Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB170 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	sb0170
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 170
8	8	E1 5lr1262
9	9	HB 892/24 – JUD (PRE–FILED) CF HB 187
10	10	By: Senator West
11	11	Requested: October 17, 2024
12	12	Introduced and read first time: January 8, 2025
13	13	Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings
14	14
15	15	A BILL ENTITLED
16	16
17	17	AN ACT concerning 1
18	18
19	19	Criminal Law – Benefits Exploitation 2
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of prohibiting a person from knowingly recruiting, harboring, 3
22	22	transporting, or obtaining an individual for the purpose of appropriating the 4
23	23	government benefits of an individual for the benefit of the person or another by 5
24	24	certain means; prohibiting a person from knowingly benefitting in a certain manner 6
25	25	from participation in a venture that violates a certain provision of this Act; 7
26	26	prohibiting a person from aiding, abetting, or conspiring with one or more persons to 8
27	27	violate a certain provision of this Act; and generally relating to benefits exploitation. 9
28	28
29	29	BY adding to 10
30	30	Article – Criminal Law 11
31	31	Section 8–524 12
32	32	Annotated Code of Maryland 13
33	33	(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 14
34	34
35	35	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 15
36	36	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 16
37	37
38	38	Article – Criminal Law 17
39	39
40	40	8–524. 18
41	41
42	42	(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 19
43	43	INDICATED. 20
44	44
45	45	(2) “COERCION” MEANS: 21
46	46	2 SENATE BILL 170
47	47
48	48
49	49	(I) 1. CAUSING OR THREATENI NG TO CAUSE BODILY H ARM 1
50	50	TO AN INDIVIDUAL ; OR 2
51	51
52	52	2. PHYSICALLY RESTRAINI NG OR CONFINING OR 3
53	53	THREATENING TO PHYSI CALLY RESTRAIN OR CO NFINE AN INDIVIDUAL ; 4
54	54
55	55	(II) EXPOSING OR DISSEM INATING OR THREATENI NG TO 5
56	56	EXPOSE OR DISSEMINAT E ANY FACT OR INFORM ATION THAT WOULD TEN D TO 6
57	57	SUBJECT AN INDIVIDUA L TO CRIMINAL OR IMM IGRATION PROCEEDINGS , HATRED, 7
58	58	CONTEMPT, OR RIDICULE; 8
59	59
60	60	(III) DESTROYING, CONCEALING , REMOVING, CONFISCATING , OR 9
61	61	POSSESSING ANY ACTUAL OR PURPOR TED PASSPORT OR OTHE R IMMIGRATION 10
62	62	DOCUMENT , OR ANY OTHER ACTUAL OR PURPORTED GOVERNM ENT IDENTIFICATION 11
63	63	DOCUMENT , OF AN INDIVIDUAL ; 12
64	64
65	65	(IV) PROVIDING A CONTROLL ED DANGEROUS SUBSTAN CE TO AN 13
66	66	INDIVIDUAL FOR THE P URPOSE OF COMPELLING THE INDIVIDUAL TO ENGAGE I N AN 14
67	67	ACTION AGAINST THE I NDIVIDUAL’S WILL; 15
68	68
69	69	(V) CAUSING OR THREATENI NG TO CAUSE FINANCIA L HARM TO 16
70	70	AN INDIVIDUAL OR EXE RTING FINANCIAL CONT ROL OVER A DISABLED OR ELDERLY 17
71	71	ADULT; OR 18
72	72
73	73	(VI) DEPRIVING AN INDIVID UAL OF MEDICAL CARE . 19
74	74
75	75	(3) “CONTROLLED DANGEROUS SUBSTANCE” HAS THE MEANING 20
76	76	STATED IN § 5–101 OF THIS ARTICLE. 21
77	77
78	78	(4) “DECEPTION” MEANS: 22
79	79
80	80	(I) CREATING OR CONFIRMI NG ANOTHER PERSON ’S 23
81	81	IMPRESSION OF AN EXI STING FACT OR PAST E VENT THAT IS FALSE A ND THAT THE 24
82	82	ACCUSED KNOWS OR BELIEVES TO BE FALSE ; OR 25
83	83
84	84	(II) PROMISING BENEFITS O R THE PERFORMANCE OF SERVICES 26
