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SB0540 • 2026

Home Detention Monitoring Agencies - Promotion and Solicitation of Business - Prohibition

Home Detention Monitoring Agencies - Promotion and Solicitation of Business - Prohibition

Labor
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Chair, Judicial Proceedings Committee (By Request - Maryland Judicial Conference )
Last action
2026-05-12
Official status
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 478
Effective date
2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Ban on Promoting Home Detention Monitoring Businesses

This law stops agents of private home detention monitoring agencies, courthouse employees, and correctional facility employees from promoting or soliciting business for these agencies at courthouses and correctional facilities.

What This Bill Does

  • Prohibits an agent of a private home detention monitoring agency, an employee of a courthouse, or an employee of a correctional facility from approaching, enticing, inviting, distributing items that advertise, displaying items that advertise, or otherwise soliciting business for a specific home detention monitoring agency on the grounds of courthouses or correctional facilities.
  • Establishes penalties for violating this prohibition: first offense results in a fine up to $2,500 and possible 30-day license suspension; subsequent offenses result in a fine up to $5,000 and possible 90-day license suspension.
  • Requires licensed individuals convicted of violating the law to be referred to the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for appropriate action.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Agents of private home detention monitoring agencies
  • Courthouse employees
  • Correctional facility employees

Terms To Know

Private Home Detention Monitoring Agency
A company that provides services to monitor individuals who are under court-ordered house arrest.
Agent
A person representing a private home detention monitoring agency.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law only applies on the grounds of courthouses and correctional facilities.
  • It does not specify what constitutes 'otherwise soliciting business'.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

163323/1

None

Favorable with Amendments { 163323/1 Adopted

Plain English: AMENDMENTS TO SENATE BILL 540 (Third Reading File Bill) AMENDMENT NO.

  • AMENDMENTS TO SENATE BILL 540 (Third Reading File Bill) AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 On page 1, in line 4, strike “a private home detention monitoring agency,”; in line 10, strike “Business Occupations and Professions” and substitute “Criminal Procedure”; in line 11, strike “20 –702” and substitute “ 5–210.1”; in line 13, strike “2018” and substitute “2025”; and in the same line, strike “and 2025 Supplement”.
  • AMENDMENT NO.
  • 2 On page 1, in line 16, strike “ Business Occupations and Professions ” and substitute “Criminal Procedure”; and in line 17, strike “20–702.” and substitute “5– 210.1.”.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-12 Post Passage

    Approved by the Governor - Chapter 478

  2. 2026-04-08 House

    Favorable with Amendments Report by Judiciary

  3. 2026-03-25 House

    Third Reading Passed (136-0)

  4. 2026-03-24 Senate

    Senate Concurs House Amendments

  5. 2026-03-24 Senate

    Third Reading Passed (42-0)

  6. 2026-03-24 Senate

    Passed Enrolled

  7. 2026-03-21 House

    Favorable with Amendments { 163323/1 Adopted

  8. 2026-03-21 House

    Second Reading Passed with Amendments

  9. 2026-03-02 Senate

    Favorable Report by Judicial Proceedings

  10. 2026-02-25 House

    Referred Judiciary

  11. 2026-02-23 Senate

    Third Reading Passed (44-0)

  12. 2026-02-20 Senate

    Favorable Adopted

  13. 2026-02-20 Senate

    Second Reading Passed

  14. 2026-02-05 Senate

    Hearing 2/19 at 1:00 p.m.

  15. 2026-02-04 Senate

    First Reading Judicial Proceedings

  16. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - First - Home Detention Monitoring Agencies - Promotion and Solicitation of Business - Prohibition

  17. Maryland General Assembly

    Vote - Senate - Committee - Judicial Proceedings

  18. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - Third - Home Detention Monitoring Agencies - Promotion and Solicitation of Business - Prohibition

  19. Maryland General Assembly

    Vote - House - Committee - Judiciary

  20. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - Enrolled - Home Detention Monitoring Agencies - Promotion and Solicitation of Business - Prohibition

  21. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - Chapter - Home Detention Monitoring Agencies - Promotion and Solicitation of Business - Prohibition

Official Summary Text

Prohibiting an agent of a private home detention monitoring agency, an employee of a courthouse, or an employee of a correctional facility from engaging in certain activities promoting or otherwise soliciting business for a private home detention monitoring agency on the grounds of a courthouse or correctional facility; and establishing that a person who violates the Act is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to possible fines and suspension of license.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
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.
Italics indicate opposite chamber/conference committee amendments.
*sb0540*

SENATE BILL 540
C3 (6lr2500)
ENROLLED BILL
— Judicial Proceedings/Judiciary —
Introduced by Chair, Judicial Proceedings Committee (By Request – Maryland
Judicial Conference)

Read and Examined by Proofreaders:

_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.

