SB0304 • 2026

Collisions With Wild Animals - Prohibited Actions by Insurer

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: Senators Bailey , Carozza , Feldman , Gallion , Guzzone , Hettleman , King , Lewis Young , Love , Ready , Salling , and West
Last action: 2026-01-21
Official status: In the Senate - Hearing 2/04 at 1:00 p.m.
Effective date: 2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

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

Collisions With Wild Animals - Prohibited Actions by Insurer

Prohibiting an insurer, with respect to private passenger motor vehicle insurance, from increasing a premium, adding a surcharge, or removing, altering, or refusing to consider a discount based on accidents or losses caused by a collision with a free-roaming wild animal and for which the insured was not at fault for the loss.

What This Bill Does

Prohibiting an insurer, with respect to private passenger motor vehicle insurance, from increasing a premium, adding a surcharge, or removing, altering, or refusing to consider a discount based on accidents or losses caused by a collision with a free-roaming wild animal and for which the insured was not at fault for the loss.

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

2026-01-21 Senate
First Reading Finance
2026-01-21 Senate
Hearing 2/04 at 1:00 p.m.
Maryland General Assembly
Text - First - Collisions With Wild Animals - Prohibited Actions by Insurer

Official Summary Text

Prohibiting an insurer, with respect to private passenger motor vehicle insurance, from increasing a premium, adding a surcharge, or removing, altering, or refusing to consider a discount based on accidents or losses caused by a collision with a free-roaming wild animal and for which the insured was not at fault for the loss.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*sb0304*

SENATE BILL 304
C4 6lr1050
SB 551/25 – FIN
By: Senators Bailey, Carozza, Feldman, Gallion, Guzzone, Hettleman, King,
Lewis Young, Love, Ready, Salling, and West
Introduced and read first time: January 21, 2026
Assigned to: Finance

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Collisions With Wild Animals – Prohibited Actions by Insurer 2

FOR the purpose of prohibiting an insurer, with respect to private passenger motor vehicle 3
insurance, from increasing a premium, adding a surcharge, or removing, altering, or 4
refusing to consider a discount based on a certain type of accident or loss caused by 5
a collision with a free –roaming wild animal; and generally rel ating to private 6
passenger motor vehicle insurance. 7

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 8
Article – Insurance 9
Section 27–501(k) 10
Annotated Code of Maryland 11
(2017 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 12

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 13
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 14

Article – Insurance 15

27–501. 16

(k) With respect to private passenger motor vehicle insurance, an insurer may 17
not: 18

(1) cancel or refuse to renew coverage based on the claims history of an 19
insured where two or fewer of the claims within the preceding 3 –year period were for 20
accidents or losses where the insured was not at fault for the loss; OR 21

2 SENATE BILL 304

(2) INCREASE A PREMIUM , ADD A SURCHARGE , OR REMOVE, ALTER, 1
OR REFUSE TO CONSIDER A DISCOUNT BASED ON ACCIDENTS OR LOSSES: 2

(I) CAUSED BY A COLLISIO N WITH A FREE –ROAMING WILD 3
ANIMAL; AND 4

(II) FOR WHICH THE INSURE D WAS NOT AT FAULT F OR THE 5
LOSS. 6

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 7
October 1, 2026. 8