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SB0308 • 2026

General Provisions - Commemorative Months - Muslim American Heritage and Jewish American Heritage Months

General Provisions - Commemorative Months - Muslim American Heritage and Jewish American Heritage Months

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Senators Hettleman , Kramer , Love , Waldstreicher , Lewis Young , Zucker , and Sydnor
Last action
2026-02-16
Official status
In the Senate - Hearing 3/12 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.

General Provisions - Commemorative Months - Muslim American Heritage and Jewish American Heritage Months

Requiring the Governor annually to proclaim the month of January as Muslim American Heritage month and the month of May as Jewish American Heritage month; and requiring the proclamations to urge certain organizations to observe the months with certain programs and activities.

What This Bill Does

  • Requiring the Governor annually to proclaim the month of January as Muslim American Heritage month and the month of May as Jewish American Heritage month; and requiring the proclamations to urge certain organizations to observe the months with certain programs and activities.

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

  1. 2026-02-16 Senate

    Hearing 2/16 at 1:00 p.m.

  2. 2026-02-16 Senate

    Hearing canceled

  3. 2026-02-16 Senate

    Hearing 3/12 at 1:00 p.m.

  4. 2026-01-21 Senate

    First Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment

  5. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - First - General Provisions - Commemorative Months - Muslim American Heritage and Jewish American Heritage Months

Official Summary Text

Requiring the Governor annually to proclaim the month of January as Muslim American Heritage month and the month of May as Jewish American Heritage month; and requiring the proclamations to urge certain organizations to observe the months with certain programs and activities.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*sb0308*

SENATE BILL 308
P1 6lr2106
CF 6lr0986
By: Senators Hettleman, Kramer, Love, Waldstreicher, Lewis Young, Zucker, and
Sydnor
Introduced and read first time: January 21, 2026
Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

General Provisions – Commemorative Months – Muslim American Heritage and 2
Jewish American Heritage Months 3

FOR the purpose of requiring the Governor annually to proclaim certain months as Muslim 4
American Heritage and Jewish American Heritage months; requiring the 5
proclamations to urge certain organizations to observe the months with certain 6
programs and activit ies; and generally relating to Muslim American Heritage and 7
Jewish American Heritage months. 8

BY renumbering 9
Article – General Provisions 10
Section 7–501 through 7–503 and 7–504 through 7–507 11
to be Section 7–502 through 7–504 and 7–506 through 7–509, respectively 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 14

BY adding to 15
Article – General Provisions 16
Section 7–501 and 7–505 17
Annotated Code of Maryland 18
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 19

Preamble 20

WHEREAS, There are over 350,000 Muslim Marylanders who currently reside in 21
the State and, for generations, have contributed to enriching the artistic, business, 22
academic, and public service communities thereby significantly increasing the vibrancy of 23
Maryland; and 24

2 SENATE BILL 308

WHEREAS, There are over 250,000 Jewish Marylanders who currently reside in the 1
State and, for generations, have contributed to enriching the artistic, business, academic, 2
and public service communities thereby significantly increasing the vibrancy of Maryland; 3
now, therefore, 4

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 5
That Section(s) 7 –501 through 7 –503 and 7 –504 through 7 –507 of Article – General 6
Provisions of the Annotated Code of Maryland be renumbered to be Section(s) 7 –502 7
through 7–504 and 7–506 through 7–509, respectively. 8

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the Laws of Maryland read 9
as follows: 10

Article – General Provisions 11

7–501. 12

(A) THE GOVERNOR ANNUALLY SHALL PROCLAIM THE MONTH OF JANUARY 13
AS MUSLIM AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH IN RECOGNITION OF THE 14
CONTRIBUTIONS THAT MUSLIM AMERICANS HAVE MADE TO THE STATE. 15

(B) THE PROCLAMATION SHAL L URGE EDUCATIONAL A ND CULTURAL 16
ORGANIZATIONS TO OBS ERVE MUSLIM AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH PROPERLY 17
WITH APPROPRIATE PROGRAMS, CEREMONIES, AND ACTIVITIES. 18

7–505. 19

(A) THE GOVERNOR ANNUALLY SHALL PROCLAIM THE MONT H OF MAY AS 20
JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH IN RECOGNITION OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS 21
THAT JEWISH AMERICANS HAVE MADE TO THE STATE. 22

(B) THE PROCLAMATION SHAL L URGE EDUCATIONAL A ND CULTURAL 23
ORGANIZATIONS TO OBS ERVE JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH PROPERLY 24
WITH APPROPRIATE PROGRAMS, CEREMONIES, AND ACTIVITIES. 25

SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 26
October 1, 2026. 27