# Maryland HB 1181: Family Law - Children in Out-of-Home Placement - Voluntary Placement Agreements

Maryland HB 1181, Family Law - Children in Out-of-Home Placement - Voluntary Placement Agreements, is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Heather Bagnall (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-28 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 159); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB1181-2026RS
- As of: 2026-10-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Maryland HB 1181
- State: Maryland
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Family Law - Children in Out-of-Home Placement - Voluntary Placement Agreements
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-02-11
- Last action: 2026-04-28, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 159
- Sponsor: Heather Bagnall (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 18
- Subjects: Family Law, Public Health, Budgets -see also- Capital Budgets, Child Custody -see also- Visitation, Committees and Commissions, Community Facilities and Services, Developmental Disabilities, Electronic Government, Foster Care, Group Homes -see also- Foster Care; JuvFacil; SubsAbTrt, Health Care Facilities -see also- Clinics; Hospices; etc, Health, Department of, Health Occupations -see also- (specific health occupations), Hospitals -see also- Clinics; State Hospitals, Human Services, Department of, Intergovernmental Cooperation -see also- AdmAgn; Cmts; etc., Legislation -see also- Correct Leg; Cur Leg; Emerg Bills, Low-Income, Medical Assistance, Medical Treatments, Mental and Behavioral Health -see also- Aut; Cogn; Dev; etc., Notices, Parents and Guardians, Petitions, Reports, Social Services -see also- Public Benefits, Support of Dependents -see also- Alimony, Time, Trauma Informed Approach -see also- Mental&Behavioral Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 3 (296 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 5

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Child support relief during VPAs: benefit, medium. Beginning October 1, 2026, child support rules change for families using a voluntary placement agreement. Any state‑owed child support that built up before October 1, 2026 for these cases is not enforceable or collectible. Local departments must tell parents they can ask the court to change support…
- Faster, safer out‑of‑home placements: benefit, medium. Beginning October 1, 2026, the state runs a program for out‑of‑home placements. It covers children in court‑ordered care and children placed by a parent under a voluntary agreement for up to 180 days. Local departments must provide 24/7 care, time‑limited reunification services, and plan for perman…
- Help for former foster youth: benefit, medium. Beginning October 1, 2026, a new track helps some former foster youth return to or stay in care. It covers people whose commitment ended after age 18 but before 20 years and 6 months and who did not leave by reunification, adoption, guardianship, marriage, or military service. Local departments may…
- Stronger protections for disabled children: benefit, medium. Beginning October 1, 2026, the law protects children with developmental disabilities or mental illness in voluntary placements. Local departments may not seek custody or guardianship when the sole goal is to get treatment the parent cannot provide. A child may stay past 180 days if the disability r…
- No removals for homelessness alone: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, a child cannot be removed just because a parent is homeless, has a disability, or cannot afford treatment for the child. When housing is the issue, local departments must refer the family to emergency shelter and homeless‑family services.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Heather Bagnall (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Tiffany T. Alston (Democratic), 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: Aaron M. Kaufman (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: Teresa Woorman (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-04-10 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 129 | 0 | 9 |
| 2026-04-09 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 40 | 0 | 3 |
| 2026-03-21 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 127 | 0 | 6 |

## Actions (17)

- 2026-04-28: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 159
- 2026-04-10: Passed Enrolled (House)
- 2026-04-10: Third Reading Passed (129-0) (House)
- 2026-04-10: House Concurs Senate Amendments (House)
- 2026-04-09: Third Reading Passed (40-0) (Senate)
- 2026-04-09: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (Senate)
- 2026-04-09: Floor Amendment {393928/1 (Chair, Judicial Proceedings Committee) Adopted (Senate)
- 2026-04-09: Favorable Adopted (Senate)
- 2026-04-09: Favorable Report by Judicial Proceedings (Senate)
- 2026-03-25: Hearing 4/03 at 1:00 p.m. (Senate)
- 2026-03-23: Referred Judicial Proceedings (Senate)
- 2026-03-21: Third Reading Passed (127-0) (House)
- 2026-03-20: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (House)
- 2026-03-20: Favorable with Amendments {133828/1 Adopted (House)
- 2026-03-20: Favorable with Amendments Report by Appropriations (House)
- 2026-02-17: Hearing 3/03 at 1:00 p.m. (Appropriations) (House)
- 2026-02-11: First Reading Appropriations and Health (House)

## Bill text

- Enacted, 2026-04-28: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/Chapters_noln/CH_159_hb1181e.pdf)
- Enrolled, 2026-04-10: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb1181e.pdf)
- Third Reading, 2026-03-20: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb1181t.pdf)
- First Reading, 2026-02-11: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb1181f.pdf)

## Related bills

- SB 0496: Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Coverage for the Treatment of Obesity - Authorization (became law)
- SB 0366: Motor Vehicles - Intelligent Speed Assistance System Pilot Program - Establishment (became law)
- SB 0244: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program (became law)
- SB 0148: Income Tax - Credit for 9-1-1 Specialist Retirement Income (Supporting Our 9-1-1 Specialists Act) (became law)
- SB 0016: Child Support - Earnings Withholdings Limits (became law)
- HB 0529: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program (became law)

## Sources
- [Enacted (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/Chapters_noln/CH_159_hb1181e.pdf)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb1181e.pdf)
- [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb1181t.pdf)
- [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb1181f.pdf)

## Related
- [SB 0496: Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Coverage for the Treatment of Obesity - A…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0496-2026RS)
- [SB 0366: Motor Vehicles - Intelligent Speed Assistance System Pilot Program - Establishm…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0366-2026RS)
- [SB 0244: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0244-2026RS)
- [SB 0148: Income Tax - Credit for 9-1-1 Specialist Retirement Income (Supporting Our 9-1-…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0148-2026RS)
- [SB 0016: Child Support - Earnings Withholdings Limits](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0016-2026RS)
- [HB 0529: Code Revision - Health - Maryland Medical Assistance Program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0529-2026RS)
- [Maryland bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/maryland/bills)
- [Maryland state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/maryland)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB1181-2026RS (as of 2026-10-11).