Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1112 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 EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb1112
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1112
8	8	D3, J1, M3 5lr2447
9	9
10	10	By: Delegates Hornberger, Charkoudian, and Solomon
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 5, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Judiciary and Health and Government Operations
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	PFAS Chemicals – Civil Actions and Prohibition on Consumer Product Sales 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of altering certain time limits for bringing certain civil actions concerning 3
21	21	exposure of a person to PFAS chemicals; prohibiting a person, on or after a certain 4
22	22	date, from manufacturing, selling, or distributing in the State a certain consumer 5
23	23	product that contains PFAS chemicals; and generally relating to PFAS chemicals. 6
24	24
25	25	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 7
26	26	Article – Courts and Judicial Proceedings 8
27	27	Section 3–904(g) and 5–113(b) 9
28	28	Annotated Code of Maryland 10
29	29	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 11
30	30
31	31	BY adding to 12
32	32	Article – Courts and Judicial Proceedings 13
33	33	Section 5–113.1 14
34	34	Annotated Code of Maryland 15
35	35	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 16
36	36
37	37	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 17
38	38	Article – Environment 18
39	39	Section 6–1601(a) 19
40	40	Annotated Code of Maryland 20
41	41	(2013 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 21
42	42
43	43	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 22
44	44	Article – Environment 23
45	45	Section 6–1601(e) 24
46	46	Annotated Code of Maryland 25
47	47	(2013 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 26
48	48	2 HOUSE BILL 1112
49	49
50	50
51	51	BY adding to 1
52	52	Article – Environment 2
53	53	Section 6–1604.2 3
54	54	Annotated Code of Maryland 4
55	55	(2013 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 5
56	56
57	57	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 6
58	58	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 7
59	59
60	60	Article – Courts and Judicial Proceedings 8
61	61
62	62	3–904. 9
63	63
64	64	(g) (1) Except as provided in [paragraph (2) or (3)] PARAGRAPH (2), (3), OR 10
65	65	(4) of this subsection, an action under this subtitle shall be filed within three years after 11
66	66	the death of the injured person. 12
67	67
68	68	(2) (i) In this paragraph, “occupational disease” means a disease caused 13
69	69	by exposure to any toxic substance in the person’s workplace and contracted by a person in 14
70	70	the course of the person’s employment. 15
71	71
72	72	(ii) THIS PARAGRAPH DOES N OT APPLY TO AN ACTIO N UNDER 16
73	73	THIS SECTION ARISING FROM EXPOSURE TO PFAS CHEMICALS, AS DEFINED IN § 17
74	74	6–1601 OF THE ENVIRONMENT ARTICLE. 18
75	75
76	76	(III) If an occupational disease was a cause of a person’s death, an 19
77	77	action UNDER THIS SECTION shall be filed WITHIN THE EARLIER O F: 20
78	78
79	79	1. [Within] 10 years of the [time] DATE of death; or 21
80	80
81	81	2. [Within] 3 years of the date when the cause of death was 22
82	82	discovered[, whichever is the shorter]. 23
83	83
84	84	(3) IF EXPOSURE TO PFAS CHEMICALS WAS A CAUS E OF A PERSON’S 24
85	85	DEATH, AN ACTION UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL BE FIL ED WITHIN THE EARLIE R OF: 25
86	86
87	87	(I) 10 YEARS OF THE DATE OF DEATH; OR 26
88	88
89	89	(II) 3 YEARS OF THE DATE WH EN THE CAUSE OF DEAT H WAS 27
90	90	DISCOVERED. 28
91	91
92	92	[(3)] (4) (i) This paragraph applies only to a wrongful death cause of 29
93	93	action arising from conduct that would constitute a criminal homicide under State or 30
94	94	federal law. 31
95	95	HOUSE BILL 1112 3
96	96
97	97
98	98	(ii) If knowledge of a cause of action or the identity of a person whose 1
99	99	wrongful act contributed to a homicide is kept from a party by the conduct of an adverse 2
100	100	party or an accessory or accomplice of an adverse party: 3
101	101
102	102	1. The cause of action shall be deemed to accrue at the time 4
103	103	the party discovered or should have discovered by the exercise of ordinary diligence the 5
104	104	homicide and the identity of the person who contributed to the homicide; 6
105	105
106	106	2. A presumption shall exist that the party should have 7
107	107	discovered by the exercise of ordinary diligence the identity of the person who contributed 8
108	108	to the homicide after: 9
109	109
110	110	A. A charging document is filed against the person alleged to 10
111	111	have participated in the homicide; and 11
112	112
113	113	B. The charging document is unsealed and available to the 12
114	114	public; and 13
115	115
116	116	3. An action under this subtitle shall be filed within 3 years 14
117	117	after the date that the cause of action accrues. 15
118	118
119	119	5–113. 16
120	120
121	121	(b) (1) THIS SECTION DOES NOT APPLY TO AN ACTION F OR PERSONAL 17
122	122	INJURY ARISING FROM EXPOSURE TO PFAS CHEMICALS, AS DEFINED IN § 6–1601 18
123	123	OF THE ENVIRONMENT ARTICLE. 19
124	124
125	125	(2) An action for damages arising out of an occupational disease shall be 20
126	126	filed within 3 years of the discovery of facts from which it was known or reasonably should 21
127	127	have been known that an occupational disease was the proximate cause of death, but in 22
128	128	any event not later than 10 years from the date of death. 23
129	129
130	130	5–113.1. 24
131	131
132	132	IF EXPOSURE TO PFAS CHEMICALS, AS DEFINED IN § 6–1601 OF THE 25
133	133	ENVIRONMENT ARTICLE, WAS A CAUSE OF INJUR Y TO A PERSON, INCLUDING ANY 26
134	134	COMPLICATIONS TO PRE GNANCY AND POTENTIAL DAMAGE TO OFFSPRING AS A 27
135	135	RESULT OF THE EXPOSURE , AN ACTION FOR DAMAGE S SHALL BE FILED WITHIN THE 28
136	136	EARLIER OF: 29
137	137
138	138	(1) 10 YEARS OF THE DATE OF EXPOSURE; OR 30
139	139
140	140	(2) 3 YEARS OF THE DATE WHEN THE CAUSE OF INJURY WAS 31
141	141	DISCOVERED. 32
142	142	4 HOUSE BILL 1112
143	143
144	144
145	145	Article – Environment 1
146	146
147	147	6–1601. 2
148	148
149	149	(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 3
150	150
151	151	(e) “PFAS chemicals” means, when used in fire–fighting agents, fire–fighting 4
152	152	equipment, food packaging, [and] rugs and carpets, AND CONSUMER PRODUCT S, a class 5
153	153	of fluorinated organic chemicals that contain at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom, 6
154	154	including perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. 7
155	155
156	156	6–1604.2. 8
157	157
158	158	(A) THIS SECTION APPLIES TO CONSUMER PRODUCTS NOT OTHERWISE 9
159	159	REGULATED UNDER : 10
160	160
161	161	(1) THIS SUBTITLE; 11
162	162
163	163	(2) TITLE 9, SUBTITLE 19 OF THIS ARTICLE; OR 12
164	164
165	165	(3) § 21–259.2 OF THE HEALTH – GENERAL ARTICLE. 13
166	166
167	167	(B) ON OR AFTER JULY 1, 2026, A PERSON MAY NOT MANUFACTURE , SELL, 14
168	168	OFFER FOR SALE , OR DISTRIBUTE IN THE STATE A CONSUMER PROD UCT THAT 15
169	169	CONTAINS PFAS CHEMICALS. 16
170	170
171	171	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 17
172	172	October 1, 2025. 18