Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB142 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	hb0142
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 142
8	8	P1 5lr0968
9	9	(PRE–FILED) CF SB 6
10	10	By: Delegate Miller
11	11	Requested: September 26, 2024
12	12	Introduced and read first time: January 8, 2025
13	13	Assigned to: Health and Government Operations
14	14
15	15	A BILL ENTITLED
16	16
17	17	AN ACT concerning 1
18	18
19	19	State Government – Veterans and Military Families Ombudsman – 2
20	20	Establishment 3
21	21
22	22	FOR the purpose of establishing the Veterans and Military Families Ombudsman within 4
23	23	the Department of Veterans and Military Families; and generally relating to the 5
24	24	Veterans and Military Families Ombudsman. 6
25	25
26	26	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 7
27	27	Article – State Government 8
28	28	Section 9–901 9
29	29	Annotated Code of Maryland 10
30	30	(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 11
31	31
32	32	BY adding to 12
33	33	Article – State Government 13
34	34	Section 9–960 through 9–964 to be under the new part “Part IX. Veterans and 14
35	35	Military Families Ombudsman” 15
36	36	Annotated Code of Maryland 16
37	37	(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 17
38	38
39	39	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 18
40	40	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 19
41	41
42	42	Article – State Government 20
43	43
44	44	9–901. 21
45	45
46	46	(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 22
47	47
48	48	(b) “Board” means the Board of Trustees of the Maryland Veterans Trust. 23 2 HOUSE BILL 142
49	49
50	50
51	51
52	52	(c) “Department” means the Department of Veterans and Military Families. 1
53	53
54	54	(D) “OMBUDSMAN ” MEANS THE VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES 2
55	55	OMBUDSMAN . 3
56	56
57	57	[(d)] (E) “Secretary” means the Secretary of Veterans and Military Families. 4
58	58
59	59	[(e)] (F) “Trust” means the Maryland Veterans Trust. 5
60	60
61	61	[(f)] (G) Except as otherwise provided in this subtitle, “veteran” means an 6
62	62	individual who served on active duty in the armed forces of the United States, other than 7
63	63	for training, and was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable. 8
64	64
65	65	PART IX. VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES OMBUDSMAN . 9
66	66
67	67	9–960. 10
68	68
69	69	(A) THERE IS A VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES OMBUDSMAN IN THE 11
70	70	DEPARTMENT . 12
71	71
72	72	(B) THE PURPOSE OF THE OMBUDSMAN IS TO SERVE AS A RESOURCE TO 13
73	73	PROVIDE INFORMATION AND SUPP ORT TO VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES 14
74	74	REGARDING THEIR RIGH TS AND ACCESS TO SER VICES. 15
75	75
76	76	9–961. 16
77	77
78	78	(A) (1) THE SECRETARY SHALL APPOI NT THE OMBUDSMAN . 17
79	79
80	80	(2) THE OMBUDSMAN SERVES FOR A TERM OF 5 YEARS. 18
81	81
82	82	(3) THE SECRETARY MAY REMOVE THE OMBUDSMAN FOR CAUSE. 19
83	83
84	84	(B) SALARIES OF THE OMBUDSMAN AND STAFF U NDER THE OMBUDSMAN 20
85	85	AND EXPENSES RELATED TO THE OPERATION OF THE TOLL–FREE NUMBER 21
86	86	ESTABLISHED UNDER § 9–963 OF THIS PART, RENT, EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES, AND 22
87	87	GENERAL OPE RATIONS SHALL BE AS PROVIDED IN THE STATE BUDGET . 23
88	88
89	89	(C) (1) IN COOPERATION WITH T HE SECRETARY OF BUDGET AND 24
90	90	MANAGEMENT , AND SUBJECT TO PARAG RAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION , THE 25
