EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*hb0600*
HOUSE BILL 600
F5, P1 5lr2404
CF SB 276
By: Delegates Patterson, Acevero, Allen, Attar, Buckel, Cardin, Guyton, Harris,
McComas, Pasteur, Phillips, Pruski, Rose, Taveras, Williams, and Wims
Introduced and read first time: January 23, 2025
Assigned to: Ways and Means and Appropriations
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 4, 2025
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Educational Equality for Service Members Act 2
FOR the purpose of establishing rules of interpretation related to the uniformed services; 3
altering the rule of interpretation for “veteran”; altering the application of certain 4
provisions of law governing education to apply to all uniformed services, rather than 5
only the armed forces; and generally relating to veterans and uniformed services. 6
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 7
Article – Education 8
Section 1–101(a), 4–122.1(a)(1), and 7–101(c)(1)(i) 9
Annotated Code of Maryland 10
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 11
BY adding to 12
Article – Education 13
Section 1–101(a–1), (a–2), (b–1), (k–1), (n), and (o) 14
Annotated Code of Maryland 15
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 16
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 17
Article – Education 18
Section 4–122.1(a)(9)(vi), 4–128, 6–101.1, 7–101(b)(2)(i) and (c)(1)(iv)6. and (4), 19
7–115(a), 7–115.1, 7–129(a), (b), and (d)(1), 13–516(b–1), 15–106.4(a) and (b), 20
15–124(a), 16–109, 18–205, 18–405(d)(3), 18–406(g), 18–501(b)(2)(iii), 21 2 HOUSE BILL 600
18–501(b)(2)(iii); 18–601(c)(1) and (d)(2), 18–604(a), (c), and (d), and 1
18–604(a), (c), and (d) to be under the amended subtitle “Subtitle 6. 2
Scholarships for Uniformed Services and Public Safety Personnel and Their 3
Dependents and the Dependents of Certain School Employees ”; and 4
18–708(l)(7), 18–1910(c)(2), 18–3005(1)(iv), and 21–309(a)(5)(ii)1. 5
Annotated Code of Maryland 6
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 7
BY adding to 8
Article – General Provisions 9
Section 1–101.1, 1–101.2, 1–103.1, 1–114.1, 1–114.2, and 1–116 10
Annotated Code of Maryland 11
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 12
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 13
Article – General Provisions 14
Section 1–117 15
Annotated Code of Maryland 16
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 17
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 18
Article – State Government 19
Section 9–901 20
Annotated Code of Maryland 21
(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 22
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 23
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 24
Article – Education 25
1–101. 26
(a) In this article, unless the context requires otherwise, the following words have 27
the meanings indicated. 28
(A–1) “ACTIVE DUTY” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 9–901 OF THE STATE 29
GOVERNMENT ARTICLE. 30
(A–2) “ACTIVE SERVICE MEMBER ” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 9–901 OF 31
THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE. 32
(B–1) “ARMED FORCES ” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 9–901 OF THE STATE 33
GOVERNMENT ARTICLE. 34
HOUSE BILL 600 3
(K–1) “RESERVE COMPONENT ” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 9–901 OF THE 1
STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE. 2
(N) “UNIFORMED SERVICES ” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 9–901 OF THE 3
STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE. 4
(O) “VETERAN” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 9–901 OF THE STATE 5
GOVERNMENT ARTICLE. 6
4–122.1. 7
(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 8
(9) “Serious family hardship” means: 9
(vi) Assignment of a parent or legal guardian of a child to active 10
[military] UNIFORMED SERVICES duty. 11
4–128. 12
A county board of education is subject to the requirements relating to employees who 13
return from [military services] SERVICE IN THE UNIFO RMED SERVICES in § 1–203 of the 14
Local Government Article. 15
6–101.1. 16
(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 17
(2) (i) [“Military] “ELIGIBLE spouse” means the spouse of [a] AN 18
