Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB171 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	sb0171
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 171
8	8	G1, P5 5lr0941
9	9	HB 347/24 – W&M (PRE–FILED) CF HB 237
10	10	By: Senator Lam
11	11	Requested: September 25, 2024
12	12	Introduced and read first time: January 8, 2025
13	13	Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
14	14
15	15	A BILL ENTITLED
16	16
17	17	AN ACT concerning 1
18	18
19	19	General Assembly Vacancy – Political Party Central Committees – Procedures 2
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of establishing requirements for the filling of a vacancy in the office of 3
22	22	Senator or Delegate in the General Assembly by a central committee of a political 4
23	23	party under the Maryland Constitution relating to applications, public notice, public 5
24	24	meetings, and voting; and generally relating to the procedures of a central committee 6
25	25	of a political party for filling a vacancy in the General Assembly. 7
26	26
27	27	BY adding to 8
28	28	Article – Election Law 9
29	29	Section 4–206 10
30	30	Annotated Code of Maryland 11
31	31	(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 12
32	32
33	33	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 13
34	34	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 14
35	35
36	36	Article – Election Law 15
37	37
38	38	4–206. 16
39	39
40	40	(A) THIS SECTION APPLIES ONLY TO THE PROCESS OF FILLING A VACANCY 17
41	41	IN THE OFFICE OF SENATOR OR DELEGATE IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY UNDER 18
42	42	ARTICLE III, § 13 OF THE MARYLAND CONSTITUTION. 19
43	43
44	44	(B) (1) THE APPLICATION PERIO D TO APPLY TO A CENT RAL COMMITTEE 20
45	45	TO FILL A VACANCY SHALL BE: 21
46	46
47	47	(I) OPEN FOR AT LEAST 7 DAYS; AND 22 2 SENATE BILL 171
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51	(II) ADVERTISED IN A CONS PICUOUS MANNER BY TH E CENTRAL 1
52	52	COMMITTEE FILLING TH E VACANCY BY A PUBLI C NOTICE THAT INCLUD ES: 2
53	53
54	54	1. THE CENTRAL COMMITTE E’S INTENT TO MEET TO FILL 3
55	55	THE VACANCY ; 4
56	56
57	57	2. THE TIME AND PLACE OF AN Y MEETINGS TO BE HEL D 5
58	58	TO DISCUSS OR VOTE O N THE FILLING OF THE VACANCY; 6
59	59
60	60	3. THE PROCESS FOR FILL ING THE VACANCY ; AND 7
61	61
62	62	4. THE MANNER IN WHICH INDIVIDUALS MAY APPL Y TO 8
63	63	FILL THE VACANCY . 9
64	64
65	65	(2) THE NOTICE REQUIRED U NDER PARAGRAPH (1)(II) OF THIS 10
66	66	SUBSECTION SHALL BE TRANSLATED INTO A LA NGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH IF 11
67	67	THE LOCAL BOARD FOR THE COUNTY IN WHICH THE CENTRAL COMMITTE E IS 12
68	68	LOCATED IS REQUIRED TO TRANSLATE ELECTIO N MATERIALS INTO THA T LANGUAGE 13
69	69	UNDER § 203 OF THE FEDERAL VOTING RIGHTS ACT. 14
70	70
71	71	(C) ALL APPLICATIONS SUBM ITTED TO A CENTRAL C OMMITTEE TO FILL A 15
72	72	VACANCY SHALL : 16
73	73
74	74	(1) BE POSTED ONLINE PRO MPTLY AFTER THE APPL ICATION 17
75	75	DEADLINE BY THE COUN TY CENTRAL COMMITTEE OR THE STATE CENTRAL 18
76	76	COMMITTEE OF THE POL ITICAL PARTY; AND 19
77	77
78	78	(2) REMAIN POSTED ONLINE UNTIL AT LEAST 30 DAYS AFTER THE 20
79	79	CENTRAL COMMITTEE VO TES ON AN INDIVIDUAL TO FILL THE VACANCY . 21
80	80
81	81	(D) THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE SHALL HOLD A PUBLIC MEETING TO 22
82	82	INTERVIEW THE INDIVI DUALS WHO APPLIED TO FILL THE VACANCY . 23
83	83
84	84	(E) A MEETING HELD BY A CENTRAL COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS OR VOTE O N 24
85	85	FILLING A VACANCY SH ALL BE: 25
86	86
87	87	(1) OPEN TO THE PUBLIC ; AND 26
88	88
89	89	(2) ANNOUNCED AT LEAST 3 DAYS BEFORE THE MEET ING. 27
90	90
91	91	(F) (1) THE VOTE BY A CENTRAL COMMITTEE TO CHOOSE AN INDIVIDUAL 28
92	92	TO FILL A VACANCY SH ALL BE: 29
93	93	SENATE BILL 171 3
94	94
95	95
96	96	(I) BY ROLL CALL VOTE OR BY SIGNED BALLOTS ; AND 1
97	97
98	98	(II) IN A MEETING OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. 2
99	99
100	100	(2) A MEMBER OF THE CENTRA L COMMITTEE WHO HAS APPLIED TO 3
101	101	FILL THE VACANCY SHA LL RECUSE THEMSELVES FROM: 4
102	102
103	103	(I) ADMINISTERING THE PR OCESS OF FILLING THE VACANCY, 5
104	104	INCLUDING ADVERTISING TH E VACANCY , REVIEWING APPLICATIO NS, AND 6
105	105	INTERVIEWING CANDIDA TES; AND 7
106	106
107	107	(II) VOTING ON THE INDIVI DUAL TO FILL THE VAC ANCY. 8
108	108
109	109	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 9
110	110	October 1, 2025. 10
111	111
112	112