85	85	THAT THE ACCUSED DOE S NOT INTEND TO DELI VER OR PERFORM OR KN OWS WILL 27
86	86	NOT BE DELIVERED OR PERFORMED . 28
87	87
88	88	(5) “EXPLOITATION” MEANS ILLEGALLY OR I MPROPERLY USING AN 29
89	89	INDIVIDUAL OR AN INDIVIDUAL ’S GOVERNMENT BENEFIT S THROUGH UNDUE 30
90	90	INFLUENCE, HARASSMENT , DURESS, FALSE REPRESENTATION , FALSE PRETENSE , 31
91	91	OR OTHER SIMILAR MEA NS FOR PERSONAL PROF IT OR ADVANTAGE OR F OR THE 32
92	92	PROFIT OR ADVANTAGE OF ANOTHER. 33 SENATE BILL 170 3
93	93
94	94
95	95
96	96	(6) “GOVERNMENT BENEFITS ” INCLUDES: 1
97	97
98	98	(I) MEDICARE BENEFITS ; 2
99	99
100	100	(II) MEDICAID BENEFITS ; 3
101	101
102	102	(III) TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES (TANF) 4
103	103	BENEFITS; 5
104	104
105	105	(IV) SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION PROGRAM FOR 6
106	106	WOMEN, INFANTS, AND CHILDREN (WIC) BENEFITS; 7
107	107
108	108	(V) SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM 8
109	109	(SNAP) BENEFITS; 9
110	110
111	111	(VI) SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS ; 10
112	112
113	113	(VII) SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY (SSDI) BENEFITS; 11
114	114
115	115	(VIII) VETERANS BENEFITS ; 12
116	116
117	117	(IX) PENSION BENEFITS ; 13
118	118
119	119	(X) TEMPORARY DISABILITY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (TDAP) 14
120	120	BENEFITS; AND 15
121	121
122	122	(XI) PUBLIC ASSISTANCE TO ADULTS (PAA) BENEFITS. 16
123	123
124	124	(7) “ISOLATION” MEANS PREVENTING AN INDIVIDUAL FROM HAVI NG 17
125	125	CONTACT WITH FRIENDS OR FAMILY, A WELFARE AGENCY , LAW ENFORCEMENT 18
126	126	OFFICERS, HEALTH CARE PROVIDER S, OR OTHER INDIVIDUALS OR ENTITIES 19
127	127	WITHOUT THE K NOWLEDGE OF THE INDI VIDUAL OR AGAINST TH E INDIVIDUAL’S 20
128	128	WISHES. 21
129	129
130	130	(B) (1) A PERSON MAY NOT , THROUGH DECEPTION , COERCION, 22
131	131	EXPLOITATION , ISOLATION, OR ANY OTHER MEANS , KNOWINGLY RECRUIT , HARBOR, 23
132	132	TRANSPORT, OR OBTAIN AN INDIVID UAL FOR THE PURPOSE OF APPROPRIAT ING THE 24
133	133	GOVERNMENT BENEFITS OF AN INDIVIDUAL FOR PERSONAL BENEFIT OR TO 25
134	134	BENEFIT ANOTHER . 26
135	135
136	136	(2) A PERSON MAY NOT KNOWI NGLY BENEFIT FINANCI ALLY OR BY 27
137	137	RECEIVING ANYTHING O F VALUE FROM PARTICI PATION IN A VENTURE THAT 28
138	138	VIOLATES PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION . 29
139	139	4 SENATE BILL 170
140	140
141	141
142	142	(3) A PERSON MAY NOT AID , ABET, OR CONSPIRE WITH ONE OR MORE 1
143	143	PERSONS TO VIOLATE P ARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION . 2
144	144
145	145	(C) A PERSON WHO VIOLATES SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION IS G UILTY 3
146	146	OF A FELONY AND ON C ONVICTION IS SUBJECT TO IMPRISONMENT NOT EXCEEDING 4
147	147	25 YEARS OR A FINE NOT EXCEEDING $15,000 OR BOTH. 5
148	148
149	149	(D) (1) EACH VIOLATION OF THI S SECTION SHALL BE C ONSIDERED A 6
150	150	SEPARATE OFFENSE . 7
151	151
152	152	(2) A CONVICTION UNDER THI S SECTION MAY NOT ME RGE WITH A 8
153	153	CONVICTION FOR ANY O THER CRIME BASED ON THE ACT ESTABLISHING THE 9
154	154	VIOLATION OF THIS SE CTION. 10
155	155
156	156	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 11
157	157	October 1, 2025. 12
158	158