ACTIVE service member or ELIGIBLE veteran. 19
(ii) [“Military] “ELIGIBLE spouse” includes a surviving spouse of: 20
1. [A] AN ELIGIBLE veteran; or 21
2. [A] AN ACTIVE service member who died within 1 year 22
before the date on which the application for an educator certificate LICENSE is submitted. 23
[(3) “Service member” means an individual who is an active duty member 24
of: 25
(i) The armed forces of the United States; 26
(ii) A reserve component of the armed forces of the United States; or 27
(iii) The National Guard of any state. 28 4 HOUSE BILL 600
(4) (i) “Veteran” means a former service member who was discharged 1
from active duty under circumstances other than dishonorable within 1 year before the date 2
on which the application for an educator certificate is submitted. 3
(ii) “Veteran” does not include an individual who has completed 4
active duty and has been discharged for more than 1 year before the application for an 5
educator certificate is submitted.] 6
(3) (I) “ELIGIBLE VETERAN ” MEANS A VETERAN WHO WAS 7
DISCHARGED FROM ACTIVE DUTY WIT HIN 1 YEAR BEFORE THE DATE ON WHICH THE 8
APPLICATION FOR AN E DUCATOR CERTIFICATE LICENSE IS SUBMITTED. 9
(II) “ELIGIBLE VETERAN ” DOES NOT INCLUDE A VET ERAN WHO 10
HAS BEEN DISCHARGED FROM ACTIVE DUTY FOR MORE THAN 1 YEAR BEFORE THE 11
APPLICATION FOR AN E DUCATOR CERTIFICATE LICENSE IS SUBMITTED. 12
(b) The State Superintendent shall expedite educator certification LICENSURE 13
for [a] AN ACTIVE service member, ELIGIBLE veteran, or [military] ELIGIBLE spouse. 14
(c) To qualify for expedited educator certification LICENSURE under this section, 15
[a] AN ACTIVE service member, ELIGIBLE veteran, or [military] ELIGIBLE spouse shall: 16
(1) Submit an application for educator certification LICENSURE; 17
(2) Hold a valid educator license or certificate in good standing issued in 18
another state; 19
(3) Meet the applicable qualifications for certification LICENSURE in 20
COMAR 13A.12.01.04 and .05; and 21
(4) Pay the applicable certification LICENSURE fee. 22
(d) (1) Subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection, the State Superintendent, 23
at the request of a local school system, may issue a temporary educator certificate LICENSE 24
to [a] AN ACTIVE service member, ELIGIBLE veteran, or [military] ELIGIBLE spouse who 25
holds a valid educator certificate or license in good standing issued in another state but 26
who does not meet the qualifications for educator certification LICENSURE in this State. 27
(2) A temporary educator certificate LICENSE issued under this subsection 28
authorizes the ACTIVE service member, ELIGIBLE veteran, or [military] ELIGIBLE spouse, 29
for a limited period of time, as determined by the State Superintendent, to be employed as 30
an educator in the State while the ACTIVE service member, ELIGIBLE veteran, or 31
[military] ELIGIBLE spouse completes additional requirements for certification 32
LICENSURE in this State. 33 HOUSE BILL 600 5
(e) The Department shall publish prominently on its website the process for 1
obtaining expedited educator certification LICENSURE under this section. 2
(f) The State Board may adopt regulations to carry out this section. 3
7–101. 4
(b) (2) (i) [Upon] ON request and in accordance with a county board’s 5
policies concerning residency, a county superintendent: 6
1. May allow a child to attend school in the county even if the 7
child is not domiciled in that county with the child’s parent or guardian; and 8
2. Shall allow a dependent child of [a] AN ACTIVE service 9
member who is relocating to the State on [military] OFFICIAL orders to enroll in school in 10
the county in accordance with § 7–115.1 of this subtitle. 11
(c) (1) (i) In this subsection the following words have the meanings 12
indicated. 13
(iv) “Serious family hardship” means: 14
6. Assignment of a parent or legal guardian of a child to 15
active [military] UNIFORMED SERVICES duty. 16
(4) The affidavit shall be in the following form: 17
(i) I, the undersigned, am over eighteen (18) years of age and 18
competent to testify to the facts and matters set forth herein. 19
(ii) ____________________ (name of child), whose date of birth is 20
_____________, is living with me because of the following serious family hardship: (check 21
each that is applicable) 22
