HB0676 • 2026

Maryland Financial Empowerment Center Network Pilot Program - Establishment

Budget

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: Delegates Spiegel , Cardin , Crutchfield , Fair , Foley , Hornberger , D. Jones , Kaiser , Kaufman , Moreno , Palakovich Carr , Rogers , Schindler , Simmons , Stinnett , Terrasa , Tomlinson , Vogel , Wims , Wolek , Woods , Woorman , and Wu
Last action: 2026-02-03
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.

Maryland Financial Empowerment Center Network Pilot Program - Establishment

Establishing the Maryland Financial Empowerment Center Network Pilot Program within the Office of the Comptroller to establish a statewide network of financial empowerment centers in different regions of the State; requiring each center to provide one-on-one financial counseling and coaching services free of charge; and requiring the Governor to include in the annual budget bill for fiscal years 2028 and 2029 an appropriation to the Comptroller sufficient to cover the costs of the Pilot Program.

What This Bill Does

Establishing the Maryland Financial Empowerment Center Network Pilot Program within the Office of the Comptroller to establish a statewide network of financial empowerment centers in different regions of the State; requiring each center to provide one-on-one financial counseling and coaching services free of charge; and requiring the Governor to include in the annual budget bill for fiscal years 2028 and 2029 an appropriation to the Comptroller sufficient to cover the costs of the Pilot Program.

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

2026-02-03 House
Hearing 2/19 at 1:00 p.m.
2026-02-02 House
First Reading Ways and Means
Maryland General Assembly
Text - First - Maryland Financial Empowerment Center Network Pilot Program - Establishment

Official Summary Text

Establishing the Maryland Financial Empowerment Center Network Pilot Program within the Office of the Comptroller to establish a statewide network of financial empowerment centers in different regions of the State; requiring each center to provide one-on-one financial counseling and coaching services free of charge; and requiring the Governor to include in the annual budget bill for fiscal years 2028 and 2029 an appropriation to the Comptroller sufficient to cover the costs of the Pilot Program.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0676*

HOUSE BILL 676
O1 6lr0920
HB 801/25 – W&M CF 6lr0921
By: Delegates Spiegel, Cardin, Crutchfield, Fair, Foley, Hornberger, D. Jones,
Kaiser, Kaufman, Moreno, Palakovich Carr, Rogers, Schindler, Simmons,
Stinnett, Terrasa, Tomlinson, Vogel, Wims, Wolek, Woods, Woorman, and
Wu
Introduced and read first time: February 2, 2026
Assigned to: Ways and Means

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Maryland Financial Empowerment Center Network Pilot Program – 2
Establishment 3

FOR the purpose of establishing the Maryland Financial Empowerment Center Network 4
Pilot Program within the Office of the Comptroller; and generally relating to the 5
Maryland Financial Empowerment Center Network Pilot Program. 6

BY adding to 7
Article – Tax – General 8
Section 1 –501 through 1 –505 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 5. Maryland 9
Financial Empowerment Center Network Pilot Program” 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 – Tax – General 15

SUBTITLE 5. MARYLAND FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT CENTER NETWORK PILOT 16
PROGRAM. 17

1–501. 18

(A) IN THIS SUBTITLE THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 19
INDICATED. 20

2 HOUSE BILL 676

(B) “CENTER” MEANS A FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT CENTER ESTABLISHED 1
UNDER THE PILOT PROGRAM. 2

1–502. 5

(A) THERE IS A MARYLAND FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT CENTER NETWORK 6
PILOT PROGRAM. 7

(B) THE PURPOSE OF THE PILOT PROGRAM IS TO ESTABLISH A STATEWIDE 8
NETWORK OF FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT CENTERS IN DIFFERENT REGIONS OF THE 9
STATE. 10

1–503. 13

(A) (1) EACH CENTER SHALL PRO VIDE ONE –ON–ONE FINANCIAL 14
COUNSELING AND COACH ING SERVICES FREE OF CHARGE, INCLUDING 15
INFORMATION ON HOW TO: 16

(I) INCREASE SAVINGS; 17

(II) PAY DOWN DEBT; 18

(III) ACCESS BANKING; AND 19

(IV) IMPROVE CREDIT SCORES. 20

(2) EACH CENTER SHALL MAKE THE INFORMATION PROVIDED UNDER 21
THIS SUBSECTION AVAI LABLE IN ENGLISH, SPANISH, AND ANY OTHER LANGUA GE 22
REQUIRED BY THE OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER. 23

(B) EACH FINANC IAL COUNSELOR EMPLOY ED BY A CENTER SHALL 24
COMPLETE TRAINING TH AT MEETS OR EXCEEDS THE FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT 25
CENTER COUNSELOR TRAINING STANDARDS DEVELOPED B Y THE CITIES FOR 26
FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT FUND. 27

1–504. 28

HOUSE BILL 676 3

FOR FISCAL YEARS 2028 AND 2029, THE GOVERNOR SHALL INCLUDE IN THE 1
ANNUAL BUDGET BILL A N APPROPRIATION TO T HE COMPTROLLER IN AN AMO UNT 2
SUFFICIENT TO COVER THE COSTS OF THE PILOT PROGRAM. 3

1–505. 4

THE COMPTROLLER SHALL ADO PT REGULATIONS TO CA RRY OUT THIS 5
SUBTITLE. 6

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 7
October 1, 2026. It shall remain effective for a period of 3 years and, at the end of September 8
30, 2029, this Act, with no further action required by the General Assembly, shall be 9
abrogated and of no further force and effect. 10