Advocacy

Maryland General Assembly 2024 Legislative Session

The Maryland Rural Health Association (MRHA) educates and advocates for the optimal health and wellness of rural Marylanders at the federal, state, and local levels. If you want to get involved or ask MRHA for support, please get in touch with Jonathan Dayton, MRHA Executive Director, at jdayton@mdruralhealth.org.

Access our 2024 Legislative Tracker Here.
Access our 2024 Legislative Priorities Here.
Find Maryland Legislation Here.
View Legislative Position Statements Here.
View Testimony Calander

Support:

• HB0023/SB0228: Maryland Health Benefit Exchange – Qualified Health Plans – Dental Coverage
• HB0007/SB0203: Housing Innovation Pilot Program and Housing Innovation Fund - Establishment (Housing Innovation Pilot Program Act of 2024)
• HB0055/SB0088: Maryland Commission on Veterans and Military Families
• HB0074: Public Schools - Lifesaver Schools Program - Establishment
• HB0076/SB0018: Health Occupations - Pharmacists - Administration of Vaccines
• HB0096/SB0117: Health - Newborn Screening Program - Krabbe Leukodystrophy
• HB0103: Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Dental Services - Coverage and Rate Study
• HB0160: Elementary and Secondary Schools - Workplace Readiness Week - Establishment
• HB0167: Public Schools - Student Health - Certificate of Dental Health
• HB0340/SB0338: Prescription Drug Affordability Board - Authority for Upper Payment Limits and Funding (The Lowering Prescription Drug Costs For All Marylanders Now Act)
• HB0349/SB0631: Department of Aging - Long-Term Care Insurance - Study
• HB0353/SB0445: Maryland Department of Health - 2-1-1 Maryland - Oversight
• HB0354: Maryland Pathway to Nursing Program and Advisory Committee - Establishment
• HB0355/SB0062: Health Occupations - Licensed Direct-Entry Midwives Previous Cesarean Section
• SB0003: Health Occupations - Service Members, Veterans, and Military Spouses - Temporary Licensure, Certification, Registration, and Permitting
• SB0033: More Opportunities for Career-Focused Students Act of 2024
• SB0059: Safe Sleep for Infants - Awareness and Certification
• SB0098: Department of Housing and Community Development - Food Desert Study
• HB0400/SB0124: Maryland Medical Assistance Program and Health Insurance - Annual Behavioral Health Wellness Visits - Coverage and Reimbursement
• SB0167: Physician Assistants - Revisions (Physician Assistant Modernization Act of 2024)
• SB0210: Emergency Medical Services - Paramedics - Immunization Administration - Effective Date
• SB0212: Behavioral Health Advisory Council and Commission on Behavioral Health Care Treatment and Access - Alteration
• HB0393/SB0334: Higher Education - Maryland Dent-Care Program - Eligibility
• SB0427: Public Health – Overdose and Infectious Disease Prevention Services Program
• SB718: Maryland Pathway to Nursing Pilot Program and Advisory Committee – Establishment:
• HB97/SB723: Baby Food - Toxic Heavy Metals - Testing and Labeling
• SB724/HB196:Motor Vehicles - School Buses - Seat Belts
• SB 732: Department of Juvenile Services and Maryland Department of Health – Inpatient Program for Children
• SB751: Public Health – Opioid Restitution Advisory Council and Fund – Revisions
• SB778:Health Insurance - Hearing Aids for Adults – Coverage
• SB786: Task Force on Access to Pharmacy Services and the Impact of Telepharmacy in Maryland
• HB939: Health Insurance - Epinephrine Injectors - Limits on Cost Sharing (Epinephrine Cost Reduction Act of 2024)
• HB965: Maryland Department of Health - Breast Cancer Program - Eligibility and Public Awareness Campaign
• HB0468/SB0532: Commission to Advance Lithium-Ion Battery Safety in Maryland
• HB0584/SB0476: Workers' Compensation - Occupational Disease Presumptions - First Responders (Caring for Public Employees in the Safety Professions - CAPES Act)
• HB0626/SB0323: Income Tax - Subtraction Modification - Public Safety Volunteers
• SB0938/HB1293: Maryland Department of Health - Public Education Campaign on Prostate, Lung, and Breast Cancer Prevention
• SB974: Behavioral Health Crisis Response Services - 9-8-8 Trust Fund Fees
• SB988: Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Self-Directed Mental Health Services - Pilot Program
• SB990: Maryland Medical Assistance Program and Health Insurance - Step Therapy, Fail-First Protocols, and Prior Authorization - Prescription Drugs to Treat Serious Mental Illness
• SB975/HB1091: Public Safety – Reproductive Health Care Clinic Security Grant Program – Establishment (Supporting Reproductive Health Care Clinics Act)
• SB1016: Health Occupations - Prescriptions for Children Subject to Joint Custody
• SB1019: Health Benefit Plans - Prescription Drugs - Rebates and Calculation of Cost Sharing Requirements
• SB1068/HB1141: Human Services - 2-1-1 and 3-1-1 Systems - Nonemergency Information and Referrals
• SB1069/HB190: Workers' Compensation - Occupational Disease Presumptions - First Responders
• SB1071/HB1155: Hospitals - Opioid Overdose - Medication-Assisted Treatment
• SB1099: Emergency Services - Automated External Defibrillator and Naloxone Co-Location Initiative - Requirements for Public Buildings
• HB1143: Emergency Medical Services - Maryland Emergency Department Wait Time Reduction Commission and Standardized Protocols - Establishment
• HB1259: Health Insurance - Breast and Lung Cancer Screening - Coverage Requirements
• HB1372: Health and Taxation - Digital Social Media Services and the Mental Health Care Fund for Children and Youth
• SB1020/HB1194: Hospitals - Clinical Staffing Committees and Plans - Establishment (Safe Staffing Act of 2024)

 
Support w/Amendments:
Oppose:

Monitoring:

• HB0328: Hospitals - Financial Assistance Policies - Revisions
• HB767: Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Adult and Pediatric Dental Services - Reimbursement Rates
• Hb822: Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Employed Individuals With Disabilities
• HB933: Behavioral Health Crisis Response Services - 9-8-8 Trust Fund Fees
• SB0891: Transportation - MobilityLink Paratransit Service Improvements - Study
• SB1024/HB1219: Public Schools - Cardiac Emergency Action Plan - Requirements
• HB1040/SB876: Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Limited Behavioral Health Services
• SB1006: Hospitals - Medical Debt Collection - Sale of Patient Debt
• SB1059/HB1051: Maternal Health – Assessments, Referrals, and Reporting (Maryland Maternal Health Act of 2024)
• SB0944/HB1171: Nonprescription Drugs and Devices - Provision by Registered Nurses and Sale of Contraceptives Through Automatic Devices
• HB985: Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Coverage for Fertility Treatment and Preservation Services - Study
• HB1074/SB684: Health Insurance - Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Benefits - Sunset Repeal and Modification of Reporting Requirements
• HB1105: Advanced Practice Registered Nurses - Certification Requirement and Exceptions
• HB1233: Public Health - Abortion
• SB0947/HB1412: Abortion Care Access Grant Program and Fund - Establishment