_____ death of father/mother/legal guardian 23
_____ serious illness of father/mother/legal guardian 24
_____ drug addiction of father/mother/legal guardian 25
_____ incarceration of father/mother/legal guardian 26
_____ abandonment by father/mother/legal guardian 27
_____ assignment of a parent or legal guardian of a child to active [military] 28
UNIFORMED SERVICES duty 29
(iii) The name and last known address of the child’s parent(s) or legal 30
guardian is: 31
___________________________________________________________________________________ 32 6 HOUSE BILL 600
___________________________________________________________________________________ 1
___________________________________________________________________________________ 2
(iv) My kinship relation to the child is ___________________________ 3
(v) My address is: 4
___________________________________________________________________________________ 5
Street Apt. No. 6
___________________________________________________________________________________ 7
City State Zip Code 8
(vi) I assumed informal kinship care of this child for 24 hours a day 9
and 7 days a week on __________________(day/month/year). 10
(vii) The name and address of the last school that the child attended 11
is: 12
___________________________________________________________________________________ 13
___________________________________________________________________________________ 14
(viii) The county superintendent may verify the facts contained in the 15
foregoing affidavit and conduct an audit on a case–by–case basis after the child has been 16
enrolled in the county public school system. If the county superintendent discovers fraud 17
or misrepresentation, the child shall be removed from the public school or county public 18
school system roll. 19
(ix) I solemnly affirm under the penalties of perjury that the contents 20
of the foregoing are true to the best of my knowledge, information, and belief. 21
___________________________________ 22
Signature of affiant 23
___________________________________ 24
(Day/month/year) 25
(x) Any person who willfully makes a material misrepresentation in 26
this affidavit shall be subject to a penalty payable to the county for three times the pro rata 27
share of tuition for the time the child fraudulently attends a public school in the county. 28
7–115. 29
(a) To facilitate the transfer of school–aged student dependents of [military 30
personnel] ACTIVE SERVICE MEMBE RS to and from the public schools of this State, the 31 HOUSE BILL 600 7
State Board shall pursue reciprocity agreements with other states regarding the terms of 1
those student transfers. 2
7–115.1. 3
(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 4
(2) “Dependent child” means an individual of school age who is a natural 5
child, a stepchild, an adopted child, or a financially dependent child of [a] AN ACTIVE 6
service member. 7
(3) “Enrollment” includes course registration and charter school lotteries. 8
[(4) (i) “Service member” means an active duty member of the United 9
States armed forces. 10
(ii) “Service member” includes a member of the National Guard on 11
active duty orders.] 12
(b) A county superintendent shall allow a dependent child of [a] AN ACTIVE 13
service member who is relocating to the State on [military] OFFICIAL orders and is not 14
domiciled in that county during the enrollment period to apply for enrollment in a public 15
school in the county, in the same manner and at the same time as individuals domiciled in 16
the county. 17
(c) (1) Within 10 days of the published arrival date on the ACTIVE service 18
member’s [military] OFFICIAL orders, the ACTIVE service member shall provide the school 19
with: 20
(i) Satisfactory evidence of the dependent child’s status as a 21
dependent child of the ACTIVE service member; 22
(ii) A copy of the ACTIVE service member’s [military] OFFICIAL 23
orders to relocate; and 24
(iii) Proof of residence in the county. 25
(2) The ACTIVE service member may use the address of any of the following 26
as proof of residence: 27
(i) A temporary on–base lodging facility; 28
(ii) A purchased or leased home or apartment; or 29
(iii) Any federal government housing unit or off–base military 30
