Home Detention Monitoring Agencies - Promotion and Solicitation of Business - Prohibition

Crime Labor

Enacted

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

Sponsor: Chair, Judiciary Committee (By Request - Maryland Judicial Conference )
Last action: 2026-05-12
Official status: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 477
Effective date: 2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

No Business Promotion in Courts and Prisons

This law stops people from promoting or asking for business for home detention monitoring companies inside courthouses and correctional facilities.

What This Bill Does

It makes it illegal for anyone working at a courthouse, prison, or as an agent of a private home detention company to promote their services in these places.
It bans activities like approaching people to use specific home detention services, handing out advertisements, or wearing items that advertise such services.
Violators can be fined up to $2,500 for the first offense and up to $5,000 for subsequent offenses.
If someone is licensed by the state and violates this law, they might lose their license for 30 days after the first offense or 90 days after a second offense.

Who It Names or Affects

People working at courthouses
Employees of correctional facilities
Agents of private home detention monitoring agencies

Terms To Know

Private Home Detention Monitoring Agency: A company that monitors people who are under house arrest or similar conditions.
Agent: Someone who works for a private home detention monitoring agency and acts on its behalf.

Limits and Unknowns

The law does not specify what happens to unlicensed violators beyond fines.
It is unclear how strictly this law will be enforced or monitored in practice.

Amendments

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

723823/1

None

Favorable with Amendments { 723823/1 Adopted

Plain English: AMENDMENTS TO HOUSE BILL 899 (First Reading File Bill) AMENDMENT NO.

AMENDMENTS TO HOUSE BILL 899 (First Reading File Bill) AMENDMENT NO.
1 On page 1, in line 4, strike “a private home detention monitoring agency,”; in line 10, strike “Business Occupations and Professions” and substitute “Criminal Procedure”; in line 11, strike “20 –702” and substitute “ 5–210.1”; in line 13, strike “2018” and substitute “2025”; and in the same line, strike “and 2025 Supplement”.
AMENDMENT NO.
2 On page 1, in line 16, strike “ Business Occupations and Professions ” and substitute “ Criminal Procedure ”; in line 17, strike “ 20–702.” and substitute “ 5– 210.1.”; strike beginning with ““AGENT”” in line 18 down through “AGENCY” in line 20 and substitute ““PRIVATE HOME DETENTI ON MONITORING AGENCY ” HAS THE MEANING STATED IN § 20–101 OF THE BUSINESS OCCUPATIONS AND PROFESSIONS ARTICLE”; and strike beginning with the second “ A” in line 21 down through “AGENCY,” in line 22.

Bill History

2026-05-12 Post Passage
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 477
2026-04-06 Senate
Favorable Report by Judicial Proceedings
2026-03-23 House
Returned Passed
2026-03-20 Senate
Third Reading Passed (43-0)
2026-03-18 Senate
Favorable Adopted
2026-03-18 Senate
Second Reading Passed
2026-03-02 House
Favorable with Amendments Report by Judiciary
2026-02-23 House
Third Reading Passed (128-0)
2026-02-22 House
Favorable with Amendments { 723823/1 Adopted
2026-02-22 House
Second Reading Passed with Amendments
2026-02-22 Senate
Referred Judicial Proceedings
2026-02-05 House
Hearing 2/19 at 1:00 p.m.
2026-02-04 House
First Reading Judiciary
Maryland General Assembly
Text - First - Home Detention Monitoring Agencies - Promotion and Solicitation of Business - Prohibition
Maryland General Assembly
Vote - House - Committee - Judiciary
Maryland General Assembly
Text - Third - Home Detention Monitoring Agencies - Promotion and Solicitation of Business - Prohibition
Maryland General Assembly
Vote - Senate - Committee - Judicial Proceedings
Maryland General Assembly
Text - Chapter - Home Detention Monitoring Agencies - Promotion and Solicitation of Business - Prohibition

Official Summary Text

Prohibiting an agent of a private home detention monitoring agency, an employee of a courthouse, or an employee of a correctional facility from engaging in certain activities promoting or otherwise soliciting business for a private home detention monitoring agency on the grounds of a courthouse or correctional facility.

