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.
*sb0138*
SENATE BILL 138
E4 5lr1456
(PRE–FILED) CF HB 423
By: Senator Kagan
Requested: October 28, 2024
Introduced and read first time: January 8, 2025
Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
Committee Report: Favorable
Senate action: Adopted
Read second time: January 29, 2025
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Public Safety – Maryland 9–1–1 Board and Maryland Department of Emergency 2
Management – Regulatory Authority 3
FOR the purpose of authorizing the Maryland 9–1–1 Board to adopt regulations to 4
implement and enforce certain responsibilities of the Board; authorizing the 5
Maryland Department of Emergency Management to adopt regulations to 6
implement and enforce the responsibilities of the Department; and generally relating 7
to the regulatory authority of the Maryland 9–1–1 Board and the Maryland 8
Department of Emergency Management. 9
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 10
Article – Public Safety 11
Section 1–306 and 14–103 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 14
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 15
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 16
Article – Public Safety 17
1–306. 18
(a) The Board shall coordinate the enhancement of county 9–1–1 systems. 19 2 SENATE BILL 138
(b) The Board’s responsibilities include: 1
(1) establishing planning guidelines for enhanced 9–1–1 system plans and 2
deployment of wireless enhanced 9–1–1 service in accordance with this subtitle; 3
(2) establishing procedures to review and approve or disapprove county 4
plans and to evaluate requests for variations from the planning guidelines established by 5
the Board; 6
(3) establishing procedures for the request for reimbursement of the costs 7
of enhancing a 9–1–1 system by a county or counties in which a 9–1–1 system is in 8
operation, and procedures to review and approve or disapprove the request; 9
(4) transmitting the planning guidelines and procedures established under 10
this section, and any amendments to them, to the governing body of each county; 11
(5) submitting to the Secretary each year a schedule for implementing the 12
enhancement of county or multicounty 9–1–1 systems, and an estimate of funding 13
requirements based on the approved county plans; 14
(6) developing, with input from counties, and publishing on or before July 15
1, 2004, an implementation schedule for deployment of wireless enhanced 9–1–1 service; 16
(7) reviewing and approving or disapproving requests for reimbursement 17
of the costs of enhancing 9–1–1 systems, and submitting to the Secretary each year a 18
schedule for reimbursement and an estimate of funding requirements; 19
(8) reviewing the enhancement of 9–1–1 systems; 20
(9) providing for an audit of county expenditures for the operation and 21
maintenance of 9–1–1 systems; 22
(10) ensuring inspections of public safety answering points; 23
(11) reviewing and approving or disapproving requests from counties with 24
operational enhanced 9–1–1 systems to be exempted from the expenditure limitations 25
under § 1–312 of this subtitle; 26
(12) authorizing expenditures from the 9–1–1 Trust Fund that: 27
(i) are for enhancements of 9–1–1 systems that: 28
1. are required by the Board; 29
2. will be provided to a county by a third party contractor; 30
and 31 SENATE BILL 138 3
3. will incur costs that the Board has approved before the 1
formation of a contract between the county and the contractor; and 2
(ii) are approved by the Board for payment: 3
1. from money collected under § 1–310 of this subtitle; and 4
2. directly to a third party contractor on behalf of a county; 5
(13) establishing planning guidelines for Next Generation 9–1–1 services 6
system plans and deployment of Next Generation 9–1–1 services in accordance with this 7
subtitle; 8
(14) establishing minimum standards for records retention guidelines for 9
9–1–1 audio, pictures, video, text messages, and data; 10
(15) establishing training standards for public safety answering point 11
personnel based on national best practices, including training concerning: 12
(i) Next Generation 9–1–1 topics; 13
(ii) individual psychological well–being and resilience; and 14
(iii) subject to subsection (e)(2) of this section, implicit bias training; 15
(16) establishing minimum standards for cybersecurity, oversight, and 16
accountability of service level agreements between counties and core service providers of 17
Next Generation 9–1–1 services; and 18
(17) supporting 9–1–1 specialist recruitment activities consisting of: 19
(i) a database that offers information on recruitment guidance, best 20
practices, and strategies; 21
(ii) recruitment projects, including recruitment projects designed to 22
reach minorities; and 23
(iii) a website that contains links to job opportunities throughout the 24
State for 9–1–1 specialists. 25
(c) The guidelines established by the Board under subsection (b)(1) and (13) of 26
this section: 27
(1) shall be based on available technology and equipment; 28