housing unit. 31 8 HOUSE BILL 600
7–129. 1
(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 2
(2) “Military–connected student” means a student who is a dependent of: 3
(i) [A current] AN ACTIVE DUTY UNIFOR MED SERVICES member 4
[of: 5
1. The United States military serving in the Army, Navy, Air 6
Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, or Coast Guard on active duty; 7
2. The Maryland National Guard or the National Guard of 8
any other state; or 9
3. A reserve force of the United States military]; 10
(II) A MEMBER OF A RESERVE COMPONENT ; or 11
[(ii)] (III) A member [of a military or reserve force] described in item 12
(i) OR (II) of this paragraph who was killed in the line of duty. 13
(3) “Program” means the Purple Star Schools Program. 14
(b) (1) There is a Purple Star Schools Program. 15
(2) The purpose of the Program is to recognize public schools that provide 16
strong services and support for military–connected students and their families when, as a 17
result of [military service] OFFICIAL ORDERS , a military–connected student transfers 18
schools. 19
(d) At a minimum, the Department’s criteria for a Purple Star School shall 20
require a public school to: 21
(1) Designate a staff member as a [military] UNIFORMED SERVICES 22
liaison, whose duties shall include: 23
(i) Identifying military–connected students who are newly enrolled 24
or soon to be enrolled at the school; 25
(ii) Serving as the point of contact between the school and newly 26
enrolled or soon to be enrolled military–connected students and their families; 27
(iii) Determining appropriate school services available to newly 28
enrolled or soon to be enrolled military–connected students; 29 HOUSE BILL 600 9
(iv) Assisting in coordinating school programs for newly enrolled or 1
soon to be enrolled military–connected students; and 2
(v) Generally aiding with a military–connected student’s transition 3
to a new school; 4
13–516. 5
(b–1) (1) [In this subsection, “service member” means an individual who is an 6
active duty member of: 7
(i) The armed forces of the United States; 8
(ii) A reserve component of the armed forces of the United States; or 9
(iii) The National Guard of any state. 10
(2) (i)] In calculating an individual’s years of experience in an 11
occupation or profession, the EMS Board shall give credit to the individual for all relevant 12
experience as [a] AN ACTIVE service member. 13
[(ii)] (2) The EMS Board shall credit any training and education 14
provided by the [military] UNIFORMED SERVICES and completed by [a] AN ACTIVE 15
service member toward any training or education requirements for licensure or certification 16
if the training or education is determined by the EMS Board to be: 17
[1.] (I) Substantially equivalent to the training or 18
education required by the EMS Board; and 19
[2.] (II) Not otherwise contrary to any other licensing 20
requirement. 21
15–106.4. 22
(a) This section applies to the following individuals: 23
(1) [An active duty member of the United States armed forces] AN ACTIVE 24
SERVICE MEMBER ; 25
(2) The spouse of [an active duty member of the United States armed 26
forces] AN ACTIVE SERVICE ME MBER; 27
(3) A financially dependent child of [an active duty member of the United 28
States armed forces] AN ACTIVE SERVICE ME MBER; 29
10 HOUSE BILL 600
(4) [An honorably discharged veteran of the United States armed forces] A 1
VETERAN; or 2
(5) A member of the National Guard as defined in § 13–405(a)(3) of the 3
Public Safety Article. 4
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, an individual described in 5
subsection (a) of this section who attends a public institution of higher education in the 6
State is exempt from paying nonresident tuition at a public institution of higher education 7
in this State if: 8
(1) The active [duty] SERVICE member [described in subsection (a) of this 9
section]: 10
(i) Is stationed in this State; 11
(ii) Resides in this State; or 12
(iii) Is domiciled in this State; 13
(2) The spouse or financially dependent child [described in subsection (a) 14
of this section] OF AN ACTIVE SERVICE MEMBER presents documentation that, during 15
the time period in which the active [duty] SERVICE member met the requirements of 16
paragraph (1) of this subsection, the individual: 17
