# Maryland HB 0699: General Provisions - Veterans Benefits - Honorable Discharge

Maryland HB 0699, General Provisions - Veterans Benefits - Honorable Discharge, is a 2025 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Nick Allen (Democratic); status signed, last action 2025-05-06 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 270); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0699-2025RS
- 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 0699
- State: Maryland
- Session: 2025 Regular Session
- Title: General Provisions - Veterans Benefits - Honorable Discharge
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-01-24
- Last action: 2025-05-06, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 270
- Sponsor: Nick Allen (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 35
- Subjects: State Government - Regulations and Procedures, Armed Forces -see also- Military Department; Veterans, Injury, Medical Conditions -see also- AIDS; COVID-19; rabies, Medical Testing and Diagnosis, Mental and Behavioral Health -see also- Aut; Cogn; Dev; etc., Public Benefits -see also- FoodStmps; Housing; MedAsst, Sexual Matters, Sexual Offenses, Sexual Orientation, Veterans
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 3 (318 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 1

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- More Maryland veterans qualify for benefits: benefit, high. Beginning October 1, 2025, Maryland counts more discharges as honorable for all state veterans' benefits, rights, and privileges. This includes less-than-honorable discharges solely because of sexual orientation or gender identity. It also covers discharges for related statements or consensual acts…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Nick Allen (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Tiffany T. Alston (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Heather Bagnall (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Harry Bhandari (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Regina T. Boyce (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Brian Chisholm (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Bonnie Cullison (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Dana Jones (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Eric Ebersole (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Kris Fair (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Catherine M. Forbes (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Michele Guyton (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: Nicholaus R. Kipke (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Lesley J. Lopez (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Matthew Morgan (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Ashanti Martinez (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Aletheia McCaskill (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Robbyn Lewis (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Teresa E. Reilly (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Mike Rogers (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Samuel I. Rosenberg (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Kim Ross (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Steve Johnson (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Dana Stein (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Kathy Szeliga (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Deni Taveras (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Joe Vogel (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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-04-07 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 139 | 0 | 1 |
| 2025-04-05 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 41 | 0 | 1 |
| 2025-03-12 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 138 | 0 | 3 |

## Actions (15)

- 2025-05-06: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 270
- 2025-04-07: Passed Enrolled (House)
- 2025-04-07: Third Reading Passed (139-0) (House)
- 2025-04-07: House Concurs Senate Amendments (House)
- 2025-04-05: Third Reading Passed (41-0) (Senate)
- 2025-04-05: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (Senate)
- 2025-04-05: Favorable with Amendments {473327/1 Adopted (Senate)
- 2025-04-05: Favorable with Amendments Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment (Senate)
- 2025-03-12: Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment (Senate)
- 2025-03-12: Third Reading Passed (138-0) (House)
- 2025-03-11: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (House)
- 2025-03-11: Favorable with Amendments {653423/1 Adopted (House)
- 2025-03-10: Favorable with Amendments Report by Health and Government Operations (House)
- 2025-01-29: Hearing 2/25 at 1:00 p.m. (House)
- 2025-01-24: First Reading Health and Government Operations (House)

## Bill text

- Enacted, 2025-05-06: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/Chapters_noln/CH_270_hb0699e.pdf)
- Enrolled, 2025-04-07: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0699e.pdf)
- Third Reading, 2025-03-11: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0699t.pdf)
- First Reading, 2025-01-24: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0699f.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_270_hb0699e.pdf)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0699e.pdf)
- [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0699t.pdf)
- [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0699f.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-HB0699-2025RS (as of 2026-10-17).