HB0679 • 2026

Health Occupations - Cross-Sex Hormone Therapy for Minors

Children

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: Delegates Arikan , Adams , Anderson , Beauchamp , Chisholm , Fisher , Grammer , Kipke , M. Morgan , Nawrocki , Sample-Hughes , and Szeliga
Last action: 2026-02-05
Official status: In the House - Hearing 2/18 at 1:30 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.

Health Occupations - Cross-Sex Hormone Therapy for Minors

Prohibiting a licensed health care practitioner from prescribing, dispensing, or administering a cross-sex hormone or otherwise providing cross-sex hormone therapy for the treatment of a mental health diagnoses associated with gender nonconformity, including gender dysphoria, to an individual who is a minor.

What This Bill Does

Prohibiting a licensed health care practitioner from prescribing, dispensing, or administering a cross-sex hormone or otherwise providing cross-sex hormone therapy for the treatment of a mental health diagnoses associated with gender nonconformity, including gender dysphoria, to an individual who is a minor.

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

2026-02-05 House
Hearing canceled
2026-02-05 House
Hearing 2/18 at 1:30 p.m.
2026-02-04 House
Hearing 2/18 at 1:00 p.m.
2026-02-02 House
First Reading Health
Maryland General Assembly
Text - First - Health Occupations - Cross-Sex Hormone Therapy for Minors

Official Summary Text

Prohibiting a licensed health care practitioner from prescribing, dispensing, or administering a cross-sex hormone or otherwise providing cross-sex hormone therapy for the treatment of a mental health diagnoses associated with gender nonconformity, including gender dysphoria, to an individual who is a minor.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0679*

HOUSE BILL 679
J2 6lr1808
HB 1399/25 – HGO
By: Delegates Arikan, Adams, Anderson, Beauchamp, Chisholm, Fisher,
Grammer, Kipke, M. Morgan, Nawrocki, Sample–Hughes, and Szeliga
Introduced and read first time: February 2, 2026
Assigned to: Health

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Health Occupations – Cross–Sex Hormone Therapy for Minors 2

FOR the purpose of prohibiting a licensed health care practitioner from prescribing, 3
dispensing, or administering a cross–sex hormone or otherwise providing cross –sex 4
hormone therapy for the treatment of certain mental health diagnoses to an 5
individual who is a minor; and generally relating to cross–sex hormone therapy. 6

BY adding to 7
Article – Health Occupations 8
Section 1–212.2 9
Annotated Code of Maryland 10
(2021 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 11

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13

Article – Health Occupations 14

1–212.2. 15

(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 16
INDICATED. 17

(2) “CROSS–SEX HORMONE ” MEANS A PRESCRIPTION HORMONE, 18
INCLUDING ESTROGEN AND TESTOSTERONE, OR HORMONE BLOCKER, INCLUDING A 19
TESTOSTERONE BLOCKER. 20

(3) “CROSS–SEX HORMONE THERAPY” MEANS A TREATMENT USED TO 21
DEVELOP SECONDARY SEX CHARACTERISTICS FOR AN INDIVIDUAL TRANSITIONING 22
2 HOUSE BILL 679

FROM THE INDIVIDUAL ’S ASSIGNED SEX AT BI RTH TO THE INDIVIDUA L’S 1
EXPERIENCED OR EXPRESSED GENDER. 2

(B) A HEALTH CARE PRACTITI ONER LICENSED UNDER THIS ARTICLE MAY 3
NOT PRESCRIBE, DISPENSE, OR ADMINISTER CROSS–SEX HORMONES OR OTHERWISE 4
PROVIDE CROSS –SEX HORMONE THERAPY FOR THE PURPOSES OF TREATING A 5
MENTAL HEALTH DIAGNO SIS ASSOCIATED WITH GENDER NONCONFORMITY , 6
INCLUDING GENDER DYSPHORIA, TO AN INDIVIDUAL WHO IS A MINOR. 7

(C) A PERSON THAT VIOLATES THIS SECTION IS GUIL TY OF A FELONY AND 8
ON CONVICTION IS SUBJECT TO IMPRISONMENT NOT EXCEEDING LIFE. 9

(D) THE DEPARTMENT MAY ADOPT REGULATIONS TO CARRY OUT THIS 10
SECTION. 11

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 12
October 1, 2026. 13