# Maryland HB 0475: Transportation Equality for Service Members Act Maryland HB 0475, Transportation Equality for Service Members Act, is a 2025 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Nick Allen (Democratic); status signed, last action 2025-05-06 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 263); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0475-2025RS - 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 0475 - State: Maryland - Session: 2025 Regular Session - Title: Transportation Equality for Service Members Act - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-01-20 - Last action: 2025-05-06, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 263 - Sponsor: Nick Allen (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 6 - Subjects: State Government - Agencies, Offices, and Officials, Vehicle Laws - Miscellaneous, Armed Forces -see also- Military Department; Veterans, Federal Government, License Plates -see also- Motor Vehicle Registration, Motor Vehicle Administration, Rules and Regulations, Transportation -see also- Aircraft; Airports; Boats; etc, Veterans - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (181 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 7 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Vehicle tax relief for service members: benefit, high. Beginning October 1, 2025, qualifying service members avoid Maryland’s vehicle excise tax when Maryland issues an original title. The owner must be an active service member or a service member returning to Maryland from active duty. The current owner must have previously titled and registered the v… - Emissions inspection relief for deployed members: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, vehicles with an active-duty uniformed service member as an owner qualify for scheduled emissions inspection exemptions. The member must be on active duty at the scheduled inspection. A member-owner must have official deployment orders outside the United States or to a du… - License protections for service families away: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, active-duty uniformed service members and their dependents can drive using their legal home state’s license. Drivers must carry that license, and it must cover the vehicle class they drive. Maryland licenses also stay valid while members are away on active service and dep… - Longer identification renewals for service families: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, Maryland’s Motor Vehicle Administration can grant temporary identification card renewals lasting up to 2 extra years. Active service members, their spouses, and their dependents are eligible. Required federal documents must be on file, and the card must have been issued f… - More special plates for service members: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, special plates expand to recipients of the highest-level non-combat medals from the uniformed services. Qualifying individually earned combat medals from the armed forces and veteran status under Maryland’s state definition also support eligibility. Applicants must provid… - Parking placard access for service households: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, temporary disability parking placard eligibility expands to cover uniformed service members stationed in Maryland. The person with the qualifying disability must be serving in the uniformed services and stationed in Maryland. That person can be the applicant, the applican… - Service members avoid duplicate vehicle registration: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, qualifying nonresident uniformed service members do not need Maryland registration for their personal passenger vehicle. They must serve on active duty in Maryland, an adjoining state, or the District of Columbia. The vehicle must be registered in the member’s state of re… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Nick Allen (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Michele Guyton (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Anne Healey (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Robbyn Lewis (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Sheila Ruth (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Dana Stein (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Todd B. Morgan (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-03 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 44 | 0 | 2 | | 2025-03-17 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 137 | 0 | 1 | ## Actions (13) - 2025-05-06: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 263 - 2025-04-03: Returned Passed (House) - 2025-04-03: Third Reading Passed (44-0) (Senate) - 2025-03-31: Second Reading Passed (Senate) - 2025-03-31: Favorable Adopted (Senate) - 2025-03-31: Favorable Report by Judicial Proceedings (Senate) - 2025-03-17: Referred Judicial Proceedings Education, Energy, and the Environment (Senate) - 2025-03-17: Third Reading Passed (137-0) (House) - 2025-03-14: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (House) - 2025-03-14: Favorable with Amendments {693627/1 Adopted (House) - 2025-03-14: Favorable with Amendments Report by Environment and Transportation (House) - 2025-01-22: Hearing 2/06 at 1:00 p.m. (House) - 2025-01-20: First Reading Environment and Transportation (House) ## Bill text - Enacted, 2025-05-06: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/Chapters_noln/CH_263_hb0475t.pdf) - Third Reading, 2025-03-14: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0475t.pdf) - First Reading, 2025-01-20: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0475f.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_263_hb0475t.pdf) - [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0475t.pdf) - [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0475f.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-HB0475-2025RS (as of 2026-10-17).