4 SENATE BILL 138
(2) shall require Next Generation 9–1–1 services systems to be 1
interconnected and interoperable, as determined by the Board; and 2
(3) may be based on any other factor that the Board determines is 3
appropriate, including population and area served by 9–1–1 systems. 4
(d) The standards established by the Board under subsection (b)(14) of this 5
section shall include procedures for: 6
(1) the security of the records; 7
(2) the establishment and revision, in accordance with the regulations, of 8
record retention and disposal schedules to ensure the prompt and orderly disposition of 9
records, including electronic records, that are no longer needed for operation; and 10
(3) the maintenance of inventories of records series that are accurate and 11
complete. 12
(e) (1) (i) The standards established by the Board under subsection (b)(15) 13
of this section shall include onboarding standards for newly hired 9–1–1 specialists and 14
minimum continuing education standards for 9–1–1 specialists. 15
(ii) The Board shall develop criteria and approve the initial and 16
ongoing training curriculum for the training required under subsection (b)(15) of this 17
section. 18
(2) Public safety answering point personnel shall be provided the implicit 19
bias training required under subsection (b)(15)(iii) of this section: 20
(i) on or before October 1, 2024, for personnel hired by the public 21
safety answering point on or before October 1, 2022; 22
(ii) at the time of hire for personnel hired by the public safety 23
answering point after October 1, 2022; and 24
(iii) on a recurring basis with updates as determined by the Board, 25
but at least once every 4 years. 26
(3) (i) At least once each year, the Board shall provide for an audit of 27
each public safety answering point in order to ensure that 9–1–1 specialists and other 28
personnel employed by the public safety answering point have satisfied the training 29
requirements established in accordance with subsection (b)(15) of this section. 30
(ii) The audit described under subparagraph (i) of this paragraph 31
may be conducted concurrently with an inspection of the public safety answering point in 32
accordance with subsection (b)(10) of this section. 33
SENATE BILL 138 5
(iii) 1. If the Board determines that the personnel employed by a 1
public safety answering point have not satisfied the training requirements established in 2
accordance with subsection (b)(15) of this section, the Board and public safety answering 3
point shall jointly develop a remediation plan and implementation timeline. 4
2. The Board may impose sanctions on a public safety 5
answering point if the public safety answering point fails to comply with a remediation plan 6
or implementation timeline developed under this subparagraph. 7
(f) The Board shall establish standards governing the processing of 9–1–1 8
requests for assistance that: 9
(1) minimize the transfer of those requests from the public safety 10
answering point that received the request to other public safety answering points within or 11
outside the State or federal emergency communication centers; and 12
(2) follow best practices for transferring requests to public safety agencies 13
to ensure the optimal public safety response. 14
(g) The Board shall: 15
(1) establish minimum standards for 9–1–1 systems, enhanced 9–1–1 16
systems, and Next Generation 9–1–1 services that ensure improved access for individuals 17
with disabilities and individuals who use assistive technologies, including mandatory 18
connectivity requirements for core service providers for Next Generation 9–1–1 services to 19
device–based and cloud–based data repositories; and 20
(2) update the standards adopted in accordance with item (1) of this 21
subsection based on available technology and equipment. 22
(H) THE BOARD MAY ADOPT REGUL ATIONS TO IMPLEMENT AND ENFORCE 23
THIS SUBTITLE. 24
14–103. 25
(a) There is a Maryland Department of Emergency Management established as a 26
principal department of the Executive Branch of State government. 27
(b) The Department has primary responsibility and authority for developing 28
emergency management policies and is responsible for coordinating disaster risk reduction, 29
consequence management, and disaster recovery activities. 30
(c) The Department may act to: 31
(1) reduce the disaster risk and vulnerability of persons and property 32
located in the State; 33
6 SENATE BILL 138
(2) develop and coordinate emergency planning and preparedness; and 1
(3) coordinate emergency management activities and operations: 2
(i) relating to an emergency that involves two or more State 3
agencies; 4
(ii) between State agencies and political subdivisions; 5
(iii) with local governments; 6
(iv) with agencies of the federal government and other states; and 7
(v) with private and nonprofit entities. 8
(D) THE DEPARTMENT MAY ADOPT REGULATIONS TO IMPLE MENT AND 9
ENFORCE THIS SUBTITL E. 10
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 11
1, 2025. 12
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.