# Maryland HB 0015: Corporations and Associations - Limited Worker Cooperative Associations - Authorization (Maryland Limited Worker Cooperative Association Act)

Maryland HB 0015, Corporations and Associations - Limited Worker Cooperative Associations - Authorization (Maryland Limited Worker Cooperative Association Act), is a 2025 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Lily Qi (Democratic); status signed, last action 2025-04-22 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 198); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0015-2025RS
- As of: 2026-10-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Maryland HB 0015
- State: Maryland
- Session: 2025 Regular Session
- Title: Corporations and Associations - Limited Worker Cooperative Associations - Authorization (Maryland Limited Worker Cooperative Association Act)
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2024-10-16
- Last action: 2025-04-22, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 198
- Sponsor: Lily Qi (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Subjects: Corporations and Associations, Charters, Commerce and Business -see also- ElectrComm; ForeignTr; etc., Cooperative Associations, Corporations -see also- Municipal Corps; Public Corps & Inst, Fees -see also- Attys' Fees; Devt Fees & Taxes, Income Tax, Insurance Administration, Insurance -see also- Health Ins; MAIF; Motor Vehicle Ins, Liability, Limited Liability Companies, Meetings -see also- Hearings; Open Government, Mergers and Acquisitions, Names, Notices, Personal Representatives, Records -see also- Land Records; Vital Records, Salaries and Compensation -see also- Overtime; Reimb. Rates, Voting -see also- Absentee and Mail-In Voting, Workers' Compensation, Work, Labor, and Employment -see also- JobTrn; Leave; etc.
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 3 (247 yes, 74 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 10

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Cooperative members gain personal debt protections: benefit, medium. Beginning October 1, 2026, cooperative debts generally belong to the association, not its members. The articles of organization can change this default member-liability rule. Voting members and board representatives are not personally liable solely because they hold those roles. Membership or board…
- Worker cooperatives gain securities registration exemptions: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, worker cooperative membership interests and specified financial instruments are exempt from Maryland’s securities registration requirements. These include patronage refunds, per-unit retain certificates, equity instruments, and evidence of membership interests. The cooper…
- Cooperative members gain profit-sharing rules: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, governing documents set how cooperatives divide profits and losses. Declared patronage profits paid or credited to patron members must match each member’s share of patronage during that period. Earnings can be paid in cash, credits, or written allocation notices. Governin…
- Cooperative financial controllers face personal taxes: cost, medium. Beginning October 1, 2026, people directly controlling cooperative finances can personally owe its admissions and amusement or motor fuel taxes. This liability includes interest and penalties when the cooperative owes those taxes. Financial controllers and agents responsible for withholding can als…
- Worker cooperatives pay filing fees: cost, medium. Beginning October 1, 2026, worker cooperatives pay $25 to reserve a name and $100 to file articles of organization. Annual reports cost $300, or $100 for the family farm classification; standard certificates cost $20. Original foreign-entity name registration through year-end and typical foreign fi…
- Cooperative worker status and insurance rules: mixed, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, forming a cooperative does not by itself make worker members employees; partnership tax treatment does not either. Other employment rules still apply. Insurers must base workers’ compensation premiums for covered employee-members on actual payroll value. That means total…
- Cooperative members gain meeting rights: mixed, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, cooperatives must hold annual member meetings with business and financial reports and notice 10 to 60 days beforehand. Members holding at least 20% of voting power on an issue can demand a special meeting in writing. The board can also call one by majority vote, or meetin…
- New business option for worker cooperatives: mixed, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, Maryland LLCs can elect limited worker cooperative association status through their articles of organization. These cooperatives generally need three worker members to start, unless their sole member is another limited worker cooperative association. Their names must incl…
- Worker cooperatives get closure and succession rules: mixed, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, cooperatives dissolve after governing-document triggers, a court order, or 90 consecutive days without members. A qualifying vote of two-thirds of worker members and two-thirds of all assembly voting power also triggers dissolution. Agreements can require higher votes or…
- Worker voting rights shape cooperative control: mixed, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, most worker cooperatives need a managing board of at least three people. Collective worker cooperatives instead have one worker-member class managing all affairs. Governing documents set voting methods; workers otherwise denied votes for lack of patronage receive the mini…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Lily Qi (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Lorig Charkoudian (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-04-07 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 102 | 37 | 1 |
| 2025-04-03 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 45 | 0 | 2 |
| 2025-03-17 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 100 | 37 | 1 |

## Actions (17)

- 2025-04-22: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 198
- 2025-04-07: Passed Enrolled (House)
- 2025-04-07: Third Reading Passed (102-37) (House)
- 2025-04-07: House Concurs Senate Amendments (House)
- 2025-04-03: Third Reading Passed (45-0) (Senate)
- 2025-03-31: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (Senate)
- 2025-03-31: Favorable with Amendments {923321/1 Adopted (Senate)
- 2025-03-31: Favorable with Amendments Report by Judicial Proceedings (Senate)
- 2025-03-17: Referred Judicial Proceedings (Senate)
- 2025-03-17: Third Reading Passed (100-37) (House)
- 2025-03-15: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (House)
- 2025-03-15: Floor Amendment {613723/1 (Delegate Qi) Adopted (House)
- 2025-03-15: Favorable with Amendments {553025/1 Adopted (House)
- 2025-03-15: Favorable with Amendments Report by Economic Matters (House)
- 2025-01-08: Hearing 1/21 at 1:00 p.m. (House)
- 2025-01-08: First Reading Economic Matters (House)
- 2024-10-16: Pre-filed (House)

## Bill text

- Enacted, 2025-04-22: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/Chapters_noln/CH_198_hb0015e.pdf)
- Enrolled, 2025-04-07: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0015e.pdf)
- Third Reading, 2025-03-15: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0015t.pdf)
- First Reading, 2025-01-08: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0015f.pdf)

## Related bills

- HB 0384: Maryland Disability Service Animal Program - Established (vetoed)
- SB 0227: Workers' Compensation - Payment From Uninsured Employers' Fund - Revisions (vetoed)
- HB 0482: Occupational Licensing and Certification - Criminal History - Predetermination Review Process (vetoed)
- SB 0157: Maryland Disability Service Animal Program - Established (vetoed)
- HB 1294: Commercial Law - Credit Regulation - Earned Wage Access and Credit Modernization (became law)
- HB 0228: Maryland Veterans Trust – Assistance to Members of the Maryland National Guard (signed)

## Sources
- [Enacted (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/Chapters_noln/CH_198_hb0015e.pdf)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0015e.pdf)
- [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0015t.pdf)
- [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0015f.pdf)

## Related
- [HB 0384: Maryland Disability Service Animal Program - Established](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0384-2025RS)
- [SB 0227: Workers' Compensation - Payment From Uninsured Employers' Fund - Revisions](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0227-2025RS)
- [HB 0482: Occupational Licensing and Certification - Criminal History - Predetermination…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0482-2025RS)
- [SB 0157: Maryland Disability Service Animal Program - Established](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0157-2025RS)
- [HB 1294: Commercial Law - Credit Regulation - Earned Wage Access and Credit Modernization](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB1294-2025RS)
- [HB 0228: Maryland Veterans Trust – Assistance to Members of the Maryland National Guard](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0228-2025RS)
- [Maryland bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/maryland/bills)
- [Maryland state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/maryland)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0015-2025RS (as of 2026-10-17).