Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB234 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		hb0234
9	6
10	7		HOUSE BILL 234
11	8		R5 5lr0746
12		-	(PRE–FILED) CF ~~SB 385~~
13		-	By: Delegate Stein ~~Delegates Stein, Boyce, Healey, and R. Lewis~~
	9	+	(PRE–FILED) CF 5lr1714
	10	+	By: Delegate Stein
14	11		Requested: September 6, 2024
15	12		Introduced and read first time: January 8, 2025
16	13		Assigned to: Environment and Transportation
17		-	Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
18		-	House action: Adopted
19		-	Read second time: March 5, 2025
20	14
21		-	~~CHAPTER ______~~
	15	+	A BILL ENTITLED
22	16
23	17		AN ACT concerning 1
24	18
25	19		Vehicle Laws – Injury or Death of Vulnerable Individual – Penalties 2
26	20
27	21		FOR the purpose of altering the penalties for causing the serious physical injury or death 3
28	22		of a vulnerable individual as the result of an individual operating a motor vehicle in 4
29		-	violation of certain provisions of law a certain manner; including an individual who 5
30		-	is lawfully operating or riding a golf cart or a unicycle on a highway, shoulder, 6
31		-	crosswalk, or sidewalk as a vulnerable individual; and generally relating to penalties 7
32		-	for causing the serious physical injury or death of a vulnerable individual. 8
	23	+	violation of certain provisions of law; and generally relating to penalties for causing 5
	24	+	the serious physical injury or death of a vulnerable individual. 6
33	25
34		-	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 9
35		-	Article – Transportation 10
36		-	Section 21–901.3 11
37		-	Annotated Code of Maryland 12
38		-	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 13
	26	+	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 7
	27	+	Article – Transportation 8
	28	+	Section 21–901.3 9
	29	+	Annotated Code of Maryland 10
	30	+	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 11
39	31
40		-	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 14
41		-	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 15
	32	+	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12
	33	+	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13
42	34
43		-	Article – Transportation 16
	35	+	Article – Transportation 14
44	36
45		-	21–901.3. 17
	37	+	21–901.3. 15
46	38
47		-	(a) In this section, “vulnerable individual” means: 18
48		-	2 HOUSE BILL 234
	39	+	(a) In this section, “vulnerable individual” means: 16
49	40
	41	+	(1) A pedestrian, including an individual who is lawfully: 17
50	42
51		-	(1) A pedestrian, including an individual who is lawfully: 1
	43	+	(i) Actively working on a highway or a utility facility along a 18
	44	+	highway; 19
52	45
53		-	(i) Actively working on a highway or a utility facility along a 2
54		-	highway; 3
	46	+	(ii) Providing emergency services on a highway; or 20
55	47
56		-	(ii) Providing emergency services on a highway; or 4
57		-
58		-	(iii) On a sidewalk or footpath; 5
59		-
60		-	(2) An individual who is lawfully riding or leading an animal on a highway, 6
61		-	shoulder, crosswalk, or sidewalk; or 7
62		-
63		-	(3) An individual who is lawfully operating or riding any of the following 8
64		-	on a highway, shoulder, crosswalk, or sidewalk: 9
65		-
66		-	(i) A bicycle OR UNICYCLE; 10
67		-
68		-	(ii) A farm tractor or farm equipment; 11
69		-
70		-	(iii) A play vehicle; 12
71		-
72		-	(iv) A motor scooter; 13
73		-
74		-	(v) A motorcycle; 14
75		-
76		-	(vi) An animal–drawn vehicle; 15
77		-
78		-	(vii) An EPAMD; or 16
79		-
80		-	(viii) A wheelchair; OR 17
81		-
82		-	(IX) A GOLF CART. 18
83		-
84		-	(b) An individual may not cause the serious physical injury or death of a 19
85		-	vulnerable individual as a result of the individual operating a motor vehicle in: 20
86		-
87		-	(1) IN A NEGLIGENT MANNER ; AND 21
88		-
89		-	(2) IN violation of any provision of this title. 22
90		-
91		-	(c) (1) An individual charged with a violation of subsection (b) of this section: 23
92		-
93		-	(i) Must appear in court; and 24
94		-
95		-	(ii) May not prepay the fine. 25
96		-	HOUSE BILL 234 3
97		-
98		-
99		-	(2) An individual convicted of a violation of subsection (b) of this section is 1
100		-	subject to IMPRISONMENT NOT EXC EEDING 2 MONTHS OR a fine not exceeding $2,000 2
101		-	OR BOTH. 3
102		-
103		-	(d) In addition to the penalties provided under subsection (c) of this section, the 4
104		-	court may order an individual convicted of a violation of subsection (b) of this section to: 5
105		-
106		-	(1) Participate in a motor vehicle safety course; and 6
107		-
108		-	(2) Perform up to 150 hours of community service. 7
109		-
110		-	(e) The Administration shall suspend the driver’s license of an individual 8
111		-	convicted of a violation of subsection (b) of this section for at least 7 days but not more than 9
112		-	6 months. 10
113		-
114		-	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 11
115		-	October 1, 2025. 12
	48	+	(iii) On a sidewalk or footpath; 21 2 HOUSE BILL 234
116	49
117	50
118	51
	52	+	(2) An individual who is lawfully riding or leading an animal on a highway, 1
	53	+	shoulder, crosswalk, or sidewalk; or 2
119	54
120		-	Approved:
121		-	________________________________________________________________________________
122		-	Governor.
123		-	________________________________________________________________________________
124		-	Speaker of the House of Delegates.
125		-	________________________________________________________________________________
126		-	President of the Senate.
	55	+	(3) An individual who is lawfully operating or riding any of the following 3
	56	+	on a highway, shoulder, crosswalk, or sidewalk: 4
	57	+
	58	+	(i) A bicycle; 5
	59	+
	60	+	(ii) A farm tractor or farm equipment; 6
	61	+
	62	+	(iii) A play vehicle; 7
	63	+
	64	+	(iv) A motor scooter; 8
	65	+
	66	+	(v) A motorcycle; 9
	67	+
	68	+	(vi) An animal–drawn vehicle; 10
	69	+
	70	+	(vii) An EPAMD; or 11
	71	+
	72	+	(viii) A wheelchair. 12
	73	+
	74	+	(b) An individual may not cause the serious physical injury or death of a 13
	75	+	vulnerable individual as a result of the individual operating a motor vehicle in violation of 14
	76	+	any provision of this title. 15
	77	+
	78	+	(c) (1) An individual charged with a violation of subsection (b) of this section: 16
	79	+
	80	+	(i) Must appear in court; and 17
	81	+
	82	+	(ii) May not prepay the fine. 18
	83	+
	84	+	(2) An individual convicted of a violation of subsection (b) of this section is 19
	85	+	subject to IMPRISONMENT NOT EXC EEDING 2 MONTHS OR a fine not exceeding $2,000 20
	86	+	OR BOTH. 21
	87	+
	88	+	(d) In addition to the penalties provided under subsection (c) of this section, the 22
	89	+	court may order an individual convicted of a violation of subsection (b) of this section to: 23
	90	+
	91	+	(1) Participate in a motor vehicle safety course; and 24
	92	+
	93	+	(2) Perform up to 150 hours of community service. 25
	94	+
	95	+	(e) The Administration shall suspend the driver’s license of an individual 26
	96	+	convicted of a violation of subsection (b) of this section for at least 7 days but not more than 27
	97	+	6 months. 28 HOUSE BILL 234 3
	98	+
	99	+
	100	+
	101	+	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 1
	102	+	October 1, 2025. 2