91	91	SECRETARY SHALL SET M INIMUM SALARY , QUALIFICATIONS , AND EXPERIENCE 26
92	92	STANDARDS FOR TH E OMBUDSMAN AND ANY STA FF UNDER THE OMBUDSMAN . 27
93	93
94	94	(2) THE OMBUDSMAN SHALL BE A VETERAN. 28 HOUSE BILL 142 3
95	95
96	96
97	97
98	98	9–962. 1
99	99
100	100	(A) THE OMBUDSMAN SHALL : 2
101	101
102	102	(1) SERVE AS A SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE ON THE STATE AND FEDERAL 3
103	103	LAWS, RULES, AND REGULATIONS GOVE RNING VETERAN S AND MILITARY FAMILIE S; 4
104	104
105	105	(2) PROVIDE IMPARTIAL IN FORMATION TO VETERAN S AND MILITARY 5
106	106	FAMILIES ON HOW TO N AVIGATE THE PROCESS OF OBTAINING SERVICE S; 6
107	107
108	108	(3) EXPLAIN TO VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIE S THEIR RIGHTS 7
109	109	AND HOW THEY MAY AVA IL THEMSELVES OF THO SE RIGHTS; 8
110	110
111	111	(4) WORK NEUTR ALLY WITH THE DEPARTMENT AND OTHER 9
112	112	ENTITIES, INCLUDING PRIVATE OR GANIZATIONS, TO ENSURE THAT SERVI CES FOR 10
113	113	VETERANS AND MILITAR Y FAMILIES ARE PROVI DED AS INTENDED ; 11
114	114
115	115	(5) ADVOCATE ON BEHALF O F VETERANS AND MILIT ARY FAMILIES; 12
116	116
117	117	(6) COMMUNICATE WITH THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE NEEDS O F 13
118	118	VETERANS AND MILITAR Y FAMILIES; 14
119	119
120	120	(7) IDENTIFY ANY PATTERN S OF COMPLAINTS MADE BY VETERANS 15
121	121	AND MILITARY FAMILIE S AND INFORM THE DEPARTMENT ABOUT ANY PATTERN; AND 16
122	122
123	123	(8) SERVE AS A GENERAL R ESOURCE FOR VETERANS AND MILITARY 17
124	124	FAMILIES AND MAKE REFERRALS TO AVAILABLE STATE AND FEDERAL SER VICES 18
125	125	AND PROGRAMS FOR VET ERANS AND MILITARY F AMILIES. 19
126	126
127	127	(B) IN PERFORMING THE DUT IES ASSIGNED UNDER T HIS SECTION, THE 20
128	128	OMBUDSMAN SHALL TREAT ALL COMMUNICATIONS A S CONFIDENTIAL AND M AY 21
129	129	REVEAL THE DETAILS OF ANY COMMUNICATION ONLY IF: 22
130	130
131	131	(1) NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE THE OMBUDSMAN ’S DUTIES; AND 23
132	132
133	133	(2) DONE IN ACCORDANCE W ITH APPLICABLE STATE AND FEDERAL 24
134	134	LAW. 25
135	135
136	136	9–963. 26
137	137
138	138	THE OMBUDSMAN SHALL ARRAN GE FOR A TOLL–FREE TELEPHONE NUMBE R, 27
139	139	AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AS WELL AS OT HER APPROPRIATE LANG UAGES, TO ASSIST 28 4 HOUSE BILL 142
140	140
141	141
142	142	ANY INDIVIDUAL SEEKING I NFORMATION OR ADVICE ABOUT SERVICES AND 1
143	143	PROGRAMS AVAILABLE T O VETERANS AND MILIT ARY FAMILIES. 2
144	144
145	145	9–964. 3
146	146
147	147	ON OR BEFORE JULY 1, 2026, AND EACH JULY 1 THEREAFTER , THE 4
148	148	OMBUDSMAN SHALL SUBMIT A REPORT TO T HE GOVERNOR AND , IN ACCORDANCE 5
149	149	WITH § 2–1257 OF THIS ARTICLE, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY THAT INCLUDE S: 6
150	150
151	151	(1) THE NUMBER AND TYPE OF CALLS RECEIVED ON THE TOLL–FREE 7
152	152	NUMBER DURING THE PR EVIOUS YEAR; 8
153	153
154	154	(2) ANY PATTERNS OF COMP LAINTS MADE BY VETERANS AND 9
155	155	MILITARY FAMILIES ID ENTIFIED UNDER § 9–962(A)(7) OF THIS SUBTITLE; 10
156	156
157	157	(3) A SUMMARY OF THE SER VICES PROVIDED BY TH E OMBUDSMAN 11
158	158	DURING THE PREVIOUS YEAR; AND 12
159	159
160	160	(4) ANY RECOMMENDATIONS THE OMBUDSMAN DETERMINES ARE 13
161	161	APPROPRIATE AND NECE SSARY CONCERNING THE STATE’S PROVISION OF SERVI CES 14
162	162	AND PROGRAMS FOR VET ERANS AND MILITARY F AMILIES. 15
163	163
164	164	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 16
165	165	October 1, 2025. 17