Maryland 2024 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB719 Latest Draft

Bill / Introduced Version Filed 01/26/2024

                             
 
EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW. 
        [Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law. 
          *hb0719*  
  
HOUSE BILL 719 
Q3   	4lr1024 
    	CF SB 198 
By: Delegates J. Long, Alston, Bagnall, Buckel, Miller, Schmidt, Simmons, 
Tomlinson, and Wilkins 
Introduced and read first time: January 26, 2024 
Assigned to: Ways and Means 
 
A BILL ENTITLED 
 
AN ACT concerning 1 
 
Income Tax – Credit for Parent and Guardian Volunteers in Elementary and 2 
Secondary Schools 3 
 
FOR the purpose of allowing certain eligible taxpayers who volunteer in a certain school a 4 
credit against the State income tax; requiring the State Department of Education, in 5 
consultation with the Comptroller, to develop and make available a certain 6 
application and tax credit certificate; requiring a certain county board member or 7 
school administrator to issue tax credit certificates in a certain manner; making the 8 
credit refundable under certain circumstances; and generally relating to a credit 9 
against the State income tax for volunteering in certain schools. 10 
 
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 11 
 Article – Education 12 
Section 1–101(a) and (d) 13 
 Annotated Code of Maryland 14 
 (2022 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 15 
 
BY adding to 16 
 Article – Tax – General 17 
Section 10–758 18 
 Annotated Code of Maryland 19 
 (2022 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 20 
 
 SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 21 
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 22 
 
Article – Education 23 
 
1–101. 24 
  2 	HOUSE BILL 719  
 
 
 (a) In this article, unless the context requires otherwise, the following words have 1 
the meanings indicated. 2 
 
 (d) “County board” means the board of education of a county and includes the 3 
Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners. 4 
 
Article – Tax – General 5 
 
10–758. 6 
 
 (A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 7 
INDICATED. 8 
 
 (2) “COUNTY BOARD ” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 1–101 OF THE 9 
EDUCATION ARTICLE. 10 
 
 (3) “ELIGIBLE TAXPAYER ” MEANS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO: 11 
 
 (I) 1. IS THE PARENT OF A S CHOOL STUDENT ; OR 12 
 
 2. HAS LEGAL CUSTODY OF A SCHOOL STUDENT AS A 13 
LEGAL GUARDIAN ; AND 14 
 
 (II) VOLUNTEERS AT THE SC HOOL IN WHICH THE ST UDENT IS 15 
ENROLLED. 16 
 
 (4) “SCHOOL” MEANS A PUBLIC OR NO NPUBLIC ELEMENTARY O R 17 
SECONDARY SCHOOL IN THE STATE, INCLUDING A CHARTER SCHOOL. 18 
 
 (B) SUBJECT TO THE LIMITA TIONS OF THIS SECTIO N, EACH ELIGIBLE 19 
TAXPAYER, REGARDLESS OF INDIVI DUAL OR JOINT FILING STATUS, MAY CLAIM A 20 
CREDIT AGAINST THE STATE INCOME TAX IN T HE AMOUNT STATED ON A TAX CREDIT 21 
CERTIFICATE ISSUED T O THE ELIGIBLE TAXPA YER DURING THE TAXAB LE YEAR IN 22 
ACCORDANCE WITH SUBS ECTION (C) OF THIS SECTION. 23 
 
 (C) (1) THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SHALL , IN 24 
CONSULTATION WITH TH E COMPTROLLER , DEVELOP AND MAKE AVA ILABLE AN 25 
APPLICATION AND A TA X CREDIT CERTIFICATE TO BE USED IN ACCORD ANCE WITH 26 
PARAGRAPHS (2) AND (3) OF THIS SUBSECTION . 27 
 
 (2) AN ELIGIBLE TAXPAYER SHALL SUBMIT AN APPL ICATION FOR A 28 
CREDIT UNDER THIS SE CTION: 29 
 
 (I) IF THE STUDENT IS EN ROLLED IN A PUBLIC S CHOOL, TO THE 30   	HOUSE BILL 719 	3 
 
 
COUNTY BOARD MEMBER WHO REPRESENTS THE S CHOOL; OR 1 
 
 (II) IF THE STUDENT IS EN ROLLED IN A NONPUBLI C SCHOOL, TO 2 
AN ADMINISTRATOR OF THE SCHOOL. 3 
 
 (3) (I) ON APPLICATION BY AN ELIGIBLE TAXPAYER UN DER 4 
PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION , A COUNTY BOARD MEMBE R OR SCHOOL 5 
ADMINISTRATOR SHALL ISSUE A TAX CREDIT C ERTIFICATE IN AN AMO UNT EQUAL TO 6 
$20 FOR EACH HOUR THAT T HE ELIGIBLE TAXPAYER VO LUNTEERS AT THE SCHO OL 7 
IN WHICH THE STUDENT IS ENROLLED. 8 
 
 (II) FOR ANY TAXABLE YEAR : 9 
 
 1. AN ELIGIBLE TAXPAYER MAY APPLY FOR AND 10 
RECEIVE MORE THAN ON E TAX CREDIT CERTIFI CATE, REGARDLESS OF WHETHE R 11 
ANOTHER ELIGIBLE TAX PAYER HAS RECEIVED A TAX CREDI T CERTIFICATE FOR TH E 12 
SAME STUDENT ; AND 13 
 
 2. THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT OF THE TAX CREDIT TH AT 14 
EACH ELIGIBLE TAXPAY ER MAY CLAIM MAY NOT EXCEED $500. 15 
 
 (4) THE COUNTY BOARD MEMB ER OR SCHOOL ADMINIS TRATOR 16 
ISSUING A TAX CREDIT CERTIFICATE UN DER THIS SECTION SHA LL KEEP A RECORD 17 
OF THE NUMBER OF VOL UNTEER HOURS ACCRUED BY EACH ELIGIBLE TAX PAYER 18 
THAT RECEIVES A TAX CREDIT CERTIFICATE . 19 
 
 (D) IF THE CREDIT ALLOWED UNDER THIS SECTION I N ANY TAXABLE YEAR 20 
EXCEEDS THE STATE INCOME TAX FOR THAT TAXABLE YEAR, THE ELIGIBLE 21 
TAXPAYER MAY CLAIM A REFUND IN THE AMOUNT OF THE EXCESS. 22 
 
 SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 23 
1, 2024, and shall be applicable to all taxable years beginning after December 31, 2023. 24