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EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb1121*
HOUSE BILL 1121
J2, J1, J5 6lr2667
CF SB 892
By: Delegates Bagnall and D. Jones
Introduced and read first time: February 11, 2026
Assigned to: Health
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Public Health – Perimenopausal, Menopausal, and Postmenopausal Conditions 2
FOR the purpose of altering the membership of the State Advisory Council on Health and 3
Wellness; requiring certain health occupations boards that require a licensee or 4
certificate holder to complete continuing education requirements as a condition of 5
renewal to grant at least a certain amount of continuing education credits for 6
completing continuing education on perimenopausal, menopausal, and 7
postmenopausal evaluation and treatment; requiring the Maryland Health Care 8
Commission, the Maryland Commission for Women, and the Maryland Department 9
of Health to take certain actions related to perimenopausal, menopausal, and 10
postmenopausal conditions; and generally relating to perimenopausal, menopausal, 11
and postmenopausal conditions. 12
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 13
Article – Health – General 14
Section 13–201 15
Annotated Code of Maryland 16
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 17
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 18
Article – Health – General 19
Section 13–203 20
Annotated Code of Maryland 21
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 22
BY adding to 23
Article – Health Occupations 24
Section 1–231 25
Annotated Code of Maryland 26
(2021 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 27
2 HOUSE BILL 1121
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 1
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 2
Article – Health – General 3
13–201. 4
In this subtitle, “Advisory Council” means the State Advisory Council on Health and 5
Wellness. 6
13–203. 7
(a) The Advisory Council consists of [34] voting members appointed by the 8
Secretary. 9
(b) The following members shall serve without term limits: 10
(1) The Secretary [of Health], or the Secretary’s designee; 11
(2) The State Superintendent of Schools , or the State Superintendent’s 12
designee; 13
(3) The Secretary of Aging, or the Secretary’s designee; 14
(4) The Secretary of Disabilities, or the Secretary’s designee; 15
(5) A representative of the Maryland Office of Minority Health and Health 16
Disparities; [and] 17
(6) A representative of the Maryland Association of County Health 18
Officers; AND 19
(7) THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE MARYLAND COMMISSION 20
FOR WOMEN, OR THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S DESIGNEE. 21
(c) The following members are subject to term limits: 22
(1) One representative of the American Heart Association Mid –Atlantic, 23
Inc., nominated by the Executive Director of the Association; 24
(2) One representative of the Arthritis Foundation, Mid –Atlantic Region, 25
Maryland, nominated by the Executive Director of the Foundation; 26
(3) One representative of the American Diabetes Association, Maryland 27
Chapter, nominated by the Executive Director of the Association; 28
HOUSE BILL 1121 3
(4) One representative of Johns Hopkins Medicine, nominated by the Chief 1
Executive Officer of Johns Hopkins Medicine; 2
(5) One representative of MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society, 3
nominated by the Executive Director of MedChi; 4
(6) One representative of the University of Maryland Medical Center and 5
University of Maryland School of Medicine, nominated by the Chief Executive Officer of the 6
Medical Center and the Dean of the School of Medicine; 7
(7) One representative of the Maryland Chapter of the American Academy 8
of Pediatrics, nominated by the Executive Director of the Chapter; 9
(8) One representative of the Maryland Nurses Association, nominated by 10
the Executive Director of the Association; 11
(9) One representative of the Maryland A cademy of Nutrition and 12
Dietetics, nominated by the President of the Academy; 13
(10) One representative of the Maryland Chapter of the American College of 14
Emergency Physicians, nominated by the President of the Chapter; [and] 15
(11) ONE REPRESENTATIVE WI TH EXPERTISE IN PERI MENOPAUSAL, 16
MENOPAUSAL, AND POSTMENOPAUSAL EVALUATION AND TREATMENT; AND 17
(12) [Eighteen] SEVENTEEN members of the public, who may include: 18
(i) Individuals with a chronic disease or family members of an 19
individual with a chronic disease; 20
(ii) Licensed health care providers; 21
(iii) Individuals with a physical fitness background; 22
(iv) Employers or representatives of the business sector; 23
