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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.
*sb0215*
SENATE BILL 215
P1, L6, M2 6lr0613
(PRE–FILED)
By: Senator Simonaire
Requested: June 26, 2025
Introduced and read first time: January 14, 2026
Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment and Judicial Proceedings
Committee Report: Favorable
Senate action: Adopted
Read second time: February 25, 2026
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Veterans and Uniformed Services – Maryland Veterans Trust Fund and 2
Application of Laws 3
FOR the purpose of altering the application of certain provisions of law governing local 4
government personnel, trout stamps, and landlord remedies to apply to all uniformed 5
services; altering the composition of the Maryland Veterans Trust Fund; and 6
generally relating to veterans and the uniformed services. 7
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 8
Article – Courts and Judicial Proceedings 9
Section 3–1501(a) 10
Annotated Code of Maryland 11
(2020 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 12
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 13
Article – Courts and Judicial Proceedings 14
Section 3–1501(h) 15
Annotated Code of Maryland 16
(2020 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 17
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 18
Article – Education 19
Section 7–206.1(a) 20
Annotated Code of Maryland 21
2 SENATE BILL 215
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 1
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 2
Article – Family Law 3
Section 4–501(a) 4
Annotated Code of Maryland 5
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 6
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 7
Article – Family Law 8
Section 4–501(m) 9
Annotated Code of Maryland 10
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 11
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 12
Article – Local Government 13
Section 1–204(c) 14
Annotated Code of Maryland 15
(2013 Volume and 2025 Supplement) 16
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 17
Article – Natural Resources 18
Section 4–614(a)(1) 19
Annotated Code of Maryland 20
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 21
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 22
Article – Natural Resources 23
Section 4–614(a)(3)(iii) 24
Annotated Code of Maryland 25
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 26
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 27
Article – Real Property 28
Section 1–101(a) 29
Annotated Code of Maryland 30
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 31
BY adding to 32
Article – Real Property 33
Section 1–101(a–1) 34
Annotated Code of Maryland 35
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 36
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 37
Article – Real Property 38
Section 8–212.1(a) and 8–402(b)(1)(iii)1. 39
SENATE BILL 215 3
Annotated Code of Maryland 1
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 2
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 3
Article – State Government 4
Section 9–901(a) and 9–913(a) 5
Annotated Code of Maryland 6
(2021 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 7
BY adding to 8
Article – State Government 9
Section 9–901(g–1) 10
Annotated Code of Maryland 11
(2021 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 12
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 13
Article – State Government 14
Section 9–913(d)(2)(iii) 15
Annotated Code of Maryland 16
(2021 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 17
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 18
Article – Transportation 19
Section 8–657(a)(1) 20
Annotated Code of Maryland 21
(2020 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 22
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 23
Article – Transportation 24
Section 8–657(a)(2) 25
Annotated Code of Maryland 26
(2020 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 27
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 28
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 29
Article – Courts and Judicial Proceedings 30
3–1501. 31
(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 32
(h) “Military protection order” [means a protection order issued in accordance 33
with 10 U.S.C. § 1567 by a commanding officer against a person under the officer’s 34
command in: 35
(1) Any branch of the uniformed services of the United States; 36
4 SENATE BILL 215
(2) The Maryland National Guard; or 1
(3) The national guard of any other state] HAS THE MEANING STATED IN 2
§ 9–901 OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE. 3
Article – Education 4
7–206.1. 5
