Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1375 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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		-	Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
6		-	Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
7		-	amendment.
8	5		hb1375
9	6
10	7		HOUSE BILL 1375
11	8		R6 5lr2439
12	9
13		-	By: Delegate Stein ~~Delegates Stein, Addison, Foley, Healey, and Terrasa~~
	10	+	By: Delegate Stein
14	11		Introduced and read first time: February 7, 2025
15	12		Assigned to: Environment and Transportation
16		-	Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
17		-	House action: Adopted
18		-	Read second time: March 6, 2025
19	13
20		-	~~CHAPTER ______~~
	14	+	A BILL ENTITLED
21	15
22	16		AN ACT concerning 1
23	17
24	18		Vehicle Equipment – Portable Variable Messaging Signs – Authorization 2
25	19
26	20		FOR the purpose of authorizing a tow truck to display a portable variable messaging sign 3
27		-	mounted on the tow truck while at the scene of an accident ~~a crash~~ or a disabled 4
28		-	~~vehicle; and~~ generally relating to portable variable messaging signs. 5
	21	+	mounted on the tow truck while at the scene of an accident or a disabled vehicle; and 4
	22	+	generally relating to portable variable messaging signs. 5
29	23
30	24		BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 6
31	25		Article – Transportation 7
32	26		Section 22–218(c)(1) 8
33	27		Annotated Code of Maryland 9
34	28		(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 10
35	29
36	30		BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 11
37	31		Article – Transportation 12
38	32		Section 22–218(c)(6) and 22–218.2(a) 13
39	33		Annotated Code of Maryland 14
40	34		(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 15
41	35
42	36		SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 16
43	37		That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 17
44	38
45	39		Article – Transportation 18
46	40
47	41		22–218. 19
48		-	2 HOUSE BILL 1375
49	42
50		-
51		-	(c) (1) A person may not drive or move on any highway any vehicle or 1
52		-	equipment that is equipped with or displays any light or signal device designed to emit an 2
53		-	oscillating, rotating, blinking, or other type of emission of light, unless designated and 3
54		-	authorized by the Administrator as indicated in paragraphs (2) through (13) of this 4
55		-	subsection. The provisions of this section do not prohibit the display and use of any lighting 5
56		-	device that may be permitted or required elsewhere in the Maryland Vehicle Law. 6
57		-
58		-	(6) (i) Service vehicles, waste or recycling collection vehicles, rural 7
59		-	letter carrier vehicles, slow moving farm vehicles, and tow trucks may be equipped with or 8
60		-	display yellow or amber lights or signal devices. 9
61		-
62		-	(ii) Highway maintenance and service equipment or vehicles owned 10
63		-	by the State or a local jurisdiction, or operating under a contract with the State or a local 11
64		-	jurisdiction, that are equipped with and displaying yellow or amber flashing lights while in 12
65		-	use for snow removal or the protection of highway ma intenance workers may 13
66		-	simultaneously be equipped with and display green flashing lights in a number up to the 14
67		-	number of yellow or amber flashing lights equipped and displayed. 15
68		-
69		-	(III) 1. A TOW TRUCK MAY DISPLAY A PORTABLE VARIABLE 16
70		-	MESSAGING SIGN MOUNTED ON THE TOW TRUCK WHILE AT THE SCENE O F AN 17
71		-	ACCIDENT A CRASH OR A DISABLED VEHICL E. 18
72		-
73		-	2. THE PORTABLE VARIABLE MESSAGING SIGN SHALL : 19
74		-
75		-	A. CONFORM TO THE STANDARDS ESTABLISHED IN THE 20
76		-	MANUAL ON UNIFORM TR AFFIC CONTROL DEVICE S ADOPTED BY THE STATE 21
77		-	HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION UNDER § 25–104 OF THIS ARTICLE; AND 22
78		-
79		-	B. DISPLAY ONLY THOSE MESSAGES APPROVED FO R USE 23
80		-	BY THE STATE HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION . 24
81		-
82		-	22–218.2. 25
83		-
84		-	(a) (1) One or more amber flashing lights may be displayed: 26
