MarylandHB 08952025 Regular SessionHouseWALLET

Employment and Insurance Equality for Service Members Act

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

17 provisions identified: 14 benefits, 2 costs, 1 mixed.

State veteran definition broadens program access

Beginning October 1, 2025, the law aligns uniformed-services terms across Maryland licensing, employment, insurance, business, and financial laws. State programs offering veterans benefits, rights, or privileges must include people meeting the State Government § 9-901 veteran definition. This definition governs who is included, but does not set a new payment amount.

Insurance protections after overseas military service

Insurers cannot deny, cancel, refuse renewal, or raise car or home insurance rates solely for specified overseas-service coverage gaps. This protection covers uniformed-services personnel returning from active duty overseas, unless the lapse began before the assignment. Home insurers also cannot take those actions solely because the member failed an occupancy requirement during the assignment. For that protection, the member must have taken reasonable steps to maintain and protect the property.

Faster licenses for military families

Maryland must issue expedited licenses within 60 days of a complete application from qualifying service members, veterans, and spouses. Applicants must meet Maryland licensing requirements and generally hold an out-of-state license in good standing for at least one year. Maryland duty-station or legal-residence requirements also apply to the applicant or their service-member spouse. Licensing units may grant temporary licenses when the out-of-state license has been held for less than one year. Units must count relevant active-service experience and substantially equivalent service training, unless the training conflicts with another licensing requirement.

License renewal relief for service members

Active-duty uniformed-services licensees receive the applicable license renewal fee exemption. Professional or trade renewal applications count as timely when filed within one year after active service ends. Licensing units may waive penalties and reinstatement fees when deployment outside Maryland directly causes late renewal. They may also allow extra time to finish required continuing education or competency work. Relevant service work or training can count toward legally required apprenticeships or preparation, with satisfactory proof of its time and nature.

More job help for military families

Employers may favor veterans, spouses of disabled veterans, active service members' spouses, and deceased veterans' surviving spouses in hiring or promotion. The veteran's disability must be service-connected; preferences are optional and do not violate state or local equal employment opportunity law. Spouses of active service members gain dislocated-worker status after job loss directly caused by a permanent duty-station move. Spouses also qualify after unpaid family care when unemployed or underemployed and struggling to find or improve work. That status opens access to employment services, subject to the program's requirements.

Unemployment protections for military households

Inactive-duty Guard or reserve training does not make an otherwise eligible claimant employed or unavailable for work. Training pay cannot reduce weekly unemployment benefits. Leaving work to follow a spouse's employer-required transfer can qualify as a valid reason for quitting. The spouse must serve in the uniformed services or hold a covered civilian role supporting uniformed-services operations. Other unemployment requirements still apply; quitting a part-time job also does not disqualify benefits tied to full-time employment.

No-interest loans for military-linked small businesses

Maryland's named military and veteran small-business fund supports no-interest loans to businesses employing or owned by reservists called to active duty. Small-business employers generally must average 50 or fewer employees on business days in the prior calendar year. Specified related businesses count as one employer; veteran-owned small businesses must be at least 51% veteran-owned. Commerce runs the program with veterans-agency consultation, and loans depend on available funds. Funding shortages trigger statutory priorities; Commerce must consider ways to maximize participation among veterans and reserve-component members. The fund is exempt from certain funding restrictions that apply to other funds.

Service-related long-term care exclusions allowed

Long-term care insurers may limit or exclude coverage for illnesses, treatments, or conditions arising from uniformed service or auxiliary-unit service. The law permits these exclusions but does not require insurers to use them. Affected policyholders can have less coverage for service-related care.

Leave benefits for military family needs

Beginning July 1, 2026, covered people may file paid-leave claims for next-of-kin care of service members with serious service-related conditions. Claims also cover qualifying deployment-related family needs, including child care, legal arrangements, counseling, and reintegration; certification is required. Employers cannot require workers to use paid time off before or during State benefits. Workers may use paid leave to bring wages up to 100% of their average weekly wage. Employers may require coordination with separate family, parental, service-leave, or disability policies, but cannot reduce eligible benefit weeks. Employees also may take leave on the day an immediate family member leaves for or returns from active duty abroad.

Deployed members gain protected-consumer status

Maryland adds active service members assigned away from their usual duty station to its protected-consumer categories. Those members gain access to protections tied to that status. The supplied provision does not describe the specific protections or their dollar value.

Optional utility waivers cover active service

A call to active uniformed service qualifies as an event covered by an optional utility-charge waiver agreement. The customer and utility must have an agreement stating which charges are waived and for how long. The law does not automatically cancel bills or require utilities to offer these agreements.

Service identification accepted in more transactions

Valid uniformed-services identification is recognized for check cashing and identifying sellers of precious-metal items. Precious-metal dealers must still check at least two forms of identification. Innkeepers may also require guests to present a valid uniformed-services identification card. These changes replace narrower military-identification references without changing check-cashing fees.

Insurance license relief for service members

Insurance producer applicants qualifying through armed-forces experience no longer face a one-year application deadline after discharge. Other licensing requirements remain. The Commissioner may waive reinstatement steps when uniformed service prevents compliance with renewal or reinstatement procedures. The Commissioner may limit the reinstatement fee to the renewal fee when delay results from service, incapacity, hospitalization, or hardship.

Mortgage license relief for military applicants

Maryland's financial regulator may waive or suspend mortgage loan originator requirements to speed license renewal or status changes. It may also speed licensing for qualifying applicants with valid out-of-state licenses. Applicants must still meet minimum federal licensing standards. Eligible veterans generally must have left active duty within one year before submitting their application, renewal, or status change. The law also covers specified surviving spouses.

Stronger safeguards against service-related misrepresentation

The law extends false-impersonation and unauthorized-insignia prohibitions to uniformed services. Insignia restrictions cover seeking aid or recognition, but not use allowed by the organization's rules. Commercial advertising using a member's name or image requires consent if the member died on duty within the past 50 years. Consent comes from the member or, after death, the surviving spouse, personal representative, or a majority of heirs. Violations of that advertising rule carry up to a $2,500 fine, one year in prison, or both.

Older service associations gain insurance exemption

The law extends an insurance-law exemption to qualifying uniformed-services associations organized before 1880. Their main purpose must be providing insurance and other benefits to members and their dependents or beneficiaries. Membership must consist of qualifying regular or reserve personnel who are active, retired, or honorably discharged. The provision states no direct change to household premiums or benefits.

Active-duty members face insurance requirements

Active-duty uniformed-services members must meet Insurance Article § 20-502 requirements despite otherwise falling within its subsection (c)(1) exception. The supplied provision does not describe those requirements. It therefore does not establish a specific household charge or coverage effect.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

Mike Rogers
Democratic • House

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 179 • No: 0

Senate vote • 4/3/2025

Third Reading Passed

Yes: 47 • No: 0

House vote • 2/25/2025