(a) An individual honorably discharged from military service may apply to obtain 6
a high school diploma if the individual withdrew from a regular full–time public or private 7
high school accredited by the State Board to enlist in the armed forces [of the United States] 8
during: 9
(1) World War II; 10
(2) The Korean Conflict; or 11
(3) The Vietnam Conflict. 12
Article – Family Law 13
4–501. 14
(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 15
(m) “Military protection order” [means a protection ord er issued in accordance 16
with 10 U.S.C. § 1567 by a commanding officer against a person under such officer’s 17
command in: 18
(1) any branch of the uniformed services of the United States; 19
(2) the Maryland National Guard; or 20
(3) the national guard of any other state] HAS THE MEANING STATED IN 21
§ 9–901 OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE. 22
Article – Local Government 23
1–204. 24
(c) The following applicants are ineligible for a credit under this subsection: 25
(1) a current employee of a county or municipality; and 26
SENATE BILL 215 5
(2) an eligible veteran who is convicted of a crime after being discharged 1
from or completing [military] service IN THE UNIFORMED SERVICES. 2
Article – Natural Resources 3
4–614. 4
(a) (1) The Department shall adopt regulations to establish fishing ar eas 5
where a trout stamp is required. 6
(3) A trout stamp is not required of the following: 7
(iii) Any resident serving in the [armed forces of the United States ] 8
UNIFORMED SERVICES while on leave in the State, during the resident’s leave period, if, 9
while angling, the resident possesses a copy of the resident’s official leave order; or 10
Article – Real Property 11
1–101. 12
(a) In this article the following words have the meanings indicated unless 13
otherwise apparent from context. 14
(A–1) “ACTIVE SERVICE MEMBER” HAS THE MEANING STATED I N § 9–901 OF 15
THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE. 16
8–212.1. 17
(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 18
(2) “Active duty” has the meaning stated in § 9 –901 of the State 19
Government Article. 20
(3) [“Active service member” means “service member” as defined in § 21
9–901 of the State Government Article. 22
(4)] “Change of assignment” includes: 23
(i) Permanent change of station orders; 24
(ii) Temporary duty orders for a period exceeding 90 days; 25
(iii) Orders requiring a person to move into quarters located on a 26
military installation; and 27
(iv) A release from active duty, including: 28
6 SENATE BILL 215
1. Retirement; 1
2. Separation or discharge under honorable conditions; and 2
3. Demobilization of an activated member of a reserve 3
component who was serving on active duty orders for at least 180 consecutive days. 4
[(5)] (4) “Reserve component” has the meaning stated in § 9 –901 of the 5
State Government Article. 6
8–402. 7
(b) (1) (iii) 1. This subparagraph applies only if the landlord or the 8
landlord’s spouse: 9
A. Is [on active duty with the United States military ] AN 10
ACTIVE SERVICE MEMBER; 11
B. Has relocated to the State as a direct result of being [on 12
active duty with the United States military] AN ACTIVE SERVICE MEMBER; 13
C. Intends to occupy the property that is the subject of a 14
complaint under this section following the entry of a judgment under this section; and 15
D. Submits documentation supporting the requirements of 16
this subparagraph with the complaint. 17
Article – State Government 18
9–901. 19
(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 20
(G–1) “MILITARY PROTECTION ORDER” MEANS A PROTECTION ORDER ISSUED 21
IN ACCORDANCE WITH 10 U.S.C. § 1567 BY A C OMMANDING OFFICER AG AINST A 22
PERSON UNDER THE OFFICER’S COMMAND IN: 23
(1) ANY BRANCH OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES; 24
(2) THE MARYLAND NATIONAL GUARD; OR 25
(3) THE NATIONAL GUARD OF ANY OTHER STATE. 26
9–913. 27
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(a) In this section, “Fund” means the Maryland Veterans Trust Fund. 1
(d) The Fund consists of: 2
(2) contributions to the Fund from: 3
(iii) the designated fees from special registration plates for recipients 4
of an individually earned, combat –related armed forces medal OR A 5
NON–COMBAT–RELATED UNIF ORMED SERVICES MEDAL OF THE HIGHEST LEVEL S 6
under § 13–619.1 of the Transportation Article; and 7
Article – Transportation 8
8–657. 9
(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 10
(2) “Federal facility” includes: 11
(i) An insta llation of the [armed forces of the United States ] 12
UNIFORMED SERVICES; and 13
(ii) Any property owned or leased by an agency of the United States. 14
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 15
October 1, 2026. 16
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.