# Maryland HB 0264: Maryland Data Privacy and Protection Act of 2026

Maryland HB 0264, Maryland Data Privacy and Protection Act of 2026, is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by no sponsor on record; status signed, last action 2026-05-12 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 435) (as of 2026-10-19).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0264-2026RS
- As of: 2026-10-19
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Maryland HB 0264
- State: Maryland
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Maryland Data Privacy and Protection Act of 2026
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-10-01
- Last action: 2026-05-12, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 435
- Sponsors: no sponsor on record
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Cybersecurity, Administrative Agencies, Applicants and Applications, Attorney General, Biometrics -see also- Artificial Intelli; Identif; Fingerprt, Certifications, Contracts -see also- Procurement, Data -see also- Census; Demographics, Disabilities, Electronic Government, Equipment -see also- Charging; Med. Equip.; MV Equip; etc., Ethnic Affairs, Gender -see also- Women, General Services, Department of, Genetics, Health -see also- COVID19; EnvHlth; MedCon; etc., Identification -see also- Biometrics; Fingerprinting; DrLics, Immigrants and Citizenship -see also- Residency, Information Technology, Information Technology, Department of, Licenses -see also- AB Lic; Certifications; DrLic; Permits, Mental and Behavioral Health -see also- Aut; Cogn; Dev; etc., Minors -see also- Age of Majority; Youth, Notices, Personal Identifying Information, Privacy, Public Information, Public Officials -see also- Atty Gen; Compt; Coun Admin; etc, Racial Matters -see also- Ethnic Affairs; Minorities, Records -see also- Land Records; Vital Records, Religion -see also- Places of Worship, Reports, Rules and Regulations, Sexual Orientation, Standards and Best Practices, Substance Abuse, Work, Labor, and Employment -see also- JobTrn; Leave; etc.
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 2 (171 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 5

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- State agencies collect and keep less data: benefit, medium. Beginning October 1, 2026, State units collect only data needed for a real government purpose. They must limit what they take, keep it accurate, and delete or de‑identify it when it is no longer needed. Agencies may not create new personal records without a clear need. They may not obtain personal…
- More types of data get protection: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, more kinds of personal data get protection under State law. The law treats race, religion, health, sex life, sexual orientation, transgender status, citizenship, genetic and biometric data, kids’ data, and precise location as sensitive. It also adds taxpayer IDs, passport…
- Stop sale and re-sharing of your data: benefit, low. By July 1, 2026, every Maryland government entity must publish procedures that stop the sale and re‑sharing of personal records and precise location data it provides. The procedures must set contract limits, address data brokers and secondary uses, and cover sensitive, genetic, and geolocation data…
- Stronger privacy rules for State vendors: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, State contracts with vendors that handle State IT or personal data must include security and privacy rules. The rules cover third parties that access State systems, process personal information, or connect to State networks. Contract requirements align with recognized sta…
- Controlled research access and privacy carve-outs: mixed, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, State custodians may let approved researchers see records that are not public, but only under strict safeguards. Researchers must submit a written request, protect identities, avoid contacting people without approval, and sign a binding agreement. At the same time, some r…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- (none)

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-04-13 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 43 | 0 | 3 |
| 2026-03-21 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 128 | 0 | 7 |

## Actions (14)

- 2026-05-12: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 435
- 2026-04-13: Returned Passed (House)
- 2026-04-13: Third Reading Passed (43-0) (Senate)
- 2026-04-09: Second Reading Passed (Senate)
- 2026-04-09: Favorable Adopted (Senate)
- 2026-04-09: Favorable Report by Finance (Senate)
- 2026-03-25: Hearing 4/01 at 1:00 p.m. (Senate)
- 2026-03-23: Referred Finance (Senate)
- 2026-03-21: Third Reading Passed (128-0) (House)
- 2026-03-20: Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed (House)
- 2026-03-20: Favorable Report by Government, Labor, and Elections (House)
- 2026-01-28: Hearing 2/10 at 1:00 p.m. (House)
- 2026-01-14: First Reading Government, Labor, and Elections (House)
- 2025-10-01: Pre-filed (House)

## Bill text

- Enacted, 2026-05-12: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/Chapters_noln/CH_435_hb0264t.pdf)
- Third Reading, 2026-03-20: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0264t.pdf)
- First Reading, 2026-01-14: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0264f.pdf)

## Related bills

- SB 0496: Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Coverage for the Treatment of Obesity - Authorization (became law)
- SB 0366: Motor Vehicles - Intelligent Speed Assistance System Pilot Program - Establishment (became law)
- SB 0244: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program (became law)
- SB 0148: Income Tax - Credit for 9-1-1 Specialist Retirement Income (Supporting Our 9-1-1 Specialists Act) (became law)
- SB 0016: Child Support - Earnings Withholdings Limits (became law)
- HB 0529: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program (became law)

## Sources
- [Enacted (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/Chapters_noln/CH_435_hb0264t.pdf)
- [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0264t.pdf)
- [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0264f.pdf)

## Related
- [SB 0496: Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Coverage for the Treatment of Obesity - A…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0496-2026RS)
- [SB 0366: Motor Vehicles - Intelligent Speed Assistance System Pilot Program - Establishm…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0366-2026RS)
- [SB 0244: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0244-2026RS)
- [SB 0148: Income Tax - Credit for 9-1-1 Specialist Retirement Income (Supporting Our 9-1-…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0148-2026RS)
- [SB 0016: Child Support - Earnings Withholdings Limits](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0016-2026RS)
- [HB 0529: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0529-2026RS)
- [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-HB0264-2026RS (as of 2026-10-19).