85		-
86		-	(i) By a tow truck while at the scene of an accident or a disabled 27
87		-	vehicle or while towing a vehicle; and 28
88		-
89		-	(ii) By snow removal and other highway maintenance and service 29
90		-	equipment and escort vehicles. 30
91		-
92		-	(2) Highway maintenance and service equipment or vehicles owned by the 31
93		-	State or a local jurisdiction, or operating under a contract with the State or a local 32
94		-	jurisdiction, may display green flashing lights only in accordance with § 22–218(c)(6) of this 33
95		-	subtitle. 34
96		-	HOUSE BILL 1375 3
97		-
98		-
99		-	(3) A TOW TRUCK MAY DISPLA Y A PORTABLE VARIABL E MESSAGING 1
100		-	SIGN ONLY IN ACCORDA NCE WITH § 22–218(C)(6) OF THIS SUBTITLE. 2
101		-
102		-	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 3
103		-	October 1, 2025. 4
	43	+	(c) (1) A person may not drive or move on any highway any vehicle or 20
	44	+	equipment that is equipped with or displays any light or signal device designed to emit an 21
	45	+	oscillating, rotating, blinking, or other type of emission of light, unless designated and 22
	46	+	authorized by the Administrator as indicated in paragraphs (2) through (13) of this 23
	47	+	subsection. The provisions of this section do not prohibit the display and use of any lighting 24
	48	+	device that may be permitted or required elsewhere in the Maryland Vehicle Law. 25 2 HOUSE BILL 1375
104	49
105	50
106	51
107		-	Approved:
108		-	________________________________________________________________________________
109		-	Governor.
110		-	________________________________________________________________________________
111		-	Speaker of the House of Delegates.
112		-	________________________________________________________________________________
113		-	President of the Senate.
	52	+	(6) (i) Service vehicles, waste or recycling collection vehicles, rural 1
	53	+	letter carrier vehicles, slow moving farm vehicles, and tow trucks may be equipped with or 2
	54	+	display yellow or amber lights or signal devices. 3
	55	+
	56	+	(ii) Highway maintenance and service equipment or vehicles owned 4
	57	+	by the State or a local jurisdiction, or operating under a contract with the State or a local 5
	58	+	jurisdiction, that are equipped with and displaying yellow or amber flashing lights while in 6
	59	+	use for snow removal or the protection of highway maintenance workers may 7
	60	+	simultaneously be equipped with and display green flashing lights in a number up to the 8
	61	+	number of yellow or amber flashing lights equipped and displayed. 9
	62	+
	63	+	(III) 1. A TOW TRUCK MAY DISPLAY A PORTABLE VARIABLE 10
	64	+	MESSAGING SIGN MOUNTED ON THE TOW TRUCK WHILE AT THE SCENE O F AN 11
	65	+	ACCIDENT OR A DISABL ED VEHICLE. 12
	66	+
	67	+	2. THE PORTABLE VARIABLE MESSAGING SIGN SHALL : 13
	68	+
	69	+	A. CONFORM TO THE STANDARDS ESTABLISHED IN THE 14
	70	+	MANUAL ON UNIFORM TR AFFIC CONTROL DEVICE S ADOPTED BY THE STATE 15
	71	+	HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION UNDER § 25–104 OF THIS ARTICLE; AND 16
	72	+
	73	+	B. DISPLAY ONLY THOSE MESSAGES APPROVED FO R USE 17
	74	+	BY THE STATE HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION . 18
	75	+
	76	+	22–218.2. 19
	77	+
	78	+	(a) (1) One or more amber flashing lights may be displayed: 20
	79	+
	80	+	(i) By a tow truck while at the scene of an accident or a disabled 21
	81	+	vehicle or while towing a vehicle; and 22
	82	+
	83	+	(ii) By snow removal and other highway maintenance and service 23
	84	+	equipment and escort vehicles. 24
	85	+
	86	+	(2) Highway maintenance and service equipment or vehicles owned by the 25
	87	+	State or a local jurisdiction, or operating under a contract with the State or a local 26
	88	+	jurisdiction, may display green flashing lights only in accordance with § 22–218(c)(6) of this 27
	89	+	subtitle. 28
	90	+
	91	+	(3) A TOW TRUCK MAY DISPLA Y A PORTABLE VARIABL E MESSAGING 29
	92	+	SIGN ONLY IN ACCORDA NCE WITH § 22–218(C)(6) OF THIS SUBTITLE. 30
	93	+
	94	+	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 31
	95	+	October 1, 2025. 32