Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1182 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	hb1182
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1182
8	8	C1 5lr2546
9	9	HB 1382/24 – ECM
10	10	By: Delegates Fisher, Adams, and Arentz
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 6, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Economic Matters
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Corporations and Associations – Methodist Church Trust Requ irement – Repeal 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of repealing a requirement that the assets of any Methodist Church be 3
21	21	held in trust for the United Methodist Church and be subject to the control of the 4
22	22	United Methodist Church; repealing a certain provision of law providing that the 5
23	23	absence of a trust clause in any deed or conveyance executed before a certain date 6
24	24	does not exclude certain local churches from certain provisions of law or 7
25	25	responsibilities related to the United Methodist Church; and generally relating to 8
26	26	Methodist churches. 9
27	27
28	28	BY repealing 10
29	29	Article – Corporations and Associations 11
30	30	Section 5–326 and 5–327 12
31	31	Annotated Code of Maryland 13
32	32	(2014 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 14
33	33
34	34	BY renumbering 15
35	35	Article – Corporations and Associations 16
36	36	Section 5–328 17
37	37	to be Section 5–326 18
38	38	Annotated Code of Maryland 19
39	39	(2014 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 20
40	40
41	41	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLA ND, 21
42	42	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 22
43	43
44	44	Article – Corporations and Associations 23
45	45
46	46	[5–326. 24
47	47	2 HOUSE BILL 1182
48	48
49	49
50	50	All assets owned by any Methodist Church, including any former Methodist 1
51	51	Episcopal Church, Methodist Protestant Church, Methodist Episcopal Church, South, the 2
52	52	Washington Methodist Conference, or Evangelical United Brethren Church, whether 3
53	53	incorporated, unincorporated, or abandoned: 4
54	54
55	55	(1) Shall be held by the trustees of the church in trust for the United 5
56	56	Methodist Church; and 6
57	57
58	58	(2) Are subject to the discipline, usage, and ministerial appointments of the 7
59	59	United Methodist Church, as from time to time authorized and declared by the general 8
60	60	conference of that church.] 9
61	61
62	62	[5–327. 10
63	63
64	64	The absence of a trust clause in any deed or other conveyance executed before June 11
65	65	1, 1953, does not relieve or exclude a local church in any way from its Methodist 12
66	66	connectional responsibilities or from the provisions of this part and does not absolve a local 13
67	67	congregation or board of trustees of its responsibility to the United Methodist Church, if 14
68	68	such an intent of the founders or the later congregations and boards of trustees is indicated 15
69	69	by: 16
70	70
71	71	(1) The conveyance of the assets to the trustees of the local church or any 17
72	72	of its predecessors; 18
73	73
74	74	(2) The use of the name, customs, and polity of the United Methodist 19
75	75	Church in such a way as to be known to the community as part of this denomination; or 20
76	76
77	77	(3) The acceptance of the pastorate of ministers appointed by a bishop of 21
78	78	the United Methodist Church or employed by the superintendent of the district in which 22
79	79	the local church is located.] 23
80	80
81	81	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That Section(s) 5 –328 of Article – 24
82	82	Corporations and Associations of the Annotated Code of Maryland be renumbered to be 25
83	83	Section(s) 5–326. 26
84	84
85	85	SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHE R ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 27
86	86	October 1, 2025. 28