# Maryland SB 0509: Higher Education - Workforce Pell Grant Program - Implementation

Maryland SB 0509, Higher Education - Workforce Pell Grant Program - Implementation, is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Jim Rosapepe (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-05-26 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 724); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0509-2026RS
- 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 0509
- State: Maryland
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Higher Education - Workforce Pell Grant Program - Implementation
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-02-02
- Last action: 2026-05-26, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 724
- Sponsor: Jim Rosapepe (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Subjects: Higher Education, Accreditation, Advertising, Applicants and Applications, Apprenticeships and Internships, Certifications, Committees and Commissions, Communications -see also- ElecComm; Intergov; etc., Curriculum, Data -see also- Census; Demographics, Demographics -see also- Census; Data, Disclosure, Education -see also- ContEd; DrvEd; HigherEd; etc., Electronic Communication, Ethics, Evaluations and Reviews, Evidence, Federal Aid -see also- CARES Act, Federal Government, Fees -see also- Attys' Fees; Devt Fees & Taxes, Governor, Higher Education -see also- Comm Colleges; Med Schools; etc., Higher Education Commission, Independent Contractors, Industry and Manufacturing, Intergovernmental Cooperation -see also- AdmAgn; Cmts; etc., Internet -see also- Internet Access, Job Training -see also- Continuing Ed; Vocational Rehab, Recruitment and Hiring, Reports, Rules and Regulations, Scholarships and Student Financial Aid, School Testing, Students, Time, Tuition, Unfair Trade Practices, Work, Labor, and Employment -see also- JobTrn; Leave; etc.
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 3 (214 yes, 2 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 4

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Tuition capped and protections for students: benefit, high. Starting June 1, 2026, a school cannot charge more in tuition and fees for a short‑term program than the Pell Grant maximum for that program period. Schools cannot outsource core control of programs to outside companies unless they make clear disclosures, avoid incentive pay or tuition sharing, and…
- Quality rules for programs and apprenticeships: benefit, medium. Approved programs must train for high‑skill or high‑wage, in‑demand jobs and meet employer hiring needs. They must lead to a recognized, stackable credential and give academic credit that counts toward related certificates or degrees. Schools must show at least a 70% completion rate within 150% of…
- Pell grants for short-term training, with approval: mixed, medium. Beginning June 1, 2026, Maryland implements the federal Workforce Pell program. Students can get Pell for short-term programs that are 150–599 hours, 8–14 weeks, and not correspondence. A school must have the Governor’s approval for each program and a federal determination before it can disburse or…
- Data reporting and application fees for schools: mixed, low. Starting June 1, 2026, the Workforce Development Board collects yearly data from schools that run approved short‑term programs. Schools must submit the required data by September 30 each year. The Board and the Higher Education Commission send a yearly report to the General Assembly with summaries…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Jim Rosapepe (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Dalya Attar (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Katie Fry Hester (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-04-09 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 42 | 0 | 1 |
| 2026-04-08 | House | Third Reading Passed with Amendments | pass | 133 | 2 | 3 |
| 2026-03-20 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 39 | 0 | 3 |

## Actions (16)

- 2026-05-26: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 724
- 2026-04-09: Passed Enrolled (Senate)
- 2026-04-09: Third Reading Passed (42-0) (Senate)
- 2026-04-09: Senate Concurs House Amendments (Senate)
- 2026-04-08: Third Reading Passed with Amendments (133-2) (House)
- 2026-04-08: Floor Amendment {363622/1 (Delegate Smith) Adopted (House)
- 2026-04-07: Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed (House)
- 2026-04-07: Favorable Report by Appropriations (House)
- 2026-03-26: Hearing 3/31 at 1:00 p.m. (House)
- 2026-03-21: Referred Appropriations (House)
- 2026-03-20: Third Reading Passed (39-0) (Senate)
- 2026-03-19: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (Senate)
- 2026-03-19: Favorable with Amendments {203323/1 Adopted (Senate)
- 2026-03-19: Favorable with Amendments Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment (Senate)
- 2026-02-10: Hearing 3/11 at 1:00 p.m. (Senate)
- 2026-02-02: First Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment (Senate)

## Bill text

- Enacted, 2026-05-26: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/Chapters_noln/CH_724_sb0509e.pdf)
- Enrolled, 2026-04-09: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0509e.pdf)
- Third Reading, 2026-03-19: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0509t.pdf)
- First Reading, 2026-02-02: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0509f.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_724_sb0509e.pdf)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0509e.pdf)
- [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0509t.pdf)
- [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0509f.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-SB0509-2026RS (as of 2026-10-11).