# Maryland HB 0776: Maryland Medical Practice Act and Maryland Physician Assistants Act - Revisions Maryland HB 0776, Maryland Medical Practice Act and Maryland Physician Assistants Act - Revisions, is a 2025 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk (Democratic); status signed, last action 2025-05-20 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 676); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0776-2025RS - 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 0776 - State: Maryland - Session: 2025 Regular Session - Title: Maryland Medical Practice Act and Maryland Physician Assistants Act - Revisions - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-01-29 - Last action: 2025-05-20, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 676 - Sponsor: Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 23 - Subjects: Health Occupations, Certifications, Civil Offenses, Committees and Commissions, Comptroller, Contracts -see also- Procurement, Discipline, Disclosure, Education -see also- ContEd; DrvEd; HigherEd; etc., Ethics, Fines -see also- Penalties and Sentences, Genetics, Health -see also- COVID19; EnvHlth; MedCon; etc., Health Care Facilities -see also- Clinics; Hospices; etc, Health Occupations -see also- (specific health occupations), Hearings, Hospitals -see also- Clinics; State Hospitals, Injury, International Affairs, Internet -see also- Internet Access, Investigations and Inquiries -see also- Crim Bckgrnd Invest, Job Training -see also- Continuing Ed; Vocational Rehab, Language -see also- Communications; Literacy, Liability, Licenses -see also- AB Lic; Certifications; DrLic; Permits, Medical Malpractice, Medical Treatments, Meetings -see also- Hearings; Open Government, Mental and Behavioral Health -see also- Aut; Cogn; Dev; etc., Notices, Patients, Penalties and Sentences -see also- Death Penalty, Physician Assistants, Physicians -see also- MedExmnrs; Pediatr; Psychiatrists etc., Public Information, Records -see also- Land Records; Vital Records, Rehabilitation, Reports, Rules and Regulations, Safety -see also- Occupational Safety, Standards and Best Practices, Subpoenas, Substance Abuse Treatment, Termination of Employment, Work, Labor, and Employment -see also- JobTrn; Leave; etc. - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (182 yes, 1 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 43 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Federal health workers get state exemptions: benefit, medium. Beginning October 1, 2025, federal physician assistants can practice without a Maryland license within their federal jobs. Federal sleep-study technologists are also exempt from state licensing requirements for that work. Federal athletic trainers and perfusionists are exempt from their professions… - Loan repayment help for primary-care providers: benefit, medium. Beginning October 1, 2025, Board fees provide $400,000 for loan repayment grants when the Governor’s budget includes less than $400,000. A related funding rule for fiscal year 2023 and later also requires that permanent program funding is not in place. Eligible providers include primary-care physic… - Some license penalties have lower caps: benefit, medium. The Board’s maximum administrative penalty for three listed violations falls from $25,000 to $15,000. These include failing to provide all subpoenaed documents and dispensing drugs without proper authority under a valid dispensing permit. The lower cap also covers failing to complete a supplemental… - Missed licensing notices avoid automatic penalties: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, failure to give notice required by section 14-505 no longer automatically triggers a civil penalty. A penalty remains possible, but it cannot exceed $100 per violation. - Health license applicants gain list privacy: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, the Board of Physicians cannot release lists of people applying for licenses. This protects applicant lists, not every record about an applicant. Other disclosures allowed by the law remain available. - Physician assistant teams gain simpler procedures: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, physician assistant teams document physician additions or removals immediately in their workplace collaboration agreement. This replaces the prior Board-notification process for those team changes. When the Board modifies advanced-duty approval because an assistant lacks… - Physician assistants get simpler practice notices: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, physician assistants can practice after notifying the Board of an executed collaboration agreement through its approved process. The notice no longer needs to list every patient care team physician. License applicants can also use education accredited by the Accreditation… - Rehabilitation help reaches more health professionals: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, the Board of Physicians’ rehabilitation program covers impaired allied health professionals as well as physicians. It evaluates and helps professionals whom the Board directs to receive treatment and rehabilitation. The Board or a contracted nonprofit runs the program, us… - Respiratory practitioners get narrower regulatory exposure: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, federal respiratory care practitioners receive the licensing exception only while working within their federal duties. Listed discipline grounds require willful rather than merely knowing conduct, including misrepresentation, unauthorized practice, false fees, and failure… - Treatment can spare practitioners employer reports: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, employers can withhold otherwise-required impairment reports about physicians and respiratory care practitioners receiving qualifying substance-use treatment. Care must come through a Joint Commission-accredited program, a Department-certified program, or a practitioner c… - Federal health workers receive state exemptions: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, federal naturopathic doctors and genetic counselors are exempt from their respective Maryland professional rules. The exemptions apply only while they practice within the scope of their federal jobs. They do not cover work outside that federal employment. - Licensees get verification and address privacy: benefit, low. The Board must issue professional-standing certificates and license-status verifications for licensees to use in another jurisdiction. It must also keep a public list of current licensees. Licensees can provide a separate nonpublic address in addition to their public address. The Board cannot relea… - Faster medical