# Maryland HB 0493: Washington County - Judgeships - District Court

Maryland HB 0493, Washington County - Judgeships - District Court, 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 474) (as of 2026-10-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0493-2026RS
- As of: 2026-10-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Maryland HB 0493
- State: Maryland
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Washington County - Judgeships - District Court
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-27
- Last action: 2026-05-12, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 474
- Sponsors: no sponsor on record
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Courts and Court Personnel - Statewide, Circuit Courts, District Courts, Judges, St. Mary's County, Washington County
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 3 (309 yes, 7 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 1

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- More local District Court judges: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, District Court District 11 has six associate judges, up from five. Three judges are appointed from Frederick County and three from Washington County. This expands court capacity for residents in both counties.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- (none)

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-04-13 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 126 | 7 | 7 |
| 2026-04-13 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 45 | 0 | 1 |
| 2026-03-23 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 138 | 0 | 2 |

## Actions (18)

- 2026-05-12: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 474
- 2026-04-13: Passed Enrolled (House)
- 2026-04-13: Third Reading Passed (126-7) (House)
- 2026-04-13: House Concurs Senate Amendments (House)
- 2026-04-13: Third Reading Passed (45-0) (Senate)
- 2026-04-13: Motion Rules Suspend Two Readings Same Day Const/Rule 24 (Senator Smith) Adopted (Senate)
- 2026-04-13: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (Senate)
- 2026-04-13: Favorable with Amendments {663321/1 Adopted (Senate)
- 2026-04-13: Favorable with Amendments Report by Judicial Proceedings (Senate)
- 2026-04-09: Motion Recommit to Committee (Senator Smith) Adopted (Senate)
- 2026-04-09: Favorable (Senate)
- 2026-04-09: Favorable Report by Judicial Proceedings (Senate)
- 2026-03-23: Referred Judicial Proceedings (Senate)
- 2026-03-23: Third Reading Passed (138-0) (House)
- 2026-03-21: Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed (House)
- 2026-03-21: Favorable Report by Judiciary (House)
- 2026-01-29: Hearing 2/18 at 1:00 p.m. (House)
- 2026-01-27: First Reading Judiciary (House)

## Bill text

- Enacted, 2026-05-12: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/Chapters_noln/CH_474_hb0493e.pdf)
- Enrolled, 2026-04-13: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0493e.pdf)
- Third Reading, 2026-03-21: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0493t.pdf)
- First Reading, 2026-01-27: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0493f.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_474_hb0493e.pdf)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0493e.pdf)
- [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0493t.pdf)
- [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb0493f.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-HB0493-2026RS (as of 2026-10-11).