2026 Session Themes
The 90-day session (Jan 14 – Apr 13, 2026) was dominated by:
- Cost of living relief including energy, groceries, and housing
- Immigration and protective state policies
- Consumer/data protections
- Budget balancing amid a ~$1.4B shortfall
- Utility and energy reform
These priorities reflected economic pressure, federal policy shifts, and an election-year environment.
Major Bills & Issues That Passed Both Chambers
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Energy / Utility Relief
Utility Relief Act
- Goal: Reduce rising electricity costs
- Key provisions:
- Approximately $100M state revenue allocated to offset utility costs
- Expected estimated $150/year savings per household
- Caps on passing executive salaries to ratepayers
- Requires utilities to notify customers of rate hikes
- New oversight of transmission and infrastructure costs
- Streamlines clean-energy permitting
- Adds obligations to “large load” industries, particularly the data center industry
This was widely considered the signature legislative win of the session. While the actual utility consumer rate relief is fairly meager, the legislature is still claiming a bi-partisan victory. Due to the controversial nature of current transmission line issues, legislators felt compelled to address the fact that utilities are able to spread costs across all segments of the consumer base, so a major focus was on a cost-shift to high-demand commercial/industrial users.
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Immigration Enforcement Limits
- Prohibits local law enforcement from entering federal immigration enforcement agreements (e.g., 287(g))
- Applies to state and local agencies statewide
- Passed both chambers with strong majorities
- Central to the “protect our people” agenda and one of the most politically significant actions.
Governor Moore and the majority party in both the House and Senate made clear from the beginning of session that they were going to pursue policy that would resist the Trump Administration’s focus on illegal immigration. Despite federal threats of increased enforcement actions against sanctuary states, Maryland will now be further limiting the role and function of federal immigration enforcement at the state and local level.
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Data Privacy & Consumer Protection
Several bills advanced and passed targeting data use and pricing practices:
Key measures include:
- Data broker registry requirement
- Restrictions on selling consumer data to government for immigration enforcement
- Limits on state collection and retention of personal data
- Movement toward banning surveillance-based or dynamic pricing
Reflects growing concern over AI, data use, and consumer exploitation. The AI and tech industries opposed many of these initiatives, questioning the need to enhance regulatory oversight. Despite those objections, these initiatives passed along bi-partisan lines.
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Anti–Dynamic Pricing / Consumer Pricing Protections
- Targets algorithm-driven price changes for essential goods
- Especially focused on groceries and delivery platforms
- Makes violations enforceable under consumer protection law
- These legislative initiatives were largely opposed by the private sector.
A notable national-leading effort on pricing transparency. Maryland continues to move towards progressive policy positions, and in this case, is setting new standards for intervention in what were previously private market-driven policies.
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Environmental / Chemical Safety
- Bans or phases out products with “forever chemicals” (PFAS)
- Includes registration and compliance requirements for manufacturers
This effort, following past legislative defeats, continues Maryland’s leadership in more aggressive environmental health policy.
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Gun Safety Legislation
- Restrictions on convertible machine gun pistols
- Enhanced enforcement and regulatory oversight
Part of continued tightening of firearm regulations by a largely liberal state legislature. Of note, a bill that restricts the sale of firearms with a specific trigger design will now outlaw the purchase/registration of all Glock-manufactured firearms. Glock is one of the leading manufacturers of firearms across the Nation, and very popular with both law enforcement and consumers.
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Civil Rights & Anti-Discrimination Expansion
- Expands enforcement authority of the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights
- Strengthens protections in educational settings across multiple categories
Builds on broader equity and inclusion priorities at the same time that the Trump Administration is attempting to limit or eliminate various forms of anti-discrimination throughout the federal government, including procurement and education preference programs.
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Law Enforcement Policy Changes
- Includes measures such as:
- Limits on certain policing practices (e.g., face coverings policy development)
- Broader accountability standards
- Juvenile justice reform, including making it more difficult to prosecute juvenile offenders as adults
Part of the Moore Administration and General Assembly leadership’s ongoing criminal justice reform efforts.
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State Budget (FY 2027)
- Closed a ~$1.4 billion shortfall
- Relied on:
- Spending cuts
- Fund transfers (not major tax increases)
- Maintained core priorities like education funding
- No serious effort to address a growing out-year deficit, despite strong warnings from the budget analysts in the Dept, of Legislative Services fiscal policy agency.
This is largely considered to be a pragmatic, politically balanced budget by Gov. Moore and the General Assembly leadership. It was highly unlikely, during an election year, that either the House or Senate would pass major tax increases, but it seems probable that they’ll be looking at that for the 2027 Session in January.
Other Notable Policy Areas (Mixed Outcomes / Partial Progress)
These were major topics, though not all fully resolved:
- Housing affordability initiatives (zoning, transit-oriented development)
- Economic development (DECADE Act) to diversify beyond federal jobs
- Minimum wage increase proposals (up to $25/hour) – debated but unclear final passage
- Utility infrastructure oversight reforms (complementing energy bill)
The Bottom Line
The 2026 session is best understood as:
A cost-of-living and consumer protection session, with:
- Energy bill relief
- Strong immigration policy shift
- Expanded data/privacy protections
- Continued progressive regulatory agenda
At the same time:
- Lawmakers managed a tough budget environment by a mixture of fund transfers and program cuts, completely avoiding the major fiscal challenges facing Maryland in the FY 2028 budget
- Positioned Maryland as a national leader in progressive consumer and tech regulation
- Establishing a deeper policy rift with the Trump Administration, with a particular focus on immigration, criminal justice and DEI programs and protections.
Frederick Chamber Insights is a news outlet of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce. For more information about membership, programs and initiatives, please visit our website.