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.
*hb0899*

HOUSE BILL 899
C3 6lr2568
CF SB 540
By: Chair, Judiciary Committee (By Request – Maryland Judicial Conference)
Introduced and read first time: February 4, 2026
Assigned to: Judiciary
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: February 22, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Home Detention Monitoring Agencies – Promotion and Solicitation of Business 2
– Prohibition 3

FOR the purpose of prohibiting a private home detention monitoring agency, an agent of a 4
private home detention monitoring agency, an employee of a courthouse, or an 5
employee of a correctional facility from performing certain acts on the gro unds of a 6
courthouse or correctional facility; and generally relating to the promotion of and 7
solicitation of business for private home detention monitoring agencies. 8

BY adding to 9
Article – Business Occupations and Professions Criminal Procedure 10
Section 20–702 5–210.1 11
Annotated Code of Maryland 12
(2018 2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 13

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 14
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 15

Article – Business Occupations and Professions Criminal Procedure 16

20–702. 5–210.1. 17

(A) IN THIS SECTION , “AGENT” MEANS A PERSON THAT ACTS OR IS 18
AUTHORIZED TO ACT AS THE REPRESENTATIVE O F A PRIVATE HOME DET ENTION 19
MONITORING AGENCY “PRIVATE HOME DETENTION MONITORING AGENCY” HAS THE 20
2 HOUSE BILL 899

MEANING STATED IN § 20–101 OF THE BUSINESS OCCUPATIONS AND PROFESSIONS 1
ARTICLE. 2

(B) ON THE GROUNDS OF A C OURTHOUSE OR CORRECTIONAL FACILITY, A 3
PRIVATE HOME DETENTION MONITORING AGENCY, AN AGENT OF A PRIVAT E HOME 4
DETENTION MONITORING AGENCY, AN EMPLOYEE OF THE C OURTHOUSE, OR AN 5
EMPLOYEE OF A CORRECTIONAL FACILITY MAY NOT: 6

(1) APPROACH, ENTICE, OR INVITE A PERSON T O USE THE SERVICES 7
OF A SPECIFIC PRIVATE HOME DETENTION MONITORING AGENCY; 8

(2) DISTRIBUTE, DISPLAY, OR WEAR AN ITEM THAT ADVERTISES THE 9
SERVICES OF A PRIVATE HOME DETENTION MONITORING AGENCY; OR 10

(3) OTHERWISE SOLICIT BUSINESS FOR A PRIVATE HOME DETENTION 11
MONITORING AGENCY. 12

(C) A PERSON WHO VIOLATES SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION IS GUILTY 13
OF A MISDEMEANOR AND ON CONVICTION IS SUBJECT TO: 14

(1) A FINE NOT EXCEEDING $2,500 AND, IF LICENSED IN 15
ACCORDANCE WITH THIS TITLE TITLE 20 OF THE BUSINESS OCCUPATIONS AND 16
PROFESSIONS ARTICLE, A 30–DAY LICENSE SUSPENSI ON FOR A FIRST OFFEN SE; 17
AND 18

(2) A FINE NOT EXCEEDING $5,000 AND, IF LICENSED IN 19
ACCORDANCE WITH THIS TITLE TITLE 20 OF THE BUSINESS OCCUPATIONS AND 20
PROFESSIONS ARTICLE, A 90–DAY LICENSE SUSPENSI ON FOR A SUBSEQUENT 21
OFFENSE. 22

(D) A PERSON LICENSED IN A CCORDANCE WITH THIS TITLE TITLE 20 OF 23
THE BUSINESS OCCUPATIONS AND PROFESSIONS ARTICLE THAT IS CONVICTED OF 24
A VIOLATION OF THIS SECTION SHALL BE REF ERRED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF 25
PUBLIC SAFETY AND CORRECTIONAL SERVICES FOR APPROPRIATE ACTION. 26

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 27
October 1, 2026. 28