County Boards of Library Trustees - Membership - Student Member

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.
*hb0586*

HOUSE BILL 586
F5 6lr0832
CF SB 535
By: Delegates Behler, Ebersole, Forbes, D. Jones, Pruski, Ruth, and Woorman
Introduced and read first time: January 28, 2026
Assigned to: Appropriations
Reassigned: Ways and Means, February 5, 2026
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 4, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

County Boards of Library Trustees – Membership – Student Member 2

FOR the purpose of authorizing a county board of library trustees to provide for the 3
selection of a student member of the board; establishing the qualifications, term of 4
office, and voting rights of the student member of a county board of library trustees, 5
if selected; and generally relating to the membership of county boards of library 6
trustees. 7

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 8
Article – Education 9
Section 23–403 and 23–404 10
Annotated Code of Maryland 11
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 12

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 13
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 14

Article – Education 15

23–403. 16

(a) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (3) of this subsection AND 17
SUBSECTION (G) OF THIS SECTION , each board of library trustees consists of seven 18
2 HOUSE BILL 586

APPOINTED members appointed by the county governing body from nominees submitted 1
by the board of library trustees. 2

(2) A board that existed before 1945 under a corporate ch arter may 3
continue as constituted if: 4

(i) It has at least seven APPOINTED members; 5

(ii) The APPOINTED members are chosen on the basis of character, 6
ability, and demonstrated interest in library matters; and 7

(iii) The APPOINTED members meet the qualifications required 8
under subsection (b) of this section. 9

(3) In Harford County, the Board of Trustees consists of at least 7 10
APPOINTED members, but not more than 11 APPOINTED members, appointed by the 11
county governing body from nominees submitted by the Board of Trustees. 12

(b) The APPOINTED members of the board shall be: 13

(1) Representative of the area the library serves; and 14

(2) Residents of the county that the library serves. 15

(c) (1) (I) Except as provided in subsections (d) and (e) of thi s section, [a] 16
AN APPOINTED member of a board serves for a term of 5 years and until a successor is 17
appointed and qualifies. 18

(II) [These] THE terms OF THE APPOINTED MEM BERS are 19
staggered as required by the terms of the APPOINTED members serving on the board as of 20
July 1, 1978. 21

(2) Except as provided in paragraph (4) of this subsection, [a] AN 22
APPOINTED member may be reappointed but may not serve more than two consecutive 23
terms. 24

(3) [A] AN APPOINTED member appointed to fill a vacancy in an 25
unexpired term: 26

(i) Serves only for the remainder of that term and until a successor 27
is appointed and qualifies; and 28

(ii) Is eligible for appointment to serve two additional consecutive 29
terms. 30

HOUSE BILL 586 3

(4) [A] AN APPOINTED member of the Board of the Prince George’s 1
County Memorial Library System may serve an unlimited number of consecutive terms of 2
office. 3

(d) In Charles County, [a] AN APPOINTED member of the Board serves for a term 4
of 4 years. 5

(e) In Harford County, [a] AN APPOINTED member of the Board serves for a term 6
of 5 years, beginning on July 1, and until a successor is appointed and qualifies. 7

(f) Each member of a board serves without compensation. 8

(G) (1) A BOARD MAY PROVIDE FO R THE SELECTION OF A STUDENT 9
MEMBER OF THE BOARD IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS SUBSECTION. 10

(2) A STUDENT MEMBER SHALL BE SELECTED BY A PRO CESS 11
ESTABLISHED BY THE BOARD. 12

(3) THE STUDENT MEMBER OF A BOARD SHALL: 13

(I) BE A JUNIOR OR SENIOR YEAR STUDENT ENROLLE D IN A 14
PUBLIC OR NONPUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL OR A HOME INSTRUCTION PROGRAM IN THE 15
COUNTY THAT THE LIBR ARY SERVES, WHO IS OF GOOD CHARA CTER AND , IN THE 16
CASE OF A STUDENT EN ROLLED IN A PUBLIC O R NONPUBLIC HIGH SCH OOL, IS IN 17
GOOD STANDING IN THE STUDENT’S HIGH SCHOOL; 18

(II) BE SELECTED IN THE STUD ENT’S SOPHOMORE OR JUNIO R 19
YEAR BY A METHOD ESTABLISHED BY THE BOARD; 20

(III) HAVE AN INTEREST IN LIBRARY MATTERS; AND 21

(IV) SERVE A TERM OF 1 YEAR. 22

(4) A STUDENT MEMBER SELEC TED TO FILL A VACANC Y IN AN 23
UNEXPIRED TERM: 24

(I) SERVES ONLY FOR THE R EMAINDER OF THAT TER M AND 25
UNTIL A SUCCESSOR IS SELECTED AND QUALIFIES; AND 26

(II) IS ELIGIBLE FOR SELEC TION FOR A FULL TERM IF THE 27
STUDENT MEETS THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS UNDER PARAGRAPH (3) OF THIS 28
SUBSECTION. 29

4 HOUSE BILL 586

(5) (I) SUBJECT TO SUBPARAGRAPH (II) OF THIS PARAGRAPH , A 1
STUDENT MEMBER OF A BOARD MAY VOTE ON AL L POLICY MATTERS BEF ORE THE 2
BOARD. 3

(II) A BOARD MAY ADOPT A POLICY OR BYLAW TO AUTHORIZE A 4
STUDENT MEMBER TO VO TE ON ADDITIONAL NON POLICY MATTERS BEFOR E THE 5
BOARD. 6

23–404. 7

(a) Each year, each board of library trustees: 8

(1) Shall elect one of its APPOINTED members as its [chairman] CHAIR; 9
and 10

(2) May elect any other officer it requires FROM AMONG THE APPOINTED 11
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. 12

(b) The treasurer of each board of library trustees shall be bonded adequately. 13

(c) Each board of library trustees may determine the time and place of its 14
meetings and may adopt rules for the conduct of its meetings. However: 15

(1) Each board shall meet at least once every 3 months; 16

(2) Any final action of a board shall be taken at a public meeting; and 17

(3) The minutes of board meetings shall be open to the public. 18

(d) (1) Any member of a board of library trustees who fails to attend at least 19
half of the scheduled meetings of the board during any calendar year shall be considered to 20
have resigned from the board. 21

(2) The [chairman] CHAIR of the board of library trustees shall report the 22
member’s name and nonattendance to the county governing body by January 15 of the 23
following year. 24

(3) The county governing body may reject the resignation if the member 25
explains his nonattendance satisfactorily. 26

(4) The resignation is effective from the date of the final review by the 27
county governing body, which shall be within 10 days after it receives the report from the 28
[chairman] CHAIR of the board of library trustees. The county governing body shall fill any 29
resulting vacancy as provided in § 23–403 of this subtitle. 30

HOUSE BILL 586 5

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

Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.