Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB187 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	hb0187
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 187
8	8	E1 5lr1268
9	9	HB 892/24 – JUD (PRE–FILED) CF SB 170
10	10	By: Delegates Kaufman, Conaway, Fair, Feldmark, Jackson, T. Morgan, Pasteur,
11	11	Pena–Melnyk, Stein, Tomlinson, and Williams
12	12	Requested: October 18, 2024
13	13	Introduced and read first time: January 8, 2025
14	14	Assigned to: Judiciary
15	15
16	16	A BILL ENTITLED
17	17
18	18	AN ACT concerning 1
19	19
20	20	Criminal Law – Benefits Exploitation 2
21	21
22	22	FOR the purpose of prohibiting a person from knowingly recruiting, harboring, 3
23	23	transporting, or obtaining an individual for the purpose of appropriating the 4
24	24	government benefits of an individual for the benefit of the person or another by 5
25	25	certain means; prohibiting a person from knowingly benefitting in a certain manner 6
26	26	from participation in a venture that violates a certain provision of this Act; 7
27	27	prohibiting a person from aiding, abetting, or conspiring with one or more persons to 8
28	28	violate a certain provision of this Act; and generally relating to benefits exploitation. 9
29	29
30	30	BY adding to 10
31	31	Article – Criminal Law 11
32	32	Section 8–524 12
33	33	Annotated Code of Maryland 13
34	34	(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 14
35	35
36	36	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 15
37	37	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 16
38	38
39	39	Article – Criminal Law 17
40	40
41	41	8–524. 18
42	42
43	43	(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 19
44	44	INDICATED. 20
45	45
46	46	(2) “COERCION” MEANS: 21
47	47	2 HOUSE BILL 187
48	48
49	49
50	50	(I) 1. CAUSING OR THREATENI NG TO CAUSE BODILY H ARM 1
51	51	TO AN INDIVIDUAL ; OR 2
52	52
53	53	2. PHYSICALLY RESTRAINI NG OR CONFINING OR 3
54	54	THREATENING TO PHYSI CALLY RESTRAIN OR CO NFINE AN INDIVIDUAL ; 4
55	55
56	56	(II) EXPOSING OR DISSEMIN ATING OR THREATENING TO 5
57	57	EXPOSE OR DISSEMINAT E ANY FACT OR INFORM ATION THAT WOULD TEN D TO 6
58	58	SUBJECT AN INDIVIDUA L TO CRIMINAL OR IMM IGRATION PROCEEDINGS , HATRED, 7
59	59	CONTEMP T, OR RIDICULE; 8
60	60
61	61	(III) DESTROYING, CONCEALING , REMOVING, CONFISCATING , OR 9
62	62	POSSESSING ANY ACTUA L OR PURPORTED PASSP ORT OR OTHER IMMIGRA TION 10
63	63	DOCUMENT , OR ANY OTHER ACTUAL OR PURPORTED GOVERNM ENT IDENTIFICATION 11
64	64	DOCUMENT , OF AN INDIVIDUAL ; 12
65	65
66	66	(IV) PROVIDING A CONTROLLED DANGE ROUS SUBSTANCE TO AN 13
67	67	INDIVIDUAL FOR THE P URPOSE OF COMPELLING THE INDIVIDUAL TO EN GAGE IN AN 14
68	68	ACTION AGAINST THE I NDIVIDUAL’S WILL; 15
69	69
70	70	(V) CAUSING OR THREATENI NG TO CAUSE FINANCIA L HARM TO 16
71	71	AN INDIVIDUAL OR EXE RTING FINANCIAL CONT ROL OVER A DISABLED OR E LDERLY 17
72	72	ADULT; OR 18
73	73
74	74	(VI) DEPRIVING AN INDIVID UAL OF MEDICAL CARE . 19
75	75
76	76	(3) “CONTROLLED DANGEROUS SUBSTANCE” HAS THE MEANING 20
77	77	STATED IN § 5–101 OF THIS ARTICLE. 21
78	78
79	79	(4) “DECEPTION” MEANS: 22
80	80
81	81	(I) CREATING OR CONFIRMI NG ANOTHER PERSON ’S 23
82	82	IMPRESSION OF AN EXISTIN G FACT OR PAST EVENT THAT IS FALSE AND TH AT THE 24
83	83	ACCUSED KNOWS OR BEL IEVES TO BE FALSE; OR 25
84	84
