Title: Maryland Governor Wes Moore Signs 193 Bills into Law, Including Key Changes to School Funding
More than 190 pieces of legislation were signed into law by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Tuesday, including changes to the state’s school spending plan. During the 2025 legislative session, the governor proposed funding cuts to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, sparking concerns among education leaders and advocates. The blueprint plan was developed over three years with the goal of increasing spending for schools in impoverished areas and supporting students in underserved districts. The final plan, which became law in 2021, raises school spending to about $12,000 over several years.
The governor’s proposed changes included a pause on increased planning time for teachers and preventing funding increases for students in certain low-income school communities and English language learners. Gov. Moore initially proposed cuts to the blueprint plan as the state faced a $3 billion shortfall. The changes would have cut school spending by $1.6 billion over four years.
The House instead passed a version of the Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act that rejected many of the governor’s proposed cuts. The Maryland Public Schools Act, which was signed Tuesday, allows funding increases in the blueprint plan for 2026, but the plan will only increase for inflation adjustment in 2027 and 2028. By 2029, funding for students would start increasing again by $334, and by 2035, funding would increase by $1,527.
In total, Gov. Moore signed 193 bills into law Tuesday, and many of them focus on education and improving school safety. Under House Bill 1475, the Maryland Department of Education is required to create a group to analyze the use of a publicly funded Pre-K program that was created under the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. The group is required to submit a report with recommended changes by December 2027.
One of the bills, HB782, requires the Maryland Center for School Safety to conduct a study on how to best detect weapons in public middle and high schools and how to report those weapons to local law enforcement. The law requires an interim report about the study to be completed by December 2025 and a final report to be submitted by December 2026. Another bill, HB879, creates a task force that will study and recommend ways to improve student attendance and prevent chronic absenteeism. That task force will have to submit a report by December 2025.
Several of the bills signed into law Tuesday expand veterans’ resources to all service members. The Health Equality for Service Members act changes the definition of "veteran" to include all uniformed services when it comes to public health, housing vouchers, and other forms of assistance. The Recreational Equality for Service Members Act has similar implications for fishing licenses, and the Judicial and Public Safety for Service Members Act does the same in relation to criminal and family court proceedings.
Here are some of the other bills that were signed into law this week:
SB674 creates a group to study access to over-the-counter birth control and requires a final report to be submitted by December 2027. SB400 prevents transportation companies that take children to residential child care programs from using certain restraints or picking up children between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. SB842 allows the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis Commission to seize electronic smoking devices like vapes that are sold in violation of certain laws. SB259 requires local boards of elections to share election plans at least seven months before a statewide primary election. The Pregnant and Parenting Student Support Act requires certain public higher education institutions to create plans for pregnant or parenting students that include referrals to on- or off-campus services that help with government assistance, scholarships, and other programs.