(i) Enrolled as an entering student in a public institution of higher 18
education in the State; or 19
(ii) Was accepted to attend a public institution of higher education 20
in the State; 21
(3) The [honorably discharged] veteran [described in subsection (a) of this 22
section] presents documentation that the individual: 23
(i) Was honorably discharged from the [United States armed forces] 24
UNIFORMED SERVICES ; and 25
(ii) 1. Resides in this State; or 26
2. Is domiciled in this State; or 27
(4) The National Guard member described in subsection (a) of this section 28
is a member of the Maryland National Guard and joined or subsequently serves in the 29
Maryland National Guard to: 30
(i) Provide a Critical Military Occupational Skill; or 31 HOUSE BILL 600 11
(ii) Be a member of the Air Force Critical Specialty Code as 1
determined by the National Guard. 2
15–124. 3
(a) In this section, “eligible service member” means: 4
(1) [A currently serving member of any branch of the armed forces of the 5
United States, including the National Guard and the military reserves] AN ACTIVE 6
SERVICE MEMBER ; and 7
(2) A veteran [of any branch of the armed forces of the United States, 8
including the National Guard and the military reserves, who has received an honorable 9
discharge or a certificate of satisfactory completion of military service]. 10
16–109. 11
Each community college shall: 12
(1) Ensure all student advisors are trained on the unique needs and 13
resources available for students who are veterans; 14
(2) Employ at least one employee who, as a component of the employee’s 15
job duties and responsibilities, provides comprehensive and intensive enrollment and 16
advising services to current and prospective students who are veterans; and 17
(3) Establish a veterans resource center on campus to: 18
(i) Provide access to federal and State veterans resources; 19
(ii) Serve as a quiet place for veterans to study; 20
(iii) Enable veterans to connect to other veterans, helping them 21
renew the bonds of [military] service; and 22
(iv) Be the central hub for all activities on campus related to 23
veterans. 24
18–205. 25
Subject to rules and regulations adopted by the Commission, the Office shall grant 26
a deferment from the service obligation component of student financial assistance awarded 27
under this title to: 28
12 HOUSE BILL 600
(1) An [individual] ACTIVE SERVICE MEMBE R who has been assigned 1
[military] duty outside of the State; or 2
(2) The spouse of an [individual] ACTIVE SERVICE MEMBE R who has been 3
assigned [military] duty outside of the State. 4
18–405. 5
(d) Each Senator may award not more than 10% of the funds available under this 6
subtitle to applicants planning to attend accredited undergraduate, graduate, or 7
professional institutions outside the State, provided the applicant: 8
(3) Is an [individual who is on active duty with the United States military] 9
ACTIVE SERVICE MEMBE R who is domiciled in this State. 10
18–406. 11
(g) A recipient of a senatorial scholarship who is an [individual who is on active 12
duty with the United States military] ACTIVE SERVICE MEMBE R and otherwise meets the 13
conditions of subsection (a) or (b) of this section may be domiciled in this State rather than 14
eligible for in–State tuition under this article. 15
18–501. 16
(b) A scholarship awarded under this subtitle may be used at: 17
(2) An accredited undergraduate, graduate, or professional institution 18
outside the State, if the applicant: 19
(iii) Is an [individual who is on active duty with the United States 20
military] ACTIVE SERVICE MEMBE R who is domiciled in this State; and 21
Subtitle 6. Scholarships for [Military] UNIFORMED SERVICES and Public Safety 22
Personnel and Their Dependents and the Dependents of Certain School Employees. 23
18–601. 24
(c) (1) The program for [military] UNIFORMED SERVICES and public safety 25
personnel and their eligible dependents is the Edward T. and Mary A. Conroy Memorial 26
Scholarship Program. 27
(d) (2) To apply for a scholarship under this section, the following persons are 28
required to be a resident of Maryland at the time of application or at the time of the 29
disabling or fatal event: 30
HOUSE BILL 600 13
(i) A son, daughter, stepson, stepdaughter, or the surviving spouse 1
