# Maryland HB 1578: State Procurement - Procurement Preferences - Reauthorization and Revisions

Maryland HB 1578, State Procurement - Procurement Preferences - Reauthorization and Revisions, is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by no sponsor on record; status signed, last action 2026-04-14 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 82); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB1578-2026RS
- 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 1578
- State: Maryland
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: State Procurement - Procurement Preferences - Reauthorization and Revisions
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-02-13
- Last action: 2026-04-14, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 82
- Sponsors: no sponsor on record
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: State Procurement, Annotated Code of Maryland, Cannabis -see also- CannDist; CannProd; Smok&Vap, Certifications, Commerce and Business -see also- ElectrComm; ForeignTr; etc., Committee Changes, Discrimination, Disparity, Evaluations and Reviews, Gaming and Gambling, General Assembly -see also- AELR Cmte; LegislativePolCmte, Licenses -see also- AB Lic; Certifications; DrLic; Permits, Lottery, Minority Business Enterprises, Minorities, Privatization, Procurement, Reports, Rules and Regulations, Small Business, Sports and Recreation, Studies -see also- Commitees & Commissions; Reports, Time, Video, Wind Energy, Women -see also- Gender, Work, Labor, and Employment -see also- JobTrn; Leave; etc.
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 2 (137 yes, 38 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 8

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- MBE goals for cannabis, wind, P3s, wagering: benefit, medium. The law applies the state minority‑business rules to cannabis, offshore wind, public‑private partnerships, and sports wagering, as allowed by the U.S. Constitution. Within 6 months of a cannabis license or an approved offshore wind order, the Office sets a plan for reasonable MBE goals and procurem…
- MBE program extended to 2031: benefit, medium. The state’s MBE rules and related regulations stay in force through July 1, 2031. On or after that date, they are of no effect.
- Stronger protections for MBE subs: benefit, medium. A contractor cannot remove a listed certified MBE subcontractor without good cause. The contractor must get written consent from the MBE liaison and approval from the unit head. The unit must send a copy of the consent to the Office. This reduces the risk of losing promised subcontract work mid‑con…
- Easier MBE certification and teaming: benefit, low. The Office must set clear rules to review MBE and similar certifications. Joint ventures formed for a single limited activity can qualify for the Small Business Reserve if they meet size and independence limits.
- More MBE oversight and reporting: benefit, low. State units must send each MBE waiver decision to the Office and file a yearly waiver report by July 31. Units must report MBE results each quarter, except the quarter they file the annual report. The yearly report is now due 60 days after the fiscal year ends, and the Office’s annual summary is du…
- New MBE paperwork and exclusions: cost, medium. Certified MBEs must submit acknowledgments of payments they receive and other requested information. Each unit, with the Office, can list some procurements that are excluded from MBE rules. The Office can also certify that a procurement is not practical for the Small Business Reserve when reviewing…
- Worker benefits at video lottery facilities: mixed, medium. Video lottery applicants and licensees must make a good‑faith effort to meet state MBE goals on construction and operations. Licensees must provide employee health insurance and offer retirement benefits. They must also prefer hiring qualified people who live within 10 miles of the facility. Counti…
- MBE studies delayed; legal review added: mixed, medium. The law pushes several MBE reports and policy deadlines back to 2030 or 2031. It also requires a review of disparity studies to check if applying MBE rules to cannabis licensing meets constitutional standards.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- (none)

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-04-08 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 39 | 6 | 1 |
| 2026-03-21 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 98 | 32 | 5 |

## Actions (14)

- 2026-04-14: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 82
- 2026-04-08: Returned Passed (House)
- 2026-04-08: Third Reading Passed (39-6) (Senate)
- 2026-04-06: Second Reading Passed (Senate)
- 2026-04-06: Favorable Adopted (Senate)
- 2026-04-06: Favorable Report by Budget and Taxation (Senate)
- 2026-03-25: Hearing 4/02 at 1:00 p.m. (Senate)
- 2026-03-23: Referred Budget and Taxation (Senate)
- 2026-03-21: Third Reading Passed (98-32) (House)
- 2026-03-19: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (House)
- 2026-03-19: Favorable with Amendments {453722/1 Adopted (House)
- 2026-03-19: Favorable with Amendments Report by Government, Labor, and Elections (House)
- 2026-02-19: Hearing 3/03 at 1:00 p.m. (House)
- 2026-02-13: First Reading Government, Labor, and Elections (House)

## Bill text

- Enacted, 2026-04-14: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/Chapters_noln/CH_82_hb1578t.pdf)
- Third Reading, 2026-03-19: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb1578t.pdf)
- First Reading, 2026-02-13: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb1578f.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_82_hb1578t.pdf)
- [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb1578t.pdf)
- [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb1578f.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-HB1578-2026RS (as of 2026-10-11).