# Maryland SB 0326: Physician Assistants and Midwives - Parity With Other Health Care Practitioners (Physician Assistant Parity Act of 2026) Maryland SB 0326, Physician Assistants and Midwives - Parity With Other Health Care Practitioners (Physician Assistant Parity Act of 2026), is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Clarence K. Lam (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-28 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 222); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-11). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0326-2026RS - As of: 2026-10-11 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Maryland SB 0326 - State: Maryland - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: Physician Assistants and Midwives - Parity With Other Health Care Practitioners (Physician Assistant Parity Act of 2026) - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-01-22 - Last action: 2026-04-28, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 222 - Sponsor: Clarence K. Lam (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 2 - Subjects: Health Occupations, Committee Changes, Committees and Commissions, Disabilities, Disparity, Emergency Medical Services -see also- Ambul; RescSqd, Emergencies -see also- Pandemics, Ethics, Good Samaritan, Health -see also- COVID19; EnvHlth; MedCon; etc., Health Care Commission, Health, Department of, Health Maintenance Organizations -see also- Manage Care Orgs, Health Occupations -see also- (specific health occupations), Immunization, Incarcerated Individuals, Medical Equipment and Devices, Medical Treatments, Mental and Behavioral Health -see also- Aut; Cogn; Dev; etc., Midwives, Parents and Guardians, Petitions, Physician Assistants, Poverty, Pregnancy, Reports, Studies -see also- Commitees & Commissions; Reports, Time, Work, Labor, and Employment -see also- JobTrn; Leave; etc. - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (181 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 10 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - More certification options for attendant care: benefit, medium. Beginning October 1, 2026, physician assistants can certify placement risk for eligible Attendant Care Program financial aid recipients. The certification must show risk of nursing facility or similar institutional placement without community attendant care. It supports a program eligibility condit… - More clinicians can order pregnancy infirmary care: benefit, medium. Beginning October 1, 2026, more clinicians can order infirmary admission for pregnant people in custody who need this care. They include physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives, and licensed certified midwives. The law does not set a new payment or benefit am… - More prescribers for emergency allergy medicine: benefit, medium. Beginning October 1, 2026, physician assistants can prescribe and dispense emergency epinephrine and needed supplies to certificate holders. Holders must show their certificate to get a prescription. A holder or agent can give the medicine when listed health professionals and emergency services are… - More primary care choices for plan members: benefit, medium. Beginning October 1, 2026, health maintenance organizations must let members choose a primary care provider from those available through the plan. Eligible choices include physicians, physician assistants, certified nurse-midwives, licensed certified midwives, and certified nurse practitioners. The… - More certification options for voluntary psychiatric admission: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, a physician and physician assistant can jointly certify a disabled person's capacity to seek voluntary psychiatric admission. They must certify that the person understands admission criteria and how to request discharge. The physician assistant must personally examine the… - Workers gain another sick leave certifier: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, physician assistants can sign illness or disability certificates for employees covered by these sick leave payment rules. The certificate is required after 5 or more consecutive workdays of sick leave. Leave must cover the employee's illness or disability, or that of an i… - More clinician options for guardianship certificates: benefit, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, guardianship petitions for disabled people can use certificates from one licensed physician and one licensed physician assistant. The physician assistant must examine or evaluate the person. The certificates must be signed and verified. They provide evidence for the petit… - Broader emergency evaluation and payment rules: mixed, medium. Beginning October 1, 2026, a physician assistant who examined someone can petition for emergency mental health evaluation without prior court review. A signed, submitted petition requires officer transport to the nearest emergency facility; a court-endorsed petition does too within 5 days. Maryland… - Physician assistants gain treatment certification authority: mixed, medium. Beginning October 1, 2026, a physician assistant can join the attending physician in certifying inability to make informed treatment decisions. This also covers specified terminal or end-stage condition certifications, based on personal exams; existing physician-only safeguards for stopping life-su… - Staffing agencies gain physician assistant licensing exemption: mixed, low. Beginning October 1, 2026, physician assistants are excluded from the health care practitioner definition used by these staffing agency rules. The license requirement for referring covered practitioners therefore does not apply to physician assistant referrals under this rule. This changes agency l… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Clarence K. Lam (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Pamela Beidle (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Mary Beth Carozza (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-04-07 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 136 | 0 | 2 | | 2026-03-19 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 45 | 0 | | ## Actions (13) - 2026-04-28: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 222 - 2026-04-08: Returned Passed (Senate) - 2026-04-07: Third Reading Passed (136-0) (House) - 2026-04-03: Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed (House) - 2026-04-03: Favorable Report by Health (House) - 2026-03-20: Hearing 4/01 at 1:00 p.m. (House) - 2026-03-20: Referred Health (House) - 2026-03-19: Third Reading Passed (45-0) (Senate) - 2026-03-17: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (Senate) - 2026-03-17: Favorable with Amendments {683022/1 Adopted (Senate) - 2026-03-16: Favorable with Amendments Report by Finance (Senate) - 2026-01-27: Hearing 2/10 at 1:00 p.m. (Senate) - 2026-01-22: First Reading Finance (Senate) ## Bill text - Enacted, 2026-04-28: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/Chapters_noln/CH_222_sb0326t.pdf) - Third Reading, 2026-03-17: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0326t.pdf) - First Reading, 2026-01-22: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0326f.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_222_sb0326t.pdf) - [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0326t.pdf) - [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0326f.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) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0326-2026RS (as of 2026-10-11).