# Maryland HB 0466: Health Equality for Service Members Act Maryland HB 0466, Health Equality for Service Members Act, is a 2025 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Nicholaus R. Kipke (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-05-06 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 259); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0466-2025RS - 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 0466 - State: Maryland - Session: 2025 Regular Session - Title: Health Equality for Service Members Act - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-01-20 - Last action: 2025-05-06, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 259 - Sponsor: Nicholaus R. Kipke (Republican) - Cosponsors: 23 - Subjects: State Government - Agencies, Offices, and Officials, Public Health, Health Occupations, Housing and Community Development, Armed Forces -see also- Military Department; Veterans, Discipline, Health -see also- COVID19; EnvHlth; MedCon; etc., Health, Department of, Health Occupations -see also- (specific health occupations), Housing -see also- Apartments; Condos; Mobile & Manuf Homes, Licenses -see also- AB Lic; Certifications; DrLic; Permits, Reports, Rules and Regulations, Veterans - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (183 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 14 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Military dependents keep service waiting-list spots: benefit, high. Beginning October 1, 2025, eligible military dependents keep covered service eligibility and waiting-list spots during out-of-state uniformed-services assignments. This includes home- and community-based waivers and other covered services. The service member must keep Maryland as their main home, h… - Veterans get temporary behavioral health care: benefit, medium. Beginning October 1, 2025, Maryland provides statewide behavioral health care coordination and resource information for eligible veteran residents. The state also provides or funds short-term care when veterans cannot immediately access U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs care. Care depends on avai… - Veteran families get equal housing priority: benefit, medium. Beginning October 1, 2025, Maryland’s housing department and public housing agencies must give veteran families equal priority for rental assistance. This covers housing vouchers and housing assistance payments. Equal priority also applies to families with children under 18, foster children ages 18… - Active duty supports child caregiver affidavits: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, a parent or guardian’s active uniformed-services assignment counts as a serious hardship for informal kinship-care affidavits. The child must live with the person signing because of that hardship. The signer must be over 18 and able to testify to the affidavit’s contents. - Free vital records for military members: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, Maryland’s health department cannot charge current or former uniformed-services members for vital-record copies. Surviving spouses and children also get free copies when used for a claim involving the member’s dependent or beneficiary. - Service members’ chosen representatives handle remains: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, Maryland recognizes the designated person’s authority to direct disposition when someone dies while serving in the uniformed services. The designation must appear on the military Record of Emergency Data, DD Form 93, or its replacement. That person can serve as the author… - Deployment can excuse late license renewal: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, Maryland health boards may allow late renewal without a penalty or reinstatement fee. The license or certificate holder’s uniformed-services deployment outside the United States or its territories must directly cause the delay. Boards may also allow continuing education,… - Faster health licensing for military families: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, health boards must identify eligible military applicants, assign advisors, speed applications, and publish guidance. Applicants who meet credential requirements must receive their license, certificate, or registration within 15 business days of a complete application. Eli… - Military experience helps unlock health licenses: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, Maryland health boards must count active service members’ relevant experience toward required years of practice. Boards must also credit uniformed-services training and education they find substantially equivalent, unless another licensing requirement prevents it. The opt… - Care facilities must record veteran status: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, hospitals, related institutions, and mental health outpatient clinics must record patients’ uniformed-services veteran status at admission. The information goes in the medical record. This requirement does not itself provide extra care or a payment. - Community care grants support military families: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, the Sheila E. Hixson program offers competitive matching grants to local nonprofits. Grants support new or expanded behavioral health programs for active service members, veterans, and their families. Nonprofits must have a mission serving behavioral health needs or milit… - Veteran care facilities get approval exemption: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, qualifying comprehensive-care facilities are exempt from Maryland’s certificate-of-need approval requirement. Facilities must limit admissions to people meeting residency rules set by the Department of Veterans and Military Families. Covered groups include veterans discha… - Shared veteran definition governs state benefits: mixed, medium. Beginning October 1, 2025, Maryland uses a shared state-law definition of veteran for state veteran benefits, rights, and privileges. That definition replaces the prior specific inclusion described in the provision. The change can affect who qualifies; it is not a blanket promise of broader eligibi… - Health professionals face broader discipline checks: mixed, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, Maryland health boards may deny credentials or discipline professionals based on military or Veterans Affairs discipline. The underlying conduct must also justify discipline under Maryland licensing law. Visiting physicians licensed and living elsewhere may practice witho… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Nicholaus R. Kipke (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Tiffany T. Alston (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Heather Bagnall (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Harry Bhandari (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Brian Chisholm (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Bonnie Cullison (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Pam Lanman Guzzone (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Terri L. Hill (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Thomas S. Hutchinson (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Anne R. Kaiser (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Kenneth Kerr (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Lesley J. Lopez (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Matthew Morgan (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Ashanti Martinez (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Teresa E. Reilly (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Samuel I. Rosenberg (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Kim Ross (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Steve Johnson (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Kathy Szeliga (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Deni Taveras (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Jennifer White Holland (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Jamila J. Woods (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Teresa Woorman (Democratic), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-03 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 46 | 0 | | | 2025-03-11 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 137 | 0 | 2 | ## Actions (13) - 2025-05-06: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 259 - 2025-04-03: Returned Passed (House) - 2025-04-03: Third Reading Passed (46-0) (Senate) - 2025-04-02: Second Reading Passed (Senate) - 2025-04-02: Favorable Adopted (Senate) - 2025-03-31: Favorable Report by Finance (Senate) - 2025-03-12: Referred Finance Education, Energy, and the Environment (Senate) - 2025-03-11: Third Reading Passed (137-0) (House) - 2025-03-11: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (House) - 2025-03-11: Favorable with Amendments {573225/1 Adopted (House) - 2025-03-10: Favorable with Amendments Report by Health and Government Operations (House) - 2025-01-21: Hearing 2/11 at 1:00 p.m. (House) - 2025-01-20: First Reading Health and Government Operations (House) ## Bill text - Enacted, 2025-05-06: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/Chapters_noln/CH_259_hb0466t.pdf) - Third Reading, 2025-03-11: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0466t.pdf) - First Reading, 2025-01-20: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0466f.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_259_hb0466t.pdf) - [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0466t.pdf) - [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0466f.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-HB0466-2025RS (as of 2026-10-17).