of a member of the [armed forces] UNIFORMED SERVICES who: 2
1. Died as a result of [military] service after December 7, 3
1941; 4
2. Suffered a service connected 100% permanent disability 5
after December 7, 1941; or 6
3. Was declared to be a prisoner of war or missing in action, 7
if that occurred on or after January 1, 1960, as a result of the Vietnam conflict, and if the 8
child was born prior to or while the parent was a prisoner of war or missing in action; 9
(ii) A prisoner of war or missing in action, if that occurred on or after 10
January 1, 1960, as a result of the Vietnam conflict and was a resident of this State at the 11
time the person was declared to be a prisoner of war or missing in action; 12
(iii) A veteran[, as defined under § 9–901 of the State Government 13
Article,] who: 14
1. Suffers a service connected disability of 25% or greater; 15
and 16
2. Has exhausted or is no longer eligible for federal veterans’ 17
educational benefits; 18
(iv) A son, daughter, stepson, or stepdaughter of or the surviving 19
spouse of a victim of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks; 20
(v) A son, daughter, stepson, or stepdaughter of a school employee 21
who, as a result of an act of violence: 22
1. Died in the line of duty; or 23
2. Sustained an injury in the line of duty that rendered the 24
school employee 100% disabled; or 25
(vi) The surviving spouse of a school employee who, as a result of an 26
act of violence: 27
1. Died in the line of duty; or 28
2. Sustained an injury in the line of duty that rendered the 29
school employee 100% disabled. 30
18–604. 31
14 HOUSE BILL 600
(a) For purposes of this section, an individual served in the Afghanistan or Iraq 1
conflict if the individual was [a] AN ACTIVE SERVICE member [of the uniformed services 2
of the United States] who served in: 3
(1) Afghanistan or contiguous air space, as defined in federal regulations, 4
on or after October 24, 2001; or 5
(2) Iraq or contiguous waters or air space, as defined in federal regulations, 6
on or after March 19, 2003. 7
(c) An individual may apply to the Office for a scholarship under this section if 8
the individual: 9
(1) Is a resident of Maryland; 10
(2) (i) Is accepted for admission or enrolled in the regular 11
undergraduate program at an eligible institution; or 12
(ii) Is accepted for admission or enrolled in a 2–year terminal 13
certificate program in which the course work is acceptable for transfer credit for an 14
accredited baccalaureate program in an eligible institution; and 15
(3) (i) 1. Is a veteran[, as defined under § 9–901 of the State 16
Government Article,] who served in the Afghanistan or Iraq conflict; 17
2. Is an active [duty member of the armed forces] SERVICE 18
MEMBER who served in the Afghanistan or Iraq conflict; or 19
3. Is a member of a reserve component [of the armed forces 20
of the United States or the Maryland National Guard] who was activated as a result of the 21
Afghanistan or Iraq conflict described in subsection (a) of this section; or 22
(ii) Is a son, daughter, stepson, stepdaughter, or spouse of: 23
1. A veteran or AN active [duty] SERVICE member [of the 24
armed forces] who is serving or has served in the Afghanistan or Iraq conflict; or 25
2. A member of the reserve [or Maryland National Guard] 26
COMPONENT who was activated as a result of the Afghanistan or Iraq conflict described in 27
subsection (a) of this section. 28
(d) A scholarship awarded under this section may supplement, but is not 29
contingent on, any federal education benefits for which a recipient qualifies as a result of 30
an individual’s [military] service or status as a dependent of [a] AN ACTIVE SERVICE 31
member [of the armed forces] or of a veteran [of the armed forces]. 32
HOUSE BILL 600 15
18–708. 1
(l) (7) The Office shall grant a deferment from the service obligation required 2
under this section to: 3
(i) An [individual] ACTIVE SERVICE MEMBE R who has been 4
assigned [military] duty outside the State; or 5
(ii) The spouse of an [individual] ACTIVE SERVICE MEMBE R who 6
has been assigned [military] duty outside the State. 7
18–1910. 8
(c) (2) The time that a qualified beneficiary spends in active duty as a member 9
of the [United States armed forces] UNIFORMED SERVICES shall be added to the time 10