85	85	(II) PROMISING BENEFITS O R THE PERFORMANCE OF SERVICES 26
86	86	THAT THE ACCUSED DOE S NOT INTEND TO DELI VER OR PERFORM OR KN OWS WILL 27
87	87	NOT BE DELIVERED O R PERFORMED . 28
88	88
89	89	(5) “EXPLOITATION” MEANS ILLEGALLY OR I MPROPERLY USING AN 29
90	90	INDIVIDUAL OR AN IND IVIDUAL’S GOVERNMENT BENEFIT S THROUGH UNDUE 30
91	91	INFLUENCE, HARASSMENT , DURESS, FALSE REPRESENTATION , FALSE PRETENSE , 31
92	92	OR OTHER SIMILAR MEA NS FOR PERSONAL PROF IT OR ADVANTAGE OR FOR THE 32
93	93	PROFIT OR ADVANTAGE OF ANOTHER. 33 HOUSE BILL 187 3
94	94
95	95
96	96
97	97	(6) “GOVERNMENT BENEFITS ” INCLUDES: 1
98	98
99	99	(I) MEDICARE BENEFITS ; 2
100	100
101	101	(II) MEDICAID BENEFITS ; 3
102	102
103	103	(III) TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES (TANF) 4
104	104	BENEFITS; 5
105	105
106	106	(IV) SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION PROGRAM FOR 6
107	107	WOMEN, INFANTS, AND CHILDREN (WIC) BENEFITS; 7
108	108
109	109	(V) SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM 8
110	110	(SNAP) BENEFITS; 9
111	111
112	112	(VI) SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS ; 10
113	113
114	114	(VII) SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY (SSDI) BENEFITS; 11
115	115
116	116	(VIII) VETERANS BENEFITS ; 12
117	117
118	118	(IX) PENSION BENEFITS ; 13
119	119
120	120	(X) TEMPORARY DISABILITY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (TDAP) 14
121	121	BENEFITS; AND 15
122	122
123	123	(XI) PUBLIC ASSISTANCE TO ADULTS (PAA) BENEFITS. 16
124	124
125	125	(7) “ISOLATION” MEANS PREVENTING AN INDIVIDUAL FROM HAVI NG 17
126	126	CONTACT WITH FRIENDS OR FAMILY, A WELFARE AGENCY , LAW ENFORCEMENT 18
127	127	OFFICERS, HEALTH CARE PROVIDER S, OR OTHER INDIVIDUALS OR ENTITIES 19
128	128	WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDG E OF THE INDIVIDUAL OR AGAINST THE INDIV IDUAL’S 20
129	129	WISHES. 21
130	130
131	131	(B) (1) A PERSON MAY NOT , THROUGH DECEPTION , COERCION, 22
132	132	EXPLOITATION , ISOLATION, OR ANY OTHER MEANS , KNOWINGLY RECRUIT , HARBOR, 23
133	133	TRANSPORT, OR OBTAIN AN INDIVID UAL FOR THE PURPOSE OF APPROPRIATING THE 24
134	134	GOVERNMENT BENEFITS OF AN INDIVIDUAL FOR PERSONAL BENEFIT OR TO 25
135	135	BENEFIT ANOTHER . 26
136	136
137	137	(2) A PERSON MAY NOT KNOWI NGLY BENEFIT FINANCI ALLY OR BY 27
138	138	RECEIVING ANYTHING O F VALUE FROM PARTICI PATION IN A VENTURE THAT 28
139	139	VIOLATES PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION . 29
140	140	4 HOUSE BILL 187
141	141
142	142
143	143	(3) A PERSON MAY NOT AID , ABET, OR CONSPIRE WITH ONE OR MORE 1
144	144	PERSONS TO VIOLATE PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION . 2
145	145
146	146	(C) A PERSON WHO VIOLATES SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION IS G UILTY 3
147	147	OF A FELONY AND ON C ONVICTION IS SUBJECT TO IMPRISONMENT NOT EXCEEDING 4
148	148	25 YEARS OR A FINE NOT EXCEEDING $15,000 OR BOTH. 5
149	149
150	150	(D) (1) EACH VIOLAT ION OF THIS SECTION SHALL BE CONSIDERED A 6
151	151	SEPARATE OFFENSE . 7
152	152
153	153	(2) A CONVICTION UNDER THI S SECTION MAY NOT ME RGE WITH A 8
154	154	CONVICTION FOR ANY O THER CRIME BASED ON THE ACT ESTABLISHING THE 9
155	155	VIOLATION OF THIS SE CTION. 10
156	156
157	157	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 11
158	158	October 1, 2025. 12
159	159
160	160