HB1245 • 2026

Baltimore First Responders Child Care Support and Accessibility Program - Establishment

Budget Children Education

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Delegate Edelson
Last action: 2026-03-11
Official status: In the House - Hearing 3/11 at 1:45 p.m.
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Baltimore First Responders Child Care Support and Accessibility Program - Establishment

Establishing the Baltimore First Responders Child Care Support and Accessibility Program within the State Department of Education's Office of Child Care to support and expand a pilot program in Baltimore City that provides monthly child care allowances to first responders to access quality child care that aligns with the demands of a career in public safety; requiring the Governor to include in the annual budget bill an appropriation of $600,000 to the Program in fiscal year 2028 and each fiscal year thereafter; etc.

What This Bill Does

Establishing the Baltimore First Responders Child Care Support and Accessibility Program within the State Department of Education's Office of Child Care to support and expand a pilot program in Baltimore City that provides monthly child care allowances to first responders to access quality child care that aligns with the demands of a career in public safety; requiring the Governor to include in the annual budget bill an appropriation of $600,000 to the Program in fiscal year 2028 and each fiscal year thereafter; etc.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-03-11 House
Hearing canceled
2026-03-11 House
Hearing 3/11 at 1:30 p.m.
2026-03-11 House
Hearing canceled
2026-03-11 House
Hearing 3/11 at 1:45 p.m.
2026-02-16 House
Hearing 3/11 at 1:00 p.m.
2026-02-11 House
First Reading Ways and Means
Maryland General Assembly
Text - First - Baltimore First Responders Child Care Support and Accessibility Program - Establishment

Official Summary Text

Establishing the Baltimore First Responders Child Care Support and Accessibility Program within the State Department of Education's Office of Child Care to support and expand a pilot program in Baltimore City that provides monthly child care allowances to first responders to access quality child care that aligns with the demands of a career in public safety; requiring the Governor to include in the annual budget bill an appropriation of $600,000 to the Program in fiscal year 2028 and each fiscal year thereafter; etc.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb1245*

HOUSE BILL 1245
F5, O4, E4 6lr1976

By: Delegate Edelson
Introduced and read first time: February 11, 2026
Assigned to: Ways and Means

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Baltimore First Responders Child Care Support and Accessibility Program – 2
Establishment 3

FOR the purpose of establishing the Baltimore First Responders Child Care Support and 4
Accessibility Program within the State Department of Education’s Office of Child 5
Care to support and expand a pilot program in Baltimore City that provides monthly 6
child care allowances to first responders; and generally relating to the Baltimore 7
First Responders Child Care Support and Accessibility Program. 8

BY adding to 9
Article – Education 10
Section 9.5–909 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

9.5–909. 17

(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 18
INDICATED. 19

(2) “FIRST RESPONDER” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 1–301 OF 20
THE PUBLIC SAFETY ARTICLE. 21

(3) “PROGRAM” MEANS THE BALTIMORE FIRST RESPONDERS CHILD 22
CARE SUPPORT AND ACCESSIBILITY PROGRAM. 23
2 HOUSE BILL 1245

(B) (1) THERE IS A BALTIMORE FIRST RESPONDERS CHILD CARE 1
SUPPORT AND ACCESSIBILITY PROGRAM. 2

(2) THE PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM IS TO SUPPORT AND EXPAND A 3
PILOT PROGRAM IN BALTIMORE CITY THAT PROVIDES MO NTHLY CHILD CARE 4
ALLOWANCES TO FIRST RESPONDE RS TO ACCESS QUALITY CHILD CARE THAT 5
ALIGNS WITH THE DEMANDS OF A CAREER IN PUBLIC SAFETY. 6

(3) THE OFFICE SHALL ADMINIST ER THE PROGRAM IN 7
CONSULTATION WITH: 8

(I) THE BALTIMORE POLICE DEPARTMENT; 9

(II) THE BALTIMORE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT, INCLUDING 10
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES PERSONNEL; AND 11

(III) ANY NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION PARTNERS. 12

(C) (1) FOR FISCAL YEAR 2028 AND EACH FISCAL YEAR THEREAFTER, 13
THE GOVERNOR SHALL INCLUDE IN THE ANNUAL BUDGET BILL AN APPROPRIATION 14
OF $600,000 TO THE PROGRAM. 15

(2) THE FUNDS SHALL BE US ED TO PROVIDE CHILD CARE 16
ALLOWANCES TO FIRST RESPONDERS IN BALTIMORE CITY TO: 17

(I) SUPPORT DEPENDENT CHI LDREN IN EARLY CHILD HOOD 18
DEVELOPMENT; 19

(II) RECRUIT AND RETAIN FIRST RESPONDERS; AND 20

(III) PROMOTE PUBLIC SAFETY. 21

(D) ON OR BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1, 2028, AND EACH SEPTEMBER 1 22
THEREAFTER, THE OFFICE SHALL REPORT T O THE GOVERNOR AND , IN 23
ACCORDANCE WITH § 2–1257 OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE, THE GENERAL 24
ASSEMBLY ON THE PROGRAM, ON: 25

(1) THE NUMBER OF FIRST RESPONDERS WHO RECEIVED A CHILD 26
CARE ALLOWANCE UNDER THE PROGRAM DURING THE IM MEDIATELY PRECEDING 27
FISCAL YEAR DISAGGREGATED BY LOCAL PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCY THAT PROVIDES 28
EMERGENCY RESPONSE SERVICES; 29

HOUSE BILL 1245 3

(2) THE NUMBER OF CHILDRE N SERVED DURING THE IMMEDIATELY 1
PRECEDING FISCAL YEAR; 2

(3) IMPACTS ON FIRST RESP ONDER RECRUITMENT AN D RETENTION 3
AND PUBLIC SAFETY, INCLUDING ATTENDANCE, RELIABILITY, AND WELLNESS; AND 4

(4) ANY OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION. 5

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 6
1, 2026. 7