Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1019 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW .
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb1019
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1019
8	8	D5 5lr2898
9	9
10	10	By: Delegate Schmidt
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 3, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Health and Government Operations
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Human Relations – Protection of the Free Exercise of Religion 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of prohibiting a governmental authority, under certain circumstances, 3
21	21	from burdening a person’s exercise of religion; authorizing a person aggrieved by a 4
22	22	violation of this Act to obtain certain relief in a civil action; and generally relating to 5
23	23	the protection of religious freedom. 6
24	24
25	25	BY adding to 7
26	26	Article – State Government 8
27	27	Section 20–1301 through 20–1305 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 13. 9
28	28	Religious Freedom” 10
29	29	Annotated Code of Maryland 11
30	30	(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 12
31	31
32	32	Preamble 13
33	33
34	34	WHEREAS, The framers of the U.S. Constitution and the people of this State, 14
35	35	recognizing free exercise of religion as an inalienable right, secured its protection in the 15
36	36	First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and in Article 36 of the Declaration of Rights of 16
37	37	the Maryland Constitution, respectively; and 17
38	38
39	39	WHEREAS, In City of Boerne v. Flores, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the 18
40	40	compelling interest test provided for in the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act to 19
41	41	protect the inalienable constitutional right of free exercise of religion must be adopted by a 20
42	42	state through legislative act or court decision in order to apply to state or local government 21
43	43	action; and 22
44	44
45	45	WHEREAS, The Senate of Maryland and the House of Delegates of Maryland have 23
46	46	determined that the same compelling interest test provided for in the federal Religious 24
47	47	Freedom Restoration Act applies to the State and local governments in Maryland; now, 25
48	48	therefore, 26 2 HOUSE BILL 1019
49	49
50	50
51	51
52	52	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 1
53	53	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 2
54	54
55	55	Article – State Government 3
56	56
57	57	SUBTITLE 13. RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 4
58	58
59	59	20–1301. 5
60	60
61	61	(A) IN THIS SUBTITLE THE FOLLOWI NG WORDS HAVE THE ME ANINGS 6
62	62	INDICATED. 7
63	63
64	64	(B) “COMPELLING GOVERNMENT AL INTEREST ” MEANS AN INTEREST 8
65	65	ARISING FROM A SUBST ANTIAL THREAT TO PUB LIC HEALTH, SAFETY, PEACE, 9
66	66	ORDER, OR GENERAL WELFARE . 10
67	67
68	68	(C) “EXERCISE OF RELIGION ” MEANS THE PRACTICE OR OBSERVAN CE OF 11
69	69	RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, WHETHER OR NOT COMPE LLED BY OR CENTRAL T O A SYSTEM 12
70	70	OF RELIGIOUS BELIEF , INCLUDING OBSERVANCE UNDER ARTICLE 36 OF THE 13
71	71	DECLARATION OF RIGHTS OF THE MARYLAND CONSTITUTION OR THE FREE 14
72	72	EXERCISE CLAUSE OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION. 15
73	73
74	74	(D) “GOVERNMENTAL ACTION ” MEANS A LAW, A REGULATION , AN 16
75	75	ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER , A DECISION, A PRACTICE, OR ANY OTHER EXERCISE OF 17
76	76	GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORI TY. 18
77	77
78	78	(E) “GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORIT Y” INCLUDES: 19
79	79
80	80	(1) THE STATE, A COUNTY, OR A MUNICIPAL CORPORATIO N OR ANY 20
81	81	SUBDIVISION OF THE STATE, A COUNTY, OR A MUNICIPAL CORPORATIO N; AND 21
82	82
83	83	(2) ANY OFFICIAL OR OTHE R INDIVIDUAL ACTING WITHIN THE SCOPE 22
84	84	OF THEIR EMPLOYMENT BY ANY ENTITY DESCRI BED IN ITEM (1) OF THIS 23
85	85	SUBSECTION. 24
86	86
87	87	(F) “PERSON” INCLUDES: 25
88	88
