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*hb0900*
HOUSE BILL 900
F2 6lr2705
HB 609/25 – APP CF 6lr2709
By: Delegates Taylor, Addison, Amprey, Behler, Coley, Conaway, Crutchfield,
Davis, Fennell, Hill, Lewis, J. Long, Mireku –North, Pasteur, Phillips,
Roberson, Roberts, Ross, Ruff, Smith, Spiegel, Stinnett, Turner, Vogel,
White Holland, Woods, and Young
Introduced and read first time: February 5, 2026
Assigned to: Appropriations
Committee Report: Favorable
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 2, 2026
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Legislative Scholarship Programs – Eligibility and Use – Real Estate Appraisal 2
Program 3
FOR the purpose of exempting certain applicants for a senatorial scholarship from certain 4
examination requirements; authorizing certain uses of senatorial and Delegate 5
scholarships for applicants who plan to complete the Real Property Appraiser 6
Qualification Criteria of the Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisa l 7
Program; and generally relating to the legislative scholarship programs. 8
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 9
Article – Education 10
Section 18–402, 18–405, 18–501, 18–503, and 18–506 11
Annotated Code of Maryland 12
(2022 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 – Education 16
18–402. 17
2 HOUSE BILL 900
(a) (1) Except as provided in paragraphs (2) [and], (3), AND (4) of this 1
subsection, each applicant for a senatorial scholarship shall: 2
(i) Take a competitive examination administered by the Office; and 3
(ii) 1. Be accepted for admission in the regular undergraduate, 4
graduate, or professional program at an eligible institution; or 5
2. Be enrolled in a 2 –year terminal certificate program in 6
which the course work is acceptable for transfer credit for an accredited baccalaureate 7
program in an eligible institution. 8
(2) An applicant is exempt from the examination if the applicant: 9
(i) Is attending an eligible institution and has completed at least 1 10
year in good academic standing at the institution; 11
(ii) Graduated from high school at least 5 years before application 12
for a senatorial scholarship; 13
(iii) Is accepted for admission to a private career institution, if the 14
institution’s curriculum is approved by the Commission, and the institution is accredited 15
by a national accrediting association approved by the United States Department of 16
Education; or 17
(iv) Is planning to attend or is attending a Maryland community 18
college. 19
(3) An applicant is exempt from the requirements of paragraph (1) of this 20
subsection if the applicant is or was enrolled in a certificate or license program, course, or 21
sequence of courses at a community college that leads to certification or licensure. 22
(4) AN APPLICANT IS EXEMP T FROM THE REQUIREME NTS OF 23
PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION IF THE APPLICANT IS REGISTERED FOR OR IS 24
PLANNING TO COMPLETE THE REAL PROPERTY APPRAISER QUALIFICATION 25
CRITERIA OF THE PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF REAL ESTATE APPRAISAL 26
PROGRAM ADOPTED BY TH E APPRAISAL FOUNDATION APPRAISER 27
QUALIFICATIONS BOARD AUTHORIZED UNDE R THE FEDERAL FINANCIAL 28
INSTITUTIONS REFORM, RECOVERY, AND ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 1989. 29
(b) Each applicant shall: 30
(1) Be eligible for in–State tuition under this article; and 31
(2) At the time of the applicant’s initial application, be domiciled in the 32
legislative district from which the applicant seeks an award. 33
HOUSE BILL 900 3
(c) (1) Each applicant shall demonstrate to the Office a definite financial need, 1
and each Senator shall consider the financial need of each applicant. 2
(2) Each Senator is the final judge of the financial need of each applicant 3
to whom the Senator awards a scholarship, and the Office may not negate the Senator’s 4
judgment or impose requirements of time or procedure. 5
(d) Each applicant shall accept any other conditions attached to the award. 6
18–405. 7
(a) Except as provided in [subsection] SUBSECTIONS (B)(3) AND (d) of this 8
section, a senatorial scholarship may be used only at any community college or 9
undergraduate, graduate, or professional school in the State. 10
(b) A senatorial scholarship may be used: 11
(1) If the curriculum is approved by the Commission, at a degree gr anting 12
institution of higher education, a hospital diploma school for training registered nurses, or 13
to attend a private postsecondary proprietary institution that is accredited by a national 14
accrediting association approved by the United States Department of Education as a 15
full–time student; [and] 16
(2) For educational expenses as defined by the Office, including: 17
(i) Tuition and mandatory fees; and 18
(ii) Room and board; AND 19
(3) FOR EXPENSES TO REGIS TER FOR AND COMPLETE THE REAL 20
PROPERTY APPRAISER QUALIFICATION CRITERIA OF THE PRACTICAL 21
APPLICATIONS OF REAL ESTATE APPRAISAL PROGRAM ADOPTED BY TH E 22
APPRAISAL FOUNDATION APPRAISER QUALIFICATIONS BOARD AUTHORIZED 23
UNDER THE FEDERAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS REFORM, RECOVERY, AND 24
ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 1989. 25
(c) If on–campus housing is available, a senatorial scholarship may not be used 26
to pay for off–campus housing. 27
(d) Each Senator may award not more than 10% of the funds available under this 28
subtitle to applicants planning to attend accredited undergrad uate, graduate, or 29
professional institutions outside the State, provided the applicant: 30
4 HOUSE BILL 900
(1) Will be studying in an academic area that is not offered in a program 1
that is accredited by a national accrediting association approved by the United States 2
Department of Education in any institution in the State; 3
