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EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
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*hb0825*
HOUSE BILL 825
J1, P1 6lr1508
By: Delegates Woods, Roberts, Bhandari, Coley, Cullison, Fair, Ghrist, Harrison,
Martinez, Patterson, Roberson, Sample –Hughes, Simmons, Stinnett,
Taveras, Taylor, and Toles
Introduced and read first time: February 4, 2026
Assigned to: Government, Labor, and Elections and Appropriations
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Brain Health – Guidelines, Grant Fund, and Commemorative Month 2
(Tahjai’s Law) 3
FOR the purpose of requiring the Governor annually to proclaim the month of May to be 4
Brain Health and Chronic Headache Awareness Month; requiring the proclamation 5
to align with national Go Gray in May brain tumor awareness initiatives; 6
establishing the Maryland Brain Health Grant Fund as a special, nonlapsing fund; 7
requiring the Maryland Department of Health, in collaboration with certain entities, 8
to develop guidelines on brain health evaluations; requiring the Department to 9
develop recommendations on brain health screening intervals and insurance parity; 10
and generally relating to brain health. 11
BY renumbering 12
Article – General Provisions 13
Section 7–504 through 7–507 14
to be Section 7–505 through 7–508, respectively 15
Annotated Code of Maryland 16
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 17
BY adding to 18
Article – General Provisions 19
Section 7–504 20
Annotated Code of Maryland 21
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 22
BY adding to 23
Article – Health – General 24
2 HOUSE BILL 825
Section 20–2501 and 20 –2502 to be u nder the new subtitle “Subtitle 25. Brain 1
Health”; and 24–2801 and 24–2802 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 28. 2
Maryland Brain Health Grant Fund” 3
Annotated Code of Maryland 4
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 5
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 6
That Section(s) 7–504 through 7–507 of Article – General Provisions of the Annotated Code 7
of Maryland be renumbered to be Section(s) 7–505 through 7–508, respectively. 8
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the Laws of Maryland read 9
as follows: 10
Article – General Provisions 11
7–504. 12
(A) THE GOVERNOR ANNUALLY SHALL PROCLAIM THE MONT H OF MAY AS 13
BRAIN HEALTH AND CHRONIC HEADACHE AWARENESS MONTH. 14
(B) THE PROCLAMATION SHAL L ALIGN WITH NATIONA L GO GRAY IN MAY 15
BRAIN TUMOR AWARENESS INITIATIVES. 16
Article – Health – General 17
SUBTITLE 25. BRAIN HEALTH. 18
20–2501. 19
(A) (1) THE DEPARTMENT, IN COLLABORATION WIT H HEALTH CARE 20
PRACTITIONERS, PAYORS, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDE RS, SHALL DEVELOP 21
GUIDELINES THAT PROM OTE THE INCORPORATIO N OF A RISK –BASED BRAIN 22
HEALTH EVALUATION IN TO A ROUTINE PHYSICA L EXAMINATION AND WE LLNESS 23
VISIT. 24
(2) AN EVALUATION INCLUDED IN THE GUIDELINES MAY INCLUDE: 25
(I) A NEUROLOGICAL ASSESSMENT; 26
(II) AN EVIDENCE–BASED DECISION TOOL; AND 27
(III) A REFERRAL PROTOCOL FOR NONINVASIVE IMAGING. 28
(B) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS: 29
HOUSE BILL 825 3
(1) ESTABLISHING SCREENING INTERVALS FOR BRAIN HEALTH 1
EVALUATIONS; AND 2
(2) PROMOTING INSURANCE COVERAGE PARITY FOR MEDICALLY 3
NECESSARY BRAIN HEALTH DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS. 4
20–2502. 5
ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 1 EACH YEAR BEGINNING IN 2026, THE 6
DEPARTMENT SHALL SUBM IT TO THE GOVERNOR AND , IN ACCORDANCE WITH § 7
2–1257 OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY A REPORT 8
THAT INCLUDES STATEWIDE DATA FOR THE IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING FISCAL YEAR 9
ON: 10
(1) BRAIN TUMOR AND CHRONIC HEADACHE PREVALENCE; 11
(2) EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISITS RELATED TO BR AIN TUMORS 12
AND CHRONIC HEADACHES; 13
(3) ACCESS TO DIAGNOSTIC BRAIN IMAGING; AND 14
(4) BARRIERS TO BRAIN HEALTH–RELATED CARE. 15
SUBTITLE 28. MARYLAND BRAIN HEALTH GRANT FUND. 16
24–2801. 17
(A) IN THIS SUBTITLE THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 18
INDICATED. 19
