# Maryland SB 0742: Maryland Medical Assistance Program and Developmental Disabilities Administration - Home- and Community-Based Services Eligibility Determinations (Maryland Protecting People With Disabilities Act)

Maryland SB 0742, Maryland Medical Assistance Program and Developmental Disabilities Administration - Home- and Community-Based Services Eligibility Determinations (Maryland Protecting People With Disabilities Act), is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Guy Guzzone (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-28 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 175); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0742-2026RS
- 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 0742
- State: Maryland
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Maryland Medical Assistance Program and Developmental Disabilities Administration - Home- and Community-Based Services Eligibility Determinations (Maryland Protecting People With Disabilities Act)
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-02-06
- Last action: 2026-04-28, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 175
- Sponsor: Guy Guzzone (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Subjects: Public Health, Accessibility - see also- Blind; Deaf; Disabilities; etc, Administrative Agencies, Americans with Disabilities Act, Civil Rights and Social Equity, Cognitive Disabilities, Data -see also- Census; Demographics, Developmental Disabilities, Disabilities, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Electronic Communication, Electronic Government, Federal Aid -see also- CARES Act, Federal Government, Health, Department of, Home Care Services -see also- Respite Care, Internet -see also- Internet Access, Language -see also- Communications; Literacy, Long-Term Care -see also- Continuing Care; Nursing Homes, Medical Assistance, Reports, Signatures, Sunset, Termination of Services, Time, Vulnerable Adults -see also- DevDisab; EldPers; PhysDisab
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 3 (221 yes, 1 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 5

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Stronger protections to keep disability services: benefit, high. Starting October 1, 2026, if you get DDA services and appeal a Medicaid loss on time, your services stay in place until the appeal ends. The Department cannot drop you just for missing papers unless it first tries data checks, sends a clear notice, and gives you time to respond. If the Department b…
- Faster Medicaid decisions and data checks: benefit, medium. Starting October 1, 2026, the Department must decide eligibility within 45 days (no disability review) or 90 days (with a disability review). It must also use data it already has to renew coverage before asking you for paperwork. These steps speed up decisions and reduce paperwork-based termination…
- Plain-language help and free interpreters: benefit, medium. Starting October 1, 2026, the Department provides plain-language information about eligibility, services, and your rights in electronic, paper, and, when needed, oral formats. People with limited English get free interpreters and translations. People with disabilities get free auxiliary aids. Notic…
- Waiver slots saved for reinstated people: benefit, medium. Starting October 1, 2026, and with federal approval, the Department reserves home- and community-based waiver slots for people with developmental disabilities who were disenrolled on or after January 1, 2024, later regain eligibility, and ask for waiver services.
- Providers get notices and data access: benefit, low. Starting October 1, 2026, the Department notifies your DDA providers at the same time it tells you about a loss of eligibility. Providers and coordinators can also exchange data automatically with the state’s long-term services system through an API. This helps keep care plans on track.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Guy Guzzone (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Craig J. Zucker (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-04-13 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 47 | 0 |   |
| 2026-04-10 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 132 | 1 | 6 |
| 2026-03-23 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 42 | 0 | 2 |

## Actions (17)

- 2026-04-28: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 175
- 2026-04-13: Passed Enrolled (Senate)
- 2026-04-13: Third Reading Passed (47-0) (Senate)
- 2026-04-13: Senate Concurs House Amendments (Senate)
- 2026-04-10: Third Reading Passed (132-1) (House)
- 2026-04-09: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (House)
- 2026-04-08: Motion Special Order until 04/09 (Delegate Bagnall) Adopted (House)
- 2026-04-08: Favorable with Amendments {313922/1 Adopted (House)
- 2026-04-08: Favorable with Amendments Report by Health (House)
- 2026-03-24: Hearing 3/31 at 1:00 p.m. (House)
- 2026-03-24: Referred Health (House)
- 2026-03-23: Third Reading Passed (42-0) (Senate)
- 2026-03-23: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (Senate)
- 2026-03-23: Favorable with Amendments {783825/1 Adopted (Senate)
- 2026-03-23: Favorable with Amendments Report by Finance (Senate)
- 2026-02-12: Hearing 3/03 at 1:00 p.m. (Senate)
- 2026-02-06: First Reading Finance (Senate)

## Bill text

- Enacted, 2026-04-28: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/Chapters_noln/CH_175_sb0742e.pdf)
- Enrolled, 2026-04-13: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0742e.pdf)
- Third Reading, 2026-03-23: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0742t.pdf)
- First Reading, 2026-02-06: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0742f.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_175_sb0742e.pdf)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0742e.pdf)
- [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0742t.pdf)
- [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0742f.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-SB0742-2026RS (as of 2026-10-11).