(2) Is a hearing impaired person who will be studying at an institution 4
outside the State that makes special provisions for hearing impaired students, and 5
comparable special provisions are not available to the applicant at an institution in the 6
State; or 7
(3) Is an active service member who is domiciled in this State. 8
18–501. 9
(a) There is a program of Delegate Scholarships in this State that are awarded 10
under this subtitle. 11
(b) A scholarship awarded under this subtitle may be used at: 12
(1) An eligible institution for a program of undergraduate, graduate, or 13
professional studies; 14
(2) An accredited undergraduate, graduate, or professional institution 15
outside the State, if the applicant: 16
(i) Will be studying in an academic area that is not offered in a 17
program that is accredited by a national accrediting association approved by the United 18
States Department of Education in any institution in this State; 19
(ii) Is disabled and will be studying at an institution outside the 20
State that makes special provisions for disabled students that are not available to the 21
applicant at an institution in the State; or 22
(iii) Is an active service member who is domiciled in this State; [and] 23
(3) A private career school within the State that is approved by the 24
Maryland Higher Education Commission under § 11 –202 of this article and that is 25
accredited by a national accrediting association that is approved by the United States 26
Department of Education; AND 27
(4) A PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF REAL ESTATE APPRAISAL 28
PROGRAM ADOPTED BY TH E APPRAISAL FOUNDATION APPRAISER 29
QUALIFICATIONS BOARD AUTHORIZED UNDE R THE FEDERAL FINANCIAL 30
INSTITUTIONS REFORM, RECOVERY, AND ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 1989. 31
(c) Money appropriated to the Commission for scholarships awarded under this 32
section that is not used by the end of the fiscal year shall be retained by the Commission 33
HOUSE BILL 900 5
for use by the awarding Delegate in the Delegate Scholarship Program during subsequent 1
fiscal years. 2
18–503. 3
(a) During each term in office, each Delegate may award the equivalent of four 4
4–year full –time scholarships, which may be awarded for either 1 –, 2 –, 3 –, or 4 –year 5
periods. 6
(b) (1) Each scholarship pays the tuition and mandatory fees at any eligible 7
institution OR EXPENSES TO REGIS TER FOR AND COMPLETE A PRACTICAL 8
APPLICATIONS OF REAL ESTATE APPRAISAL PROGRAM ADOPTED BY TH E 9
APPRAISAL FOUNDATION APPRAISER QUALIFICATIONS BOARD AUTHORIZE D 10
UNDER THE FEDERAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS REFORM, RECOVERY, AND 11
ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 1989. 12
(2) The annual amount of a scholarship at a public or private institution or 13
any graduate or professional program may not exceed the equivalent annual tuition and 14
mandatory fees of an undergraduate program at the 4 –year public institution of higher 15
education within the University System of Maryland, other than the University of 16
Maryland Global Campus and University of Maryland, Baltimore Campus, with the 17
highest annual expenses for a full–time resident undergraduate. 18
18–506. 19
(a) As an alternative to the scholarship awards authorized by §§ 18–503 through 20
18–505 of this subtitle, and subject to the provisions of subsection (b) of this section, during 21
each year in of fice each Delegate may award scholarships in a total amount equal to four 22
times the tuition and mandatory fees for a full–time undergraduate student enrolled at the 23
University of Maryland, College Park Campus for the academic year commencing in that 24
year. 25
(b) A scholarship award under subsection (a) of this section: 26
(1) May not be for an amount less than $200 or more than one –half of the 27
total amount of scholarships authorized by subsection (a) of this section for that year; 28
(2) Shall be used at an eligible institution OR A PRACTICAL 29
APPLICATIONS OF REAL ESTATE APPRAISAL PROGRAM ADOPTED BY TH E 30
APPRAISAL FOUNDATION APPRAISER QUALIFICATIONS BOARD AUTHORIZED 31
UNDER THE FEDERAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS REFORM, RECOVERY, AND 32
ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 1989; 33
(3) May be used by: 34
(i) A graduate, undergraduate, or professional student; 35
6 HOUSE BILL 900
(ii) A student at a private career school within the State that is 1
approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission under § 11 –202 of this article 2
and that is accredited by a national accrediting association that is approved by the United 3
States Department of Education; [or] 4
(iii) A student who is currently enrolled or was enrolled in the last 2 5
years in a certificate or license program, course, or sequence of courses at a community 6
college that leads to certification or licensure as reimbursement for educational expenses 7
that are defined by the Office and include tuition, mandatory fees, and room and board; 8
[and] OR 9
(IV) A STUDENT WHO IS REGIS TERED FOR OR IS PLAN NING TO 10
COMPLETE THE REAL PROPERTY APPRAISER QUALIFICATION CRITERIA OF THE 11
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF REAL ESTATE APPRAISAL PROGRAM ADOPTED BY 12
THE APPRAISAL FOUNDATION APPRAISER QUALIFICATIONS BOARD AUTHORIZED 13
UNDER THE FEDERAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS REFORM, RECOVERY, AND 14
ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 1989; AND 15
(4) To the extent it is not used by the student, shall be recredited to the 16
Delegate’s scholarship account and may be awarded in the next 12 months by that Delegate 17
to another student pursuant to this section. 18
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 19
1, 2026. 20
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.