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HB0798 • 2026

Economic Development - Small, Minority, and Women-Owned Business Accounts - Management Fees (Small Business Increased Access to Capital Act)

Economic Development - Small, Minority, and Women-Owned Business Accounts - Management Fees (Small Business Increased Access to Capital Act)

Small Business
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Delegate Wolek
Last action
2026-05-12
Official status
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 391
Effective date
2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Small Business Increased Access to Capital Act

This act allows the Department of Commerce to authorize management fees for eligible fund managers and set an annual cap on these fees.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows the Department of Commerce to permit eligible fund managers to receive a management fee based on loans made under certain sections.
  • Sets a minimum percentage of 1.5% and a maximum of 3% for the management fee, calculated from the total loan principal.
  • Permits eligible fund managers to retain these fees for administrative purposes related to lending activities.
  • Gives the Department of Commerce the authority to establish an annual cap on the cumulative amount of management fees that can be received.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Eligible fund managers who manage funds for small, minority, and women-owned businesses.
  • The Department of Commerce which oversees these eligible fund managers.

Terms To Know

eligible fund manager
An entity with significant financial or investment experience that the Department of Commerce designates to manage funds for small, minority, and women-owned businesses.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the annual cap on management fees will be determined.
  • It is unclear what happens if an eligible fund manager exceeds the set percentage or annual cap.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

173727/1

None

Favorable with Amendments { 173727/1 Adopted

Plain English: AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 798 (Third Reading File Bill) On page 2, in line 13, strike “OR IN LIEU OF”.

  • AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 798 (Third Reading File Bill) On page 2, in line 13, strike “OR IN LIEU OF”.
  • HB0798/173727/1 BY: Finance Committee

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-12 Post Passage

    Approved by the Governor - Chapter 391

  2. 2026-04-09 Senate

    Favorable with Amendments Report by Finance

  3. 2026-03-26 House

    House Concurs Senate Amendments

  4. 2026-03-26 House

    Third Reading Passed (126-6)

  5. 2026-03-26 House

    Passed Enrolled

  6. 2026-03-22 Senate

    Third Reading Passed (42-0)

  7. 2026-03-21 Senate

    Favorable with Amendments { 173727/1 Adopted

  8. 2026-03-21 Senate

    Second Reading Passed with Amendments

  9. 2026-03-10 House

    Favorable Report by Economic Matters

  10. 2026-02-28 House

    Third Reading Passed (124-9)

  11. 2026-02-28 Senate

    Referred Finance

  12. 2026-02-27 House

    Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed

  13. 2026-02-09 House

    Hearing 2/24 at 1:00 p.m.

  14. 2026-02-04 House

    First Reading Economic Matters

  15. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - First - Economic Development - Small, Minority, and Women-Owned Business Accounts - Management Fees (Small Business Increased Access to Capital Act)

  16. Maryland General Assembly

    Vote - House - Committee - Economic Matters

  17. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - Third - Economic Development - Small, Minority, and Women-Owned Business Accounts - Management Fees (Small Business Increased Access to Capital Act)

  18. Maryland General Assembly

    Vote - Senate - Committee - Finance

  19. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - Enrolled - Economic Development - Small, Minority, and Women-Owned Business Accounts - Management Fees (Small Business Increased Access to Capital Act)

  20. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - Chapter - Economic Development - Small, Minority, and Women-Owned Business Accounts - Management Fees (Small Business Increased Access to Capital Act)

Official Summary Text

Authorizing the Department of Commerce to authorize an eligible fund manager to receive, use, and retain a certain management fee; and authorizing the Department to set an annual cap on the cumulative amount of certain management fees an eligible fund manager may receive.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
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.
Italics indicate opposite chamber/conference committee amendments.
*hb0798*

HOUSE BILL 798
C8 (6lr2179)
ENROLLED BILL
— Economic Matters/Finance —
Introduced by Delegate Wolek

Read and Examined by Proofreaders:

_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.

Sealed with the Great Seal and presented to the Governor, for his approval this

_______ day of _______________ at _________________ _______ o’clock, ________M.

______________________________________________
Speaker.

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Economic Development – Small, Minority, and Women–Owned Business 2
Accounts – Management Fees 3
(Small Business Increased Access to Capital Act) 4

FOR the purpose of authorizing the Department of Commerce to authorize an eligible fund 5
manager to receive, use, and retain a certain management fee ; authorizing the 6
Department to set an annual cap on the amount of certain management fees; and 7
generally relating to management fees for eligible fund managers of Small, Minority, 8
and Women–Owned Business Accounts. 9

BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 10
Article – Economic Development 11
Section 5–1501(a) 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2024 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 14
2 HOUSE BILL 798

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 1
Article – Economic Development 2
Section 5–1501(g) 3
Annotated Code of Maryland 4
(2024 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 5

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 6
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 7

Article – Economic Development 8

5–1501. 9

(a) In this section, “eligible fund manager” means: 10

(1) an entity that has significant financial or investment experience, under 11
criteria developed by the Department; and 12

(2) includes an entity that the Department designates to manage funds 13
received under subsection (c)(1) of this section. 14

(g) (1) Subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection, an eligible fund manager 15
may use money from grants received under this section to pay expenses for administrative, 16
actuarial, legal, and technical services. 17

(2) The Department shall set the maximum amount of grant money that 18
each eligible fund manager may use under paragraph (1) of this subsection. 19

(3) (I) IN ADDITION TO OR IN LIEU OF THE AMOUNT AUTHORIZED 20
UNDER PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION, THE DEPARTMENT MAY AUTHORIZE 21
AN ELIGIBLE FUND MAN AGER TO RECEIVE A MA NAGEMENT FEE THAT IS 22
CALCULATED AS A PERCENTAGE OF EACH LOAN MADE UNDER SUBS ECTION (D) OF 23
THIS SECTION. 24

(II) THE PERCENTAGE AUTHORIZED UNDER SUBPARAGRAPH (I) 25
OF THIS PARAGRAPH MAY NOT BE LESS THAN 1.5% AND MAY NOT EXCEED 3% OF THE 26
TOTAL LOAN PRINCIPAL. 27

(III) A MANAGEMENT FEE AUTHO RIZED UNDER THIS 28
PARAGRAPH SHALL BE P AID FROM THE ACCOUNT AND MAY BE RE TAINED BY AN 29
ELIGIBLE FUND MANAGER FOR ADMINISTRATIVE PURPOSES RELATED TO LENDING 30
ACTIVITIES UNDER SUBSECTION (D) OF THIS SECTION. 31

HOUSE BILL 798 3

(4) THE DEPARTMENT MAY ESTABL ISH AN ANNUAL CAP ON THE 1
CUMULATIVE AMOUNT OF MANAGEMENT FEES AN ELIGIBLE FUND MANAGER MAY 2
RECEIVE UNDER PARAGRAPHS (2) AND (3) OF THIS SUBSECTION. 3

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 4
1, 2026. 5

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