(B) “BRAIN HEALTH SERVICES ” INCLUDES PREVENTION, EVALUATION, 20
DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT, THERAPY, EDUCATION, AND SUPPORT RELATED TO: 21
(1) A BRAIN TUMOR; 22
(2) A CHRONIC HEADACHE; 23
(3) A MIGRAINE; 24
(4) TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY; 25
(5) A CEREBROVASCULAR CONDITION; AND 26
4 HOUSE BILL 825
(6) ANY OTHER NEUROLOGICAL PAIN DISORDER. 1
(C) “FUND” MEANS THE MARYLAND BRAIN HEALTH GRANT FUND. 2
24–2802. 3
(A) THERE IS A MARYLAND BRAIN HEALTH GRANT FUND. 4
(B) THE PURPOSE OF THE FUND IS TO PROVIDE GR ANTS TO NONPROFIT 5
ORGANIZATIONS, HEALTH CARE PROVIDER S, LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTM ENTS, AND 6
COMMUNITY–BASED PROGRAMS TO SU PPORT BRAIN HEALTH AWARENESS, BRAIN 7
HEALTH SCREENING, BRAIN ILLNESS PREVENTION, AND BRAIN HEALTH SERVICES. 8
(C) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ADMINISTER THE FUND. 9
(D) (1) THE FUND IS A SPECIAL , NONLAPSING FUND THAT IS NOT 10
SUBJECT TO § 7–302 OF THE STATE FINANCE AND PROCUREMENT ARTICLE. 11
(2) THE STATE TREASURER SHALL HOLD THE FUND SEPARATELY , 12
AND THE COMPTROLLER SHALL ACCOUNT FOR THE FUND. 13
(E) THE FUND CONSISTS OF: 14
(1) MONEY APPROPRIATED IN THE STATE BUDGET TO THE FUND; 15
AND 16
(2) ANY OTHER MONEY FROM ANY OTHER SOURCE ACCEPTED FOR 17
THE BENEFIT OF THE FUND. 18
(F) (1) THE FUND MAY BE USED ONLY FOR: 19
(I) PROVIDING GRANTS TO N ONPROFIT ORGANIZATIO NS, 20
HEALTH CARE PROVIDER S, LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTM ENTS, AND 21
COMMUNITY–BASED PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT: 22
1. BRAIN HEALTH AWARENESS ACTIVITIES; 23
2. BRAIN HEALTH SCREENING SERVICES; 24
3. BRAIN ILLNESS PREVENTION ACTIVITIES; AND 25
4. BRAIN HEALTH SERVICES; 26
HOUSE BILL 825 5
(II) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENS ES OF THE DEPARTMENT IN 1
ADMINISTERING THE FUND; AND 2
(III) ANY OTHER USE DETERMINED APPROPRIATE BY THE 3
DEPARTMENT AFTER THE CONSULTATI ON REQUIRED UNDER PARAGRAPH (2) OF 4
THIS SUBSECTION. 5
(2) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL CONS ULT PERIODICALLY WIT H THE 6
SOLID FOUNDATION, INC., RELEVANT CLINICAL EXPERTS, AND PATIENT ADVOCACY 7
GROUPS REGARDING THE USE OF THE FUND. 8
(G) (1) THE STATE TREASURER SHALL INVEST THE MONEY OF THE FUND 9
IN THE SAME MANNER AS OTHER STATE MONEY MAY BE INVESTED. 10
(2) ANY INTEREST EARNINGS OF THE FUND SHALL BE CREDITED TO 11
THE GENERAL FUND OF THE STATE. 12
(H) EXPENDITURES FROM THE FUND MAY BE MADE ONLY IN ACCORDANCE 13
WITH THE STATE BUDGET. 14
(I) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL: 15
(1) ESTABLISH TRANSPARENT CRITERIA FOR AWARDING GRANTS 16
FROM THE FUND; 17
(2) PRIORITIZE PROVIDING GRANTS FRO M THE FUND TO SUPPORT 18
ACTIVITIES IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES; AND 19
(3) ENSURE EQUITABLE GEOG RAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF GRANTS 20
FROM THE FUND THROUGHOUT THE STATE. 21
(J) ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 1 EACH YEAR BEGINNING IN 2026, THE 22
DEPARTMENT SH ALL SUBMIT TO THE GOVERNOR AND , IN ACCORDANCE WITH 23
§ 2–1257 OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY A 24
REPORT ON THE USE OF THE FUND DURING THE IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING FISCAL 25
YEAR. 26
SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That, for fiscal year 2 028, the 27
Governor shall include in the annual budget bill an appropriation in an amount of $500,000 28
to the Maryland Brain Health Grant Fund established under § 24 –2802 of the Health – 29
General Article, as enacted by Section 2 of this Act. 30
6 HOUSE BILL 825
SECTION 4. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That, on or before January 1, 2027, 1
the Maryland Department of Health shall submit a report to the Governor and, in 2
accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly on: 3
(1) the guidelines developed und er § 20 –2501(a) of the Health – General 4
Article, as enacted by Section 2 of this Act; and 5
(2) any recommendations developed under § 20 –2501(b) of the Health – 6
General Article, as enacted by Section 2 of this Act. 7
SECTION 5. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 8
1, 2026. 9