# Maryland HB 0600: Educational Equality for Service Members Act Maryland HB 0600, Educational Equality for Service Members Act, is a 2025 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Edith J. Patterson (Democratic); status signed, last action 2025-05-06 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 256); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0600-2025RS - 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 0600 - State: Maryland - Session: 2025 Regular Session - Title: Educational Equality for Service Members Act - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-01-23 - Last action: 2025-05-06, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 256 - Sponsor: Edith J. Patterson (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 15 - Subjects: Education - Miscellaneous, State Government - Agencies, Offices, and Officials, Armed Forces -see also- Military Department; Veterans, Certifications, Community Colleges, Education -see also- ContEd; DrvEd; HigherEd; etc., Forms, Higher Education -see also- Comm Colleges; Med Schools; etc., Licenses -see also- AB Lic; Certifications; DrLic; Permits, Military Families, Rules and Regulations, Safety -see also- Occupational Safety, Scholarships and Student Financial Aid, Veterans - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (183 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 12 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Broader conflict scholarships for military families: benefit, high. The Afghanistan and Iraq conflict scholarship covers qualifying veterans, active service members, activated reservists, and specified children, stepchildren, and spouses. Applicants must live in Maryland and be accepted or enrolled in an eligible undergraduate or two-year terminal certificate progr… - Broader Conroy scholarships for service families: benefit, high. The Conroy Memorial Scholarship covers qualifying uniformed-services personnel and dependents, alongside other eligible groups. Covered groups include children, including stepchildren, and surviving spouses of members who died from military service after December 7, 1941. Eligibility also includes… - Lower college tuition for military families: benefit, high. Eligible military families and veterans are exempt from nonresident tuition at Maryland public colleges. Active service members must meet Maryland stationing, residence, or legal-home requirements. Spouses and financially dependent children must document enrollment or acceptance while the member me… - Easier school moves for military children: benefit, medium. School-age natural, step, adopted, or financially dependent children of active service members relocating on official orders can apply before establishing county residence. Families must provide dependency records, relocation orders, and allowed county housing proof within 10 days of the published… - Faster teacher licensing for military households: benefit, medium. Maryland must speed educator license applications for active service members, eligible veterans, and eligible spouses, including certain surviving spouses. Veterans must have been discharged within one year before applying. Applicants need a valid out-of-state educator license in good standing, mus… - Military training counts for emergency credentials: benefit, medium. Maryland's Emergency Medical Services Board must count active service members' relevant work experience toward licensing or certification requirements. It must also credit military training or education that it finds substantially equivalent to required training. That credit must be consistent with… - More education time during military duty: benefit, medium. Qualified prepaid college beneficiaries get extra time to use contract benefits equal to time spent on active uniformed-services duty. Maryland's student aid office must also defer covered service obligations for active service members assigned outside Maryland and their spouses. This includes the… - Broader service definitions guide benefit access: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, Maryland standardizes service-member and military-family definitions, using federal meanings for uniformed services and reserve components. Active service includes reservists on active-duty orders; military families include spouses and dependent children related by blood, ma… - Program access for recently discharged graduates: benefit, low. A program's discharge category includes applicants honorably discharged from the uniformed services or reserves within 18 months before applying. Applicants must also live in Maryland and have graduated from a public or private nonprofit college. The provided text does not name the program or state… - Disability employee status covers military discharges: benefit, low. The qualified-employee-with-a-disability definition includes people discharged or released from active uniformed-services duty because of a service-connected disability. Maryland's Department of Labor makes that determination in consultation with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The provide… - Return-to-work protections for school employees: benefit, low. Maryland county school boards must follow the state's employee return-from-uniformed-service requirements. Covered school employees returning from service receive those job protections. - Military scholarships travel, with award limits: mixed, medium. Active service members whose legal home is Maryland can use Subtitle 5 scholarships at accredited schools outside Maryland. Eligible schools include undergraduate, graduate, and professional institutions. For senatorial scholarships, Maryland legal-home status also provides an eligibility path for… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Edith J. Patterson (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Gabriel Acevero (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Nick Allen (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Attar - Cosponsor: Jason C. Buckel (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Jon S. Cardin (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Michele Guyton (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Harris - Cosponsor: Susan K. McComas (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Cheryl E. Pasteur (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: N. Scott Phillips (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Andrew C. Pruski (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: April Rose (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Deni Taveras (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Nicole A. Williams (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Greg Wims (Democratic), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-03 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 46 | 0 | 1 | | 2025-03-17 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 137 | 0 | 1 | ## Actions (12) - 2025-05-06: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 256 - 2025-04-04: Returned Passed (House) - 2025-04-03: Third Reading Passed (46-0) (Senate) - 2025-04-02: Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed (Senate) - 2025-03-31: Favorable Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment (Senate) - 2025-03-17: Referred 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 {243529/1 Adopted (House) - 2025-03-14: Favorable with Amendments Report by Ways and Means (House) - 2025-01-29: Hearing 2/12 at 1:00 p.m. (Ways and Means) (House) - 2025-01-23: First Reading Ways and Means and Appropriations (House) ## Bill text - Enacted, 2025-05-06: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/Chapters_noln/CH_256_hb0600t.pdf) - Third Reading, 2025-03-14: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0600t.pdf) - First Reading, 2025-01-23: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0600f.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_256_hb0600t.pdf) - [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0600t.pdf) - [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0600f.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-HB0600-2025RS (as of 2026-10-17).