO T HE COUNTY WHERE THE INDIVIDUAL 12
PRIMARILY RESIDES. 13

(B) A LOCAL DEPARTMENT MAY NOT DENY AN INDIVIDUAL’S APPLICATION 14
TO BE A FOSTER PAREN T DUE TO THE INDIVIDUAL’S COUNTY OF PRIMARY 15
RESIDENCE IF THE INDIVIDUAL PRIMARILY RESIDES IN: 16

(1) THE COUNTY WHERE THE LOCAL DEPARTMENT IS LOCATED; OR 17

(2) A COUNTY ADJACENT TO THE COUNTY WHERE THE LOCAL 18
DEPARTMENT IS LOCATED. 19

5–505.4. 20

ON A QUARTERLY BASIS , EACH LOCAL DEPARTMENT SHALL SUBMIT TO THE 21
DEPARTMENT A REPORT STATING THE NUMBER OF: 22

(1) CHILDREN IN THE COUNTY WHO ARE WAITING TO BE PLACED IN A 23
FOSTER HOME; AND 24

(2) VACANT FOSTER CARE PLACEMENTS IN APPROVED FOSTER 25
HOMES IN THE COUNTY. 26

HOUSE BILL 570 3

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