reviews and facility warnings: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, contracted peer reviews are due in 60 days instead of 90. Requested extensions are limited to 20 days instead of 30; the Board can replace reviewers after 60 or 80 days. Facility disclosure rules extend across covered licensees, including complaints warranting disclosure,… - Medical discipline targets unsafe and obstructive conduct: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, physician discipline separately addresses professional, physical, and mental incompetence. Physicians and physician assistants can face discipline for patterns of excessive or medically unnecessary care. Willfully failing to report suspected child abuse as required by law… - Medical panels gain tools against unsafe practice: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, disciplinary panels can order unauthorized practitioners to stop or seek court orders against their practice. This includes practicing without a license or with an unauthorized person. Panels can also act against listed misconduct posing serious patient risks when evidenc… - Patients get public provider discipline notices: benefit, low. The Board must post when it files charges against a licensee or issues an initial license denial. Profiles must explain that charges are not a final finding of guilt. Each naturopathic licensee gets an online profile with a public address, specified charges, and the last 10 years of discipline. The… - Health advisory committees get defined duties: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, naturopathic medicine, genetic counseling, and physician assistant committees must recommend regulations and legal changes. They must also keep meeting records and can advise the Board on professional practice. The physician assistant committee must recommend licensing de… - Radiation advisers must recommend practice rules: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, the radiation professions advisory committee must develop and recommend regulations and keep meeting records. Its work covers radiation therapy, radiography, nuclear medicine technology, and radiology assistance, including related statutory changes. The Board or a discipl… - Genetic counselors lose experience-based licensing path: cost, medium. Beginning October 1, 2025, genetic counselor applicants must be at least 18 and of good moral character. They must graduate from a Board-approved program, hold approved national certification, and complete a criminal history check. Additional Board education, training, or exam requirements also app… - Medical professionals face updated license deadlines: cost, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, the Board sets covered physician license expiration and renewal terms, replacing the fixed two-year schedule. Physicians renewing must remain eligible and of good moral character, apply, pay the fee, and show education or competency compliance. The Board can add renewal r… - Physician assistants must document prescribing qualifications: cost, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, physicians can delegate prescribing, dispensing, or administering authority only with required collaboration-agreement terms and attestations. This covers controlled substances, prescription drugs, and medical devices. The assistant needs a bachelor’s degree or equivalent… - Physicians must maintain compact license eligibility: cost, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, an expedited interstate compact license ends if a physician fails to maintain their principal-state license for nondisciplinary reasons. Termination applies when the physician also fails to designate a new principal state. - Employers face limits on unlicensed healthcare work: cost, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, employers cannot hire unlicensed radiation, sleep-testing, perfusion, or genetic counseling practitioners unless a legal exception applies. Physicians also face perfusion employment and supervision limits; physicians and genetic counselors face similar genetic counseling… - Patients face narrower malpractice settlement notices: cost, low. The Board’s public malpractice notice raises its settlement threshold from $150,000 to $1 million. The notice tells people they can contact the Board about a licensee’s settlement history. The inquiry covers three or more reported settlements meeting that threshold during the most recent five years… - Health reporting violations bring higher fines: cost, low. Physician reporting violations carry up to $10,000 for knowing failure to report, up from $5,000. Bad-faith employer reports under those rules can bring up to $10,000 per incident. Another covered reporting rule raises the knowing-failure maximum from $1,000 to $5,000 and allows $5,000 per bad-fait… - Medical employers face ten-day reporting deadlines: cost, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, employers must report covered actions involving physicians or respiratory care practitioners within 10 days. Covered actions affect privileges, employment, or practice and relate to possible discipline, misconduct, unsafe practice, or danger to patients. Physician reports… - Medical oversight carries stronger enforcement: cost, low. Willfully giving false information to a disciplinary panel is grounds for professional discipline, including for physician assistants beginning October 1, 2025. A conviction for blocking authorized Board entry carries a $1,000 misdemeanor fine, replacing a maximum fine of $100. Entry must be necess… - Perfusionist employers face stronger reporting rules: cost, low. Employers must report specified actions against licensed perfusionists when the reasons may support discipline. These include practice restrictions, involuntary terminations, and resignation requests tied to conduct or an investigation. The maximum penalty for knowingly failing to report rises from… - Tougher hiring rules for medical employers: cost, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, employers generally cannot employ unlicensed physician assistants, expanding the ban beyond previously listed facilities and systems. Licensed physicians also cannot employ assistants who lack a license or have not given required Board notice. Employers cannot hire people… - Unlawful health employment brings higher fines: cost, low. Employers and physicians cannot employ or supervise unlicensed respiratory care practitioners unless a statutory exception applies. The maximum civil fine rises from $1,000 to $5,000, and the prohibition extends to employers generally. Beginning October 1, 2025, the maximum fine for violating physi… - Updated requirements for sleep-testing