Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB326 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		sb0326
9	6
10	7		SENATE BILL 326
11	8		E4 5lr0726
12	9		CF HB 309
13		-	By: Senators Waldstreicher and McCray, McCray, Smith, Sydnor, West, Muse,
14		-	Folden, James, Henson, Love, McKay, and Charles
	10	+	By: Senators Waldstreicher and McCray
15	11		Introduced and read first time: January 15, 2025
16	12		Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings
17		-	Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
18		-	Senate action: Adopted
19		-	Read second time: February 7, 2025
20	13
21		-	~~CHAPTER ______~~
	14	+	A BILL ENTITLED
22	15
23	16		AN ACT concerning 1
24	17
25	18		Public Safety – Law Enforcement Agencies – Peer Support Programs 2
26	19
27	20		FOR the purpose of establishing certain confidentiality requirements for peer support 3
28	21		counseling programs for law enforcement agencies; and generally relating to peer 4
29	22		support programs for law enforcement agencies. 5
30	23
31	24		BY adding to 6
32	25		Article – Public Safety 7
33	26		Section 3–534 8
34	27		Annotated Code of Maryland 9
35	28		(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 10
36	29
37	30		SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 11
38	31		That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 12
39	32
40	33		Article – Public Safety 13
41	34
42	35		3–534. 14
43	36
44	37		(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 15
45	38		INDICATED. 16
46		-	2 SENATE BILL 326
47	39
	40	+	(2) “PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM ” MEANS A PROGRAM PROV IDED BY A 17
	41	+	LAW ENFORCEMENT AGEN CY OR THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE THAT 18
	42	+	PROVIDES COUNSELING SERVICES FROM A PEER SUPPORT SPECIALIST TO A LAW 19
	43	+	ENFORCEMENT OFFICER. 20
48	44
49		-	(2) “PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM ” MEANS A PROGRAM PROV IDED BY A 1
50		-	LAW ENFORCEMENT AGEN CY OR THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE THAT 2
51		-	PROVIDES COUNSELING SERVICES FROM A PEER SUPPORT SPECIALIST TO A LAW 3
52		-	ENFORCEMENT OFFICER. 4
53		-
54		-	(3) “PEER SUPPORT SPECIALI ST” MEANS A LAW ENFORCEMENT 5
55		-	OFFICER OR A MEMBER OF THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE WHO: 6
56		-
57		-	(I) HAS RECEIVED TRAININ G IN PEER SUPPORT , INCLUDING 7
58		-	EMOTIONAL AND MORAL SUPPORT TO LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WHO HAVE 8
59		-	BEEN INVOLVED IN OR EXPOSED TO AN EMOTIO NALLY TRAUMATIC EXPE RIENCE IN 9
60		-	THE COURSE OF DUTY A S A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER; AND 10
61		-
62		-	(II) IS DESIGNATED BY THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGEN CY TO 11
63		-	PROVIDE THE SERVICES DESCRIBED IN ITEM (I) OF THIS PARAGRAPH . 12
64		-
65		-	(B) (1) EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION , A 13
66		-	PEER SUPPORT SPECIAL IST OR PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM PARTICIPANT MAY NOT 14
67		-	DISCLOSE THE CONTENT S OF ANY WRITTEN OR OR AL COMMUNICATION REG ARDING 15
68		-	A PEER SUPPORT INTER ACTION. 16
69		-
70		-	(2) PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION D OES NOT APPLY IF: 17
71		-
72		-	(I) THE COMMUNICATION CO NTAINS: 18
73		-
74		-	1. AN EXPLICIT THREAT O F SUICIDE, THE DISCLOSURE 19
75		-	OF WHICH THE PEER SU PPORT SPECI ALIST BELIEVES IS NE CESSARY TO AVOID A 20
76		-	SUICIDE ATTEMPT ; 21
77		-
78		-	2. AN EXPLICIT THREAT O F IMMINENT AND SERIO US 22
79		-	BODILY HARM OR DEATH TO A CLEARLY IDENTIF IED OR IDENTIFIABLE INDIVIDUAL; 23
80		-
81		-	3. INFORMATION RELATING TO THE ABUSE OR NEGL ECT 24
