# Maryland SB 0685: Election Law - Local Boards of Elections - Language Assistance Program

Maryland SB 0685, Election Law - Local Boards of Elections - Language Assistance Program, is a 2025 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Malcolm Augustine (Democratic); status signed, last action 2025-05-06 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 277) (as of 2026-10-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0685-2025RS
- As of: 2026-10-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Maryland SB 0685
- State: Maryland
- Session: 2025 Regular Session
- Title: Election Law - Local Boards of Elections - Language Assistance Program
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2025-01-30
- Last action: 2025-05-06, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 277
- Sponsor: Malcolm Augustine (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Elections, Attorney General, Ballots -see also- Abs&MailInBallots; Abs&MailInVoting, Census, Communications -see also- ElecComm; Intergov; Telecom; etc., Courts -see also- AppCt; Circuit; District; Orphans'; etc., Demographics -see also- Census; Data, Elections Supervisors, Elections, State Board of, Forms, Internet -see also- Internet Access, Language -see also- Communications; Literacy, Notices, Publications -see also- Maryland Register; Textbooks, Public Information, Recruitment and Hiring, Registration -see also- Motor Vehicle Registration, Rules and Regulations, Standards and Best Practices, Subpoenas, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Voting -see also- Absentee and Mail-In Voting
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 2 (136 yes, 43 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 2

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- More language help for Maryland voters: benefit, medium. Effective October 1, 2025, Maryland's Language Assistance Program expands help for voters with limited English in designated languages. A language qualifies when its speakers with limited English exceed 2% or 4,000 of a county's voting-age citizens. The State Board uses the best available public da…
- Counties pay most language assistance costs: cost, low. Effective October 1, 2025, participating Maryland counties must pay Language Assistance Program expenses beyond state-supplied licensed translation software services. County costs include needed hardware and charges for each use of the software. This duty applies when a county's local election boar…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Malcolm Augustine (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-04-07 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 104 | 31 | 6 |
| 2025-04-04 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 32 | 12 |   |

## Actions (13)

- 2025-05-06: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 277
- 2025-04-07: Returned Passed (Senate)
- 2025-04-07: Third Reading Passed (104-31) (House)
- 2025-04-07: Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed (House)
- 2025-04-05: Favorable Report by Ways and Means (House)
- 2025-04-04: Rereferred to Ways and Means (House)
- 2025-04-04: Referred Rules and Executive Nominations (House)
- 2025-04-04: Third Reading Passed (32-12) (Senate)
- 2025-04-03: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (Senate)
- 2025-04-03: Favorable with Amendments {373320/1 Adopted (Senate)
- 2025-04-03: Favorable with Amendments Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment (Senate)
- 2025-02-04: Hearing 2/26 at 1:00 p.m. (Senate)
- 2025-01-30: First Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment (Senate)

## Bill text

- Enacted, 2025-05-06: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/Chapters_noln/CH_277_sb0685t.pdf)
- Third Reading, 2025-04-03: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/sb/sb0685t.pdf)
- First Reading, 2025-01-30: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/sb/sb0685f.pdf)

## Related bills

- SB 0227: Workers' Compensation - Payment From Uninsured Employers' Fund - Revisions (vetoed)
- HB 0482: Occupational Licensing and Certification - Criminal History - Predetermination Review Process (vetoed)
- HB 0384: Maryland Disability Service Animal Program - Established (vetoed)
- SB 0157: Maryland Disability Service Animal Program - Established (vetoed)
- HB 1294: Commercial Law - Credit Regulation - Earned Wage Access and Credit Modernization (became law)
- HB 0228: Maryland Veterans Trust – Assistance to Members of the Maryland National Guard (signed)

## Sources
- [Enacted (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/Chapters_noln/CH_277_sb0685t.pdf)
- [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/sb/sb0685t.pdf)
- [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/sb/sb0685f.pdf)

## Related
- [SB 0227: Workers' Compensation - Payment From Uninsured Employers' Fund - Revisions](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0227-2025RS)
- [HB 0482: Occupational Licensing and Certification - Criminal History - Predetermination…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0482-2025RS)
- [HB 0384: Maryland Disability Service Animal Program - Established](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0384-2025RS)
- [SB 0157: Maryland Disability Service Animal Program - Established](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0157-2025RS)
- [HB 1294: Commercial Law - Credit Regulation - Earned Wage Access and Credit Modernization](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB1294-2025RS)
- [HB 0228: Maryland Veterans Trust – Assistance to Members of the Maryland National Guard](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0228-2025RS)
- [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-SB0685-2025RS (as of 2026-10-17).