MarylandHB 10122026 Regular SessionHouse

Public Health - Local Suicide Fatality Review Teams - Authorization

How does this bill affect your finances?

Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.

Maryland communities can form suicide review teams

Beginning October 1, 2026, Maryland counties and municipalities can create teams to review suicide deaths and recommend prevention steps. Teams can review deaths of county residents or deaths occurring in the county. Communities forming joint teams must sign an agreement covering membership, staffing, and operations. Each team must elect a chair and meet at least quarterly. Required members or their representatives include health, social services, behavioral health, school, law enforcement, emergency medical, hospital, and mental health professionals. The county health officer appoints a public member with suicide prevention expertise and any additional members the team needs. Teams identify gaps in care, improve coordination and investigations, and recommend changes to laws, policies, and practices. They must collect required data and provide requested case reports, coordination reports, reports on action taken on recommendations, and recommendations to local and state entities. Teams must coordinate with child and overdose death review teams and the State Suicide Fatality Review Committee, following state and national standards and state guidance. Child death review teams keep the lead role for suicides involving people under 18 and can conduct joint reviews.

Suicide reviews protect privacy and restrict access

Beginning October 1, 2026, local suicide review meetings close during individual case discussions and are exempt from Maryland's Open Meetings Act. Other meetings remain open and subject to that law. Public meetings cannot identify deceased people, suicide attempt survivors, family members, guardians, caretakers, or people convicted of crimes related to a death. They also cannot reveal agencies' involvement with those people. Team records are confidential, exempt from public records requests, and generally unavailable through court discovery or as evidence. Disclosure is allowed when needed for the team's duties. Members, attendees, and information providers generally cannot be compelled to answer questions in civil or criminal cases about meeting information or opinions. Records available elsewhere do not gain protection just because the team has them; reports and statistics without identifying details remain public. Mental health and substance use treatment records still follow additional state and federal disclosure limits. Members receive liability protection under Maryland law for giving information, participating, or helping with team functions. Violating meeting or confidentiality rules is a misdemeanor punishable by up to $500, up to 90 days in jail, or both.

Suicide teams gain records for death reviews

Beginning October 1, 2026, providers and local government agencies must immediately supply records requested by a local review team's chair. Records must be necessary for the team's duties and its review of a specific death. They can include health, police, medical examiner, vital records, and social services records. Teams can also request needed information or attendance from people with direct knowledge, including care staff and first responders. These information requests do not create a general duty for everyone to answer. Teams are public health authorities under HIPAA and must keep protected records and data safely stored. The Department of Health can set rules for reviews, data security, and sharing department-provided data.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

Kris Fair
Democratic • House

Cosponsors

Tiffany T. Alston
Democratic • House
Heather Bagnall
Democratic • House
Bonnie Cullison
Democratic • House
Pam Lanman Guzzone
Democratic • House
Terri L. Hill
Democratic • House
Aaron M. Kaufman
Democratic • House
Lesley J. Lopez
Democratic • House
Ashanti Martinez
Democratic • House
Samuel I. Rosenberg
Democratic • House
Kim Ross
Democratic • House
Steve Johnson
Democratic • House
Deni Taveras
Democratic • House
Jennifer White Holland
Democratic • House
Teresa Woorman
Democratic • House

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 174 • No: 8

Senate vote • 4/13/2026

Third Reading Passed

Yes: 46 • No: 0 • Other: 1

House vote • 3/11/2026