Sealed with the Great Seal and presented to the Governor, for his approval this

_______ day of _______________ at ________________________ o’clock, ________M.

______________________________________________
President.

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Home Detention Monitoring Agencies – Promotion and Solicitation of Business 2
– Prohibition 3

FOR the purpose of prohibiting a private home detention monitoring agency, an agent of a 4
private home detention monitoring agency, an employee of a courthouse, or an 5
employee of a correctional facility from performing certain acts on the grounds of a 6
courthouse or correctional facility; and generally relating to the promotion of and 7
solicitation of business for private home detention monitoring agencies. 8

BY adding to 9
Article – Business Occupations and Professions Criminal Procedure 10
Section 20–702 5–210.1 11
Annotated Code of Maryland 12
(2018 2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 13
2 SENATE BILL 540

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 1
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 2

Article – Business Occupations and Professions Criminal Procedure 3

20–702. 5–210.1. 4

(A) IN THIS SECTION , “AGENT” MEANS A PERSON THAT ACTS OR IS 5
AUTHORIZED TO ACT AS THE REPRESENTATIVE O F A PRIVATE HOME DET ENTION 6
MONITORING AGENCY “PRIVATE HOME DETENTION MONITORING AGENCY” HAS THE 7
MEANING STATED IN § 20–101 OF THE BUSINESS OCCUPATIONS AND PROFESSIONS 8
ARTICLE. 9

(B) ON THE GROUNDS OF A C OURTHOUSE OR CORRECTIONAL FACILITY, A 10
PRIVATE HOME DETENTION MONITORING AGENCY, AN AGENT OF A PRIVAT E HOME 11
DETENTION MONITORING AGENCY, AN EMPLOYEE OF THE C OURTHOUSE, OR AN 12
EMPLOYEE OF A CORRECTIONAL FACILITY MAY NOT: 13

(1) APPROACH, ENTICE, OR INVITE A PERSON T O USE THE SERVICES 14
OF A SPECIFIC PRIVATE HOME DETENTION MONITORING AGENCY; 15

(2) DISTRIBUTE, DISPLAY, OR WEAR AN ITEM THAT ADVERTISES THE 16
SERVICES OF A PRIVATE HOME DETENTION MONITORING AGENCY; OR 17

(3) OTHERWISE SOLICIT BUSINESS FOR A PRIVATE HOME DETENTION 18
MONITORING AGENCY. 19

(C) A PERSON WHO VIOLATES SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION IS GUILTY 20
OF A MISDEMEANOR AND ON CONVICTION IS SUBJECT TO: 21

(1) A FINE NOT EXCEEDING $2,500 AND, IF LICENSED IN 22
ACCORDANCE WITH THIS TITLE TITLE 20 OF THE BUSINESS OCCUPATIONS AND 23
PROFESSIONS ARTICLE, A 30–DAY LICENSE SUSPENSI ON FOR A FIRST OFFEN SE; 24
AND 25

(2) A FINE NOT EXCEEDING $5,000 AND, IF LICENSED IN 26
ACCORDANCE WITH THIS TITLE TITLE 20 OF THE BUSINESS OCCUPATIONS AND 27
PROFESSIONS ARTICLE, A 90–DAY LICENSE SUSPENSI ON FOR A SUBSEQUENT 28
OFFENSE. 29

(D) A PERSON LICENSED IN A CCORDANCE WITH THIS TITLE TITLE 20 OF 30
THE BUSINESS OCCUPATIONS AND PROFESSIONS ARTICLE THAT IS CONVICTED OF 31
SENATE BILL 540 3

A VIOLATION OF THIS SECTION SHALL BE REF ERRED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF 1
PUBLIC SAFETY AND CORRECTIONAL SERVICES FOR APPROPRIATE ACTION. 2

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 3
October 1, 2026. 4

Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.