period allowed to exercise the benefits under a prepaid contract before a termination under 11
paragraph (1) of this subsection. 12
18–3005. 13
To qualify for participation in the Program, an individual shall: 14
(1) (iv) 1. Have been honorably discharged from the [United States 15
armed forces, the National Guard,] UNIFORMED SERVICES or a reserve component [of the 16
United States armed forces] within 18 months of the date of application; 17
2. Be a resident of Maryland; and 18
3. Have graduated from a public or private nonprofit 19
institution of higher education; 20
21–309. 21
(a) (5) (ii) “Qualified employee with a disability” includes: 22
1. An individual who has been determined by the Maryland 23
Department of Labor, in consultation with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, as 24
having been discharged or released from active duty in the [armed forces of the United 25
States] UNIFORMED SERVICES for a service–connected disability; and 26
Article – General Provisions 27
1–101.1. 28
“ACTIVE DUTY” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 9–901 OF THE STATE 29
GOVERNMENT ARTICLE. 30 16 HOUSE BILL 600
1–101.2. 1
“ACTIVE SERVICE MEMBER ” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 9–901 OF THE 2
STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE. 3
1–103.1. 4
“ARMED FORCES ” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 9–901 OF THE STATE 5
GOVERNMENT ARTICLE. 6
1–114.1. 7
“RESERVE COMPONENT ” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 9–901 OF THE STATE 8
GOVERNMENT ARTICLE. 9
1–114.2. 10
“SERVICE MEMBER ” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 9–901 OF THE STATE 11
GOVERNMENT ARTICLE. 12
1–116. 13
“UNIFORMED SERVICES ” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 9–901 OF THE STATE 14
GOVERNMENT ARTICLE. 15
1–117. 16
(A) “VETERAN” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 9–901 OF THE STATE 17
GOVERNMENT ARTICLE. 18
(B) With respect to any State program of benefits, rights, or privileges applicable 19
to a veteran under this Code, “veteran” includes[, if the individual is eligible under 38 20
U.S.C. § 101, a member of the commissioned corps of: 21
(1) the Public Health Service; or 22
(2) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or its 23
predecessor, the Coast and Geodetic Survey] AN INDIVIDUAL WHO ME ETS THE 24
DEFINITION OF “VETERAN” UNDER § 9–901 OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE. 25
Article – State Government 26
9–901. 27
HOUSE BILL 600 17
(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 1
(B) “ACTIVE DUTY” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN 37 U.S.C. § 101. 2
(C) “ACTIVE SERVICE MEMBER ” MEANS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO IS: 3
(1) AN ACTIVE DUTY MEMBE R OF THE UNIFORMED S ERVICES; OR 4
(2) SERVING IN A RESERVE COMPONENT OF THE UNI FORMED 5
SERVICES ON ACTIVE D UTY ORDERS. 6
[(b)] (D) “ARMED FORCES ” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN 10 U.S.C. § 101. 7
(E) “Board” means the Board of Trustees of the Maryland Veterans Trust. 8
[(c)] (F) “Department” means the Department of Veterans and Military 9
Families. 10
(G) “MILITARY FAMILY ” INCLUDES THE SPOUSE AND DEPENDENT 11
CHILDREN OF A SERVIC E MEMBER OR VETERAN RELATED BY BLOOD , MARRIAGE, OR 12
ADOPTION. 13
(H) “RESERVE COMPONENT ” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN 37 U.S.C. § 101. 14
[(d)] (I) “Secretary” means the Secretary of Veterans and Military Families. 15
(J) “SERVICE MEMBER ” MEANS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO IS A MEMBER OF : 16
(1) THE UNIFORMED SERVIC ES; OR 17
(2) A RESERVE COMPONENT OF THE UNIFORMED SERVIC ES. 18
[(e)] (K) “Trust” means the Maryland Veterans Trust. 19
(L) “UNIFORMED SERVICES ” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN 37 U.S.C. § 101. 20
[(f)] (M) Except as otherwise provided [in this subtitle], “veteran” [means an 21
individual who served on active duty in the armed forces of the United States, other than 22
for training, and was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable] HAS 23
THE MEANING STATED I N 38 U.S.C. § 101. 24
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, T hat this Act shall take effect July 25
1, 2025. 26