professionals: cost, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, licensed sleep technologists must report name or address changes in writing within 30 days. The law repeals an old education waiver tied to meeting licensing requirements by September 30, 2013, including its extension process. All seven Polysomnography Advisory Committee… - Naturopathic care requires physician collaboration: mixed, medium. Naturopathic doctors need a license and a written collaboration and consultation agreement with a Maryland-licensed physician. Agreements identify the physician and provide for referrals and consultations; the naturopathic doctor must inform the named physician. Patients must sign consent acknowled… - Doctors face English tests with accommodations: mixed, medium. Medical license applicants must show they can speak and write in English. Licensees facing disciplinary charges or action involving English communication must pass a Board-approved test of both skills. The Board must develop a testing procedure for people whose speech impairment prevents them from… - Medical applicants get revised entry rules: mixed, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, supervised medical graduates can qualify by passing Parts 1 and 2 of either specified licensing exam. The exams are the United States Medical Licensing Examination and the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States. Medical applicants mus… - Medical licensing fees must track costs: mixed, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, the Board of Physicians can set reasonable licensing and service fees to cover its costs. Fee revenue must cover documented direct and indirect duties related to the payer’s practitioner type. The law sets no new fee amount. - Returning physicians face reinstatement requirements: mixed, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, physicians returning from lapsed, inactive, or emeritus status must apply, pay, and meet renewal and reinstatement requirements. The Board can add reinstatement requirements. Applicants seeking reinstatement pay for Board-ordered exams; the Board pays for current licensee… - Health employers face reporting duties and protections: mixed, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, employers must report covered safety-related restrictions, job actions, and resignation requests involving specified licensed health professionals. These rules cover radiation, sleep-testing, athletic training, perfusion, naturopathic medicine, and genetic counseling. Rep… - Narrower health misdemeanors, added radiation fines: mixed, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, the law narrows misdemeanor coverage in radiation, sleep-testing, and genetic counseling law. The stated misdemeanor rules no longer cover the separate employment bans for unlicensed sleep technologists and genetic counselors. Those employment bans remain in place. Radiat… - Physician assistant oversight requirements are removed: mixed, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, team physicians no longer must report prescribing-authority restrictions or removal within five business days under this provision. The law removes this section’s authority for certain physician assistant investigations, unannounced office inspections, and entry for inves… - Physician reports stay private with exceptions: mixed, low. Reports under the physician and physician assistant reporting rules are privileged and closed to public inspection. They are generally protected from subpoenas and discovery in civil cases. This protects report confidentiality but limits access for the public and people bringing civil claims. An ex… - Revised discipline rules for health professionals: mixed, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, the law revises discipline rules for radiation, sleep-testing, athletic training, perfusion, naturopathic medicine, and genetic counseling professionals. Grounds include immoral or unprofessional conduct and professional, physical, or mental inability to practice competen… - Physician assistant employers face reporting deadlines: mixed, low. Beginning October 1, 2025, employers must report covered physician assistant work restrictions tied to discipline, misconduct, unsafe practice, or patient danger. Reports must explain the action, reasons, and investigation steps; deadlines generally are 10 days, or five days after employment termin… - Respiratory employers face protected reporting duties: mixed, low. Employers must report specified restrictions, terminations, or resignation requests involving respiratory care practitioners when reasons may support discipline. This duty belongs to employers, not practitioners. The Board can subpoena records and extend reporting deadlines for good cause; reports… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk (Democratic), 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: Nicholaus R. Kipke (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Lesley J. Lopez (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Matthew Morgan (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Ashanti Martinez (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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-02 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 46 | 0 | 1 | | 2025-03-17 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 136 | 1 | 1 | ## Actions (12) - 2025-05-20: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 676 - 2025-04-02: Returned Passed (House) - 2025-04-02: Third Reading Passed (46-0) (Senate) - 2025-03-28: Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed (Senate) - 2025-03-27: Favorable Report by Finance (Senate) - 2025-03-17: Referred Finance (Senate) - 2025-03-17: Third Reading Passed (136-1) (House) - 2025-03-15: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (House) - 2025-03-15: Favorable with Amendments {353524/1 Adopted (House) - 2025-03-15: Favorable with Amendments Report by Health and Government Operations (House) - 2025-01-29: Hearing 2/25 at 1:00 p.m. (House) - 2025-01-29: First Reading Health and Government Operations (House) ## Bill text - Enacted, 2025-05-20: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/Chapters_noln/CH_676_hb0776t.pdf) - Third Reading, 2025-03-15: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0776t.pdf) - First Reading, 2025-01-29: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0776f.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_676_hb0776t.pdf) - [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0776t.pdf) - [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0776f.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-HB0776-2025RS (as of 2026-10-17).