82		-	OF A CHILD OR VULNER ABLE ADULT, OR ABUSE OR NEGLECT THAT IS OTHERWISE 25
83		-	REQUIRED TO BE REPOR TED BY LAW; OR 26
84		-
85		-	4. THE ADMISSION OF CRI MINAL CONDUCT ; 27
86		-
87		-	(II) THE DISCLOSURE IS AU THORIZED BY EACH PEE R SUPPORT 28
88		-	PROGRAM PARTICIPANT WHO WAS A PARTY TO THE COMMU NICATION; OR 29
89		-
90		-	(III) A COURT OF COMPETENT J URISDICTION ISSUES A N ORDER 30
91		-	OR SUBPOENA REQUIRIN G THE DISCLOSURE OF THE COMMUNICATION . 31 SENATE BILL 326 3
	45	+	(3) “PEER SUPPORT SPECIALI ST” MEANS A LAW ENFORCEMENT 21
	46	+	OFFICER OR A MEMBER OF THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE WHO: 22 2 SENATE BILL 326
92	47
93	48
94	49
95		-	(3) ~~BEFORE THE INITIAL PE ER~~ SUPPORT ~~INTERACTI ON WITH A PEER~~ 1
96		-	~~SUPPORT PROGRAM PARTICIPANT, A PEER~~ SUPPORT ~~SPECI ALIST SHALL INFORM~~ 2
97		-	~~THE PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM PARTICIPANT~~ IN ~~WRITI NG OF THE CONFIDENTI ALITY~~ 3
98		-	~~PROVISIONS IN THIS~~ S ~~UBSECTION.~~ 4
	50	+	(I) HAS RECEIVED TRAINING IN PEER SUPPORT , INCLUDING 1
	51	+	EMOTIONAL AND MORAL SUPPORT TO LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WHO HAVE 2
	52	+	BEEN INVOLVED IN OR EXPOSED TO AN EMOTIO NALLY TRAUMATIC EXPE RIENCE IN 3
	53	+	THE COURSE OF DUTY A S A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER; AND 4
99	54
100		-	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 5
101		-	October 1, 2025. 6
	55	+	(II) IS DESIGNATED B Y THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGEN CY TO 5
	56	+	PROVIDE THE SERVICES DESCRIBED IN ITEM (I) OF THIS PARAGRAPH . 6
	57	+
	58	+	(B) (1) EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION , A 7
	59	+	PEER SUPPORT SPECIAL IST OR PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM PARTICIPANT MAY NOT 8
	60	+	DISCLOSE THE CONTENT S OF ANY WRITTEN OR ORAL C OMMUNICATION REGARDI NG 9
	61	+	A PEER SUPPORT INTER ACTION. 10
	62	+
	63	+	(2) PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION D OES NOT APPLY IF: 11
	64	+
	65	+	(I) THE COMMUNICATION CO NTAINS: 12
	66	+
	67	+	1. AN EXPLICIT THREAT O F SUICIDE, THE DISCLOSURE 13
	68	+	OF WHICH THE PEER SU PPORT SPECIALIST BELIEVES IS NECESSAR Y TO AVOID A 14
	69	+	SUICIDE ATTEMPT ; 15
	70	+
	71	+	2. AN EXPLICIT THREAT O F IMMINENT AND SERIO US 16
	72	+	BODILY HARM OR DEATH TO A CLEARLY IDENTIF IED OR IDENTIFIABLE INDIVIDUAL; 17
	73	+
	74	+	3. INFORMATION RELATING TO THE ABUSE OR NEGL ECT 18
	75	+	OF A CHILD OR VULNER ABLE ADULT, OR ABUSE OR NEGLECT THAT IS OTHERWISE 19
	76	+	REQUIRED TO BE REPOR TED BY LAW; OR 20
	77	+
	78	+	4. THE ADMISSION OF CRI MINAL CONDUCT ; 21
	79	+
	80	+	(II) THE DISCLOSURE IS AU THORIZED BY EACH PEE R SUPPORT 22
	81	+	PROGRAM PARTICIPANT WHO WAS A PARTY TO THE COMMU NICATION; OR 23
	82	+
	83	+	(III) A COURT OF COMPETENT J URISDICTION ISSUES A N ORDER 24
	84	+	OR SUBPOENA REQUIRIN G THE DISCLOSURE OF THE COMMUNICATION . 25
	85	+
	86	+	(3) BEFORE THE INITIAL PE ER SUPPORT INTERACTI ON WITH A PEER 26
	87	+	SUPPORT PROGRAM PARTICIPANT, A PEER SUPPORT SPECI ALIST SHALL INFORM 27
	88	+	THE PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM PARTICIPANT IN WRITI NG OF THE CONFIDENTI ALITY 28
	89	+	PROVISIONS IN THIS S UBSECTION. 29
	90	+	SENATE BILL 326 3
102	91
103	92
104		-
105		-	Approved:
106		-	________________________________________________________________________________
107		-	Governor.
108		-	________________________________________________________________________________
109		-	President of the Senate.
110		-	________________________________________________________________________________
111		-	Speaker of the House of Delegates.
	93	+	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 1
	94	+	October 1, 2025. 2