(v) Representatives of health insurers; 24
(vi) Representatives of community–based organizations; and 25
(vii) Individuals with expressed interest in health and wellness. 26
(d) (1) This subsection applies to members who are subject to term limits. 27
(2) The term of a member is 4 years. 28
4 HOUSE BILL 1121
(3) The terms of members are staggered as required by the terms provided 1
for members of the Advisory Council on October 1, 2017. 2
(4) A member may serve two consecutive full terms. 3
(5) At the end of a term, a member continues to serve until a successor is 4
appointed and qualifies. 5
(6) A member who is appointed after a term has begun serves only for the 6
rest of the term and until a successor is appointed and qualifies. 7
(7) A member who serves two consecutive full 4 –year terms may not be 8
reappointed for 4 years after the completion of those terms. 9
(e) If a vacancy occurs, the Secretary promptly shall appoint a successor. 10
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the Laws of Maryland read 11
as follows: 12
Article – Health Occupations 13
1–231. 14
(A) THIS SUBTITLE DOES NOT APPLY TO A LICENSE OR CERTIFICATE ISSUED 15
BY A HEALTH OCCUPATIONS BOARD UNDER TITLE 7, 9, 20, OR 21 OF THIS ARTICLE. 16
(B) (1) SUBJECT TO PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION, EACH HEALTH 17
OCCUPATIONS BOARD TH AT REQUIRES A LICENSEE OR CERTIFICATE HOLDE R TO 18
COMPLETE CONTINUING EDUCATION AS A CONDITION OF THE RENEWAL OF THE 19
LICENSE OR CERTIFICA TE SHALL GRANT AT LEAST 2 HOURS OF CONTINUING 20
EDUCATION CREDITS FO R EVERY HOUR OF CONT INUING EDUCATION ON 21
PERIMENOPAUSAL, MENOPAUSAL, AND POSTMENOPAUSAL E VALUATION AND 22
TREATMENT THAT THE LICENSEE OR CERTIFICATE HOLDER COMPLETES. 23
(2) A HEALTH OCCUPATIONS B OARD MAY ESTABLISH A MAXIMUM 24
NUMBER OF CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS TH AT MAY BE GRANTED UN DER 25
PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION. 26
SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That th e Maryland Health Care 27
Commission shall: 28
(1) in consultation with the Maryland Department of Health, the Maryland 29
Insurance Administration, and the Maryland Commission for Women, evaluate coverage 30
and barriers to coverage of the evaluation and treatment of perimenopausal, menopausal, 31
and postmenopausal conditions, including coverage of hormone replacement therapy and 32
preauthorization and step–therapy requirements; and 33
HOUSE BILL 1121 5
(2) on or before December 1, 2026, shall report its findings and 1
recommendations to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Health Committee, in 2
accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article. 3
SECTION 4. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the Maryland Commission for 4
Women shall: 5
(1) evaluate opportunities for State policy i nitiatives that improve the 6
health and economic security of individuals in the State with perimenopausal, menopausal, 7
and postmenopausal conditions; and 8
(2) on or before October 1, 2027, report its findings and recommendations 9
to the General Assembly, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article. 10
SECTION 5. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the Maryland Department of 11
Health shall: 12
(1) in consultation with the State Community Health Worker Advisory 13
Committee, evaluate and develop an action plan to increase access to perimenopausal, 14
menopausal, and postmenopausal health care services through the outreach of community 15
health workers to consumers; and 16
(2) on or before October 1, 2027, submit its evaluation and recommended 17
action plan to the General Assembly, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government 18
Article. 19
SECTION 6. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the Maryland Department 20
of Health shall: 21
(1) in consultation with health care provider professional associations and 22
institutions of higher education , including community colleges, evaluate methods for 23
increasing opportunities for clinical education , including postgraduate education , on 24
perimenopausal, menopausal, and postmenopausal evaluation and treatment; and 25
(2) on or before October 1, 2027, report its findings and recommendations 26
to the General Assembly, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article. 27
SECTION 7. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That Section 2 of this Act shall take 28
effect October 1, 2026. 29
SECTION 8. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That, except as provided in Section 30
7 of this Act, this Act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 31