Law Enforcement - Protective Body Armor - Requirements and Reporting

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.
*hb0904*

HOUSE BILL 904
E4 6lr2153
CF SB 516
By: Delegates Moon, Cardin, and Phillips Phillips, Nkongolo, Simmons, McComas,
Moreno, and Conaway
Introduced and read first time: February 5, 2026
Assigned to: Judiciary
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 4, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Law Enforcement – Protective Body Armor – Requirements and Reporting 2

FOR the purpose of providing that a law enforcement agency may not assign a law 3
enforcement officer to duties other than administrative duties unless the officer is 4
issued protective body armor; requiring a law enforcement agency to issue only 5
protective body armor that meets certain standards; requiring a law enforcement 6
agency to replace protective body armor before a certain date; requiring a law 7
enforcement agency to notify the Maryland Police Training and Standards 8
Commission under certain circumstances; requiring the Commission to notify the 9
Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy under certain circumstances; 10
providing that the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy may not 11
disburse certain grant funds under certain circumstances; and generally relating to 12
protective body armor. 13

BY adding to 14
Article – Public Safety 15
Section 3–535 16
Annotated Code of Maryland 17
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 18

BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 19
Article – Public Safety 20
Section 4–101(a) and (e) 21
Annotated Code of Maryland 22
2 HOUSE BILL 904

(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 1

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 2
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 3

Article – Public Safety 4

3–535. 5

(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 6
INDICATED. 7

(2) “COMMISSION” MEANS THE MARYLAND POLICE TRAINING AND 8
STANDARDS COMMISSION. 9

(3) “LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENC Y” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 10
3–201 OF THIS TITLE. 11

(4) “PROTECTIVE B ODY ARMOR ” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 12
4–101 OF THIS ARTICLE. 13

(B) (1) SUBJECT TO PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION , A LAW 14
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY MAY NOT ASSIGN A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER TO DUTIES 15
OTHER THAN ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES UNLESS THE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER 16
IS ISSUED PROTECTIVE BODY ARMOR. 17

(2) A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGEN CY MAY ISSUE ONLY PR OTECTIVE 18
BODY ARMOR TO A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER THAT: 19

(I) CONFORMS TO ALL CURR ENT NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF 20
JUSTICE BALLISTIC RESISTANCE OF BODY ARMOR STANDARDS; AND 21

(II) HAS NOT REACHED THE EXPIRATION OR SUGGES TED 22
REPLACEMENT DATE IND ICATED BY THE MANUFA CTURER OF THE PROTEC TIVE 23
BODY ARMOR. 24

(3) A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGEN CY SHALL REPLACE PRO TECTIVE 25
BODY ARMOR BEFORE TH E EXPIRATION OR SUGG ESTED REPLACEMENT DA TE 26
INDICATED BY THE MANUFACTURER. 27

(C) (1) IF A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY HAS NOT REPLA CED A LAW 28
ENFORCEMENT OFFICER’S PROTECTIVE BODY ARMOR BY THE 31ST DAY AFTER THE 29
EXPIRATION OR SUGGES TED REPLACEMENT DATE INDICATED BY THE 30
HOUSE BILL 904 3

MANUFACTURER, THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY SHALL PROMPTLY NOTIFY THE 1
COMMISSION. 2

(2) AFTER RECEIVING NOTIF ICATION UNDER PARAGR APH (1) OF 3
THIS SUBSECTION, THE COMMISSION SHALL NOTIFY THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF 4
CRIME PREVENTION AND POLICY THAT THE LAW E NFORCEMENT AGENCY HA S 5
FAILED TO REPLACE PROTECTIVE BODY ARMOR IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBSECTION 6
(B) OF THIS SECTION. 7

(3) (I) AFTER EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SUBPARAGRAPH (II) OF 8
THIS PARAGRAPH , AFTER RECEIVING NOTIFICATI ON UNDER PARAGRAPH (2) OF 9
THIS SUBSECTION, THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF CRIME PREVENTION AND POLICY 10
SHALL WITHHOLD GRANT FUNDS AVAILABLE TO T HE LAW ENFORCEMENT A GENCY 11
UNTIL THE LAW ENFORC EMENT AGENCY PROVIDE S PROOF THAT THE LAW 12
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY HAS PURCHASED OR ISSUED REPLACEMENT P ROTECTIVE 13
BODY ARMOR THAT MEET S THE REQUIREMENTS O F SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS 14
SECTION. 15

(II) THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF CRIME PREVENTION AND 16
POLICY MAY NOT WITHHO LD FROM A LAW ENFORC EMENT AGENCY UNDER 17
SUBPARAGRAPH (I) OF THIS PARAGRAPH GRANT FUNDS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNATED 18
FOR THE PURCHASE OF PROTECTIVE BODY ARMOR. 19

(4) THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF CRIME PREVENTION AND POLICY 20
MAY NOT DISBURSE GRA NT FUNDS TO A LAW EN FORCEMENT AGENCY IF IN THE 21
IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING FISCAL YEAR THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY: 22

(I) FAILED TO NOTIFY THE COMMISSION IN ACCORDANCE WITH 23
PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION; OR 24

(II) NOTIFIED THE COMMISSION ON THREE O R MORE 25
OCCASIONS UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION. 26

4–101. 27

(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 28

(e) “Protective body armor” means a vest or similar article that is: 29

(1) designed to be worn on the body to protect against blunt force trauma 30
associated with the impact of a firearm projectile; and 31

4 HOUSE BILL 904

(2) manufactured of bullet resistant fabric that conforms to National 1
Institute of Justice (NIJ) Standard 0101.03 (or the current edition) and V –50 ballistic 2
testing requirements. 3

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effec t 4
October 1, 2026. 5

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