89	89	(1) AN INDIVIDUAL; AND 26
90	90
91	91	(2) A RELIGIOUS ORGANIZA TION, ASSOCIATION, OR CORPORATION . 27
92	92
93	93	20–1302. 28
94	94	HOUSE BILL 1019 3
95	95
96	96
97	97	THIS SUBTITLE APPLIES TO A GOVERNMENTAL AC TION TAKEN BY A 1
98	98	GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORI TY ON OR AFTER JULY 1, 2025, INCLUDING A 2
99	99	GOVERNMENTAL ACTIO N TAKEN PURSUANT TO A LAW, REGULATION , POLICY, 3
100	100	GUIDELINE, OR OTHER AUTHORITY T HAT WAS IN EFFECT PR IOR TO JULY 1, 2025, 4
101	101	UNLESS STATE LAW EXPRESSLY E XCLUDES THAT GOVERNM ENTAL ACTION FROM 5
102	102	COVERAGE UNDER THIS SUBTITLE. 6
103	103
104	104	20–1303. 7
105	105
106	106	(A) EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION , A 8
107	107	GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORI TY MAY NOT SUBSTANTI ALLY BURDEN A PERSON ’S 9
108	108	EXERCISE OF RELIGION EVEN IF THE BURDEN R ESULTS FROM A RULE O F GENERAL 10
109	109	APPLICABILITY. 11
110	110
111	111	(B) A GOVERNMENT AL AUTHORITY MAY SUBSTANTIALLY BU RDEN A 12
112	112	PERSON’S EXERCISE OF RELIGI ON ONLY IF IT DEMONS TRATES THAT APPLICAT ION 13
113	113	OF THE BURDEN TO THE PERSON IS: 14
114	114
115	115	(1) IN FURTHERANCE OF A COMPELLING GOVERNMEN TAL INTEREST; 15
116	116	AND 16
117	117
118	118	(2) THE LEAST RESTRICTIV E MEANS OF FURTHERIN G THAT 17
119	119	COMPELLING GOVERNMEN TAL INTEREST. 18
120	120
121	121	20–1304. 19
122	122
123	123	(A) A PERSON AGGRIEVED BY A VIOLATION OF THIS SUBTITLE MAY OBTAIN 20
124	124	APPROPRIATE RELIEF I N A CIVIL ACTION IN A COURT OF COMPETENT 21
125	125	JURISDICTION. 22
126	126
127	127	(B) SUBJECT TO SUBSECTION (C) OF THIS SECTION, APPROPRIATE RELIEF 23
128	128	UNDER THIS SUBTITLE MAY INCLUDE: 24
129	129
130	130	(1) INJUNCTIVE RELIEF ; AND 25
131	131
132	132	(2) COMPENSATORY DAMAGES INCLUDING REASONABLE ATTORNEY’S 26
133	133	FEES. 27
134	134
135	135	(C) A PERSON AGGRIEVED BY A VIOLATION OF THIS SUBTITLE BY AN 28
136	136	OFFICIAL OR EMPLOYEE OF AN ENTITY DESCRIBED IN § 20–1301(E)(1) OF THIS 29
137	137	SUBTITLE MAY SEEK: 30
138	138	4 HOUSE BILL 1019
139	139
140	140
141	141	(1) INJUNCTIVE RELIEF AG AINST THE OFFICIAL, EMPLOYEE, OR THE 1
142	142	ENTITY BY WHICH THE OFFICIAL OR EMPL OYEE IS EMPLOYED ; 2
143	143
144	144	(2) COMPENSATORY DAMAGES AGAINST THE ENTITY BY WHICH THE 3
145	145	OFFICIAL OR EMPLOYEE IS EMPLOYED; AND 4
146	146
147	147	(3) IF THE OFFICIAL OR E MPLOYEE WAS ACTING C LEARLY OUTSIDE 5
148	148	THE SCOPE OF THEIR E MPLOYMENT , COMPENSATORY DAMAGES AGAINST THE 6
149	149	OFFICIAL OR EMPLOYEE . 7
150	150
151	151	(D) THE RIGHTS ESTABLISHE D UNDER THIS SUBTITL E MAY BE RAISED BY A 8
152	152	PLAINTIFF IN AN ACTI ON FOR RELIEF UNDER THIS SECTION OR AS A DEFENS E TO AN 9
153	153	ACTION. 10
154	154
155	155	(E) A CLAIM FOR DAMAGES BR OUGHT UNDER THIS SUBTITLE IS SUBJECT 11
156	156	TO: 12
157	157
158	158	(1) THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT TORT CLAIMS ACT UNDER TITLE 5, 13
159	159	SUBTITLE 3 OF THE COURTS ARTICLE; OR 14
160	160
161	161	(2) THE MARYLAND TORT CLAIMS ACT UNDER TITLE 12, SUBTITLE 1 15
162	162	OF THIS ARTICLE. 16
163	163
164	164	20–1305. 17
165	165
166	166	(A) (1) IN THIS SUBSECTION , “PROVIDING” DOES NOT INCLUDE THE 18
167	167	DENIAL OF FUNDING , BENEFITS, OR EXEMPTIONS . 19
168	168
169	169	(2) THIS SUBTITLE MAY NOT BE CONSTRUED TO PROHIBIT ANY 20
170	170	GOVERNMENTAL ACTION PROVIDING FUNDING , BENEFITS, OR EXEMPTIONS TO THE 21
171	171	EXTENT PERMITTED UND ER THE MARYLAND DECLARATION OF RIGHTS OR THE 22
172	172	MARYLAND CONSTITUTION. 23
173	173
174	174	(B) THIS SUBTITLE MAY NOT BE CONSTRUED TO AFFE CT, INTERPRET, OR 24
175	175	ADDRESS IN ANY WAY T HE SUBSTANCE OF THE MARYLAND DECLARATION OF 25
176	176	RIGHTS OR THE MARYLAND CONSTITUTION. 26
177	177
178	178	(C) THE PROTECTION OF REL IGIOUS LIBERTY PROVI DED UNDER THIS 27
179	179	SUBTITLE IS IN ADDIT ION TO, AND DOES NOT REDUCE , THE PROTECTIONS PROV IDED 28
180	180	UNDER THE MARYLAND DECLARATION OF RIGHTS OR THE MARYLAND 29
181	181	CONSTITUTION. 30
182	182
183	183	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 31
184	184	1, 2025. 32