Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB631 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	sb0631
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 631
8	8	C2 5lr3216
9	9	CF HB 724
10	10	By: Senator M. Washington
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 25, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Finance
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Commission on Abandoned and Neglected Maryland Cemeteries – 2
19	19	Establishment 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of establishing the Commission on Abandoned and Neglected Maryland 4
22	22	Cemeteries within the Office of Cemetery Oversight; and generally relating to the 5
23	23	Commission on Abandoned and Neglected Maryland Cemeteries. 6
24	24
25	25	BY adding to 7
26	26	Article – Business Regulation 8
27	27	Section 5–1001 through 5–1005 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 10. 9
28	28	Commission on Abandoned and Neglected Maryland Cemeteries” 10
29	29	Annotated Code of Maryland 11
30	30	(2024 Replacement Volume) 12
31	31
32	32	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 13
33	33	Article – Business Regulation 14
34	34	Section 5–1001 and 5–1002 to be under the amended subtitle “Subtitle 11. 15
35	35	Termination of Title” 16
36	36	Annotated Code of Maryland 17
37	37	(2024 Replacement Volume) 18
38	38
39	39	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 19
40	40	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 20
41	41
42	42	Article – Business Regulation 21
43	43
44	44	SUBTITLE 10. COMMISSION ON ABANDONED AND NEGLECTED MARYLAND 22
45	45	CEMETERIES. 23
46	46
47	47	5–1001. 24 2 SENATE BILL 631
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51	IN THIS SUBTITLE, “COMMISSION” MEANS THE COMMISSION ON ABANDONED 1
52	52	AND NEGLECTED MARYLAND CEMETERIES. 2
53	53
54	54	5–1002. 3
55	55
56	56	THERE IS A COMMISSION ON ABANDONED AND NEGLECTED MARYLAND 4
57	57	CEMETERIES. 5
58	58
59	59	5–1003. 6
60	60
61	61	(A) (1) THE COMMISSION CONSISTS O F THE FOLLOWING VOTI NG 7
62	62	MEMBERS, APPOINTED BY THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE: 8
63	63
64	64	(I) A REPRESENTATIVE FRO M THE ADVISORY COUNCIL ON 9
65	65	CEMETERY OVERSIGHT; 10
66	66
67	67	(II) A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE MARYLAND COMMISSION ON 11
68	68	INDIAN AFFAIRS; 12
69	69
70	70	(III) A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE MARYLAND COMMISSION ON 13
71	71	AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE; 14
72	72
73	73	(IV) A REPRESENTATIVE OF A COUNTY OR MUNICIPA LITY 15
74	74	DEPARTMENT OR AGENCY THAT MAINTAINS A CEM ETERY DATABASE ; 16
75	75
76	76	(V) TWO INDIVIDUALS WITH EXPERTISE IN CEMETER Y 17
77	77	PRESERVATION; 18
78	78
79	79	(VI) TWO INDIVIDUALS WITH EXPERTISE IN GENEALO GY; 19
80	80
81	81	(VII) ONE REPRESENTATIVE O F THE BUILDING DEVEL OPMENT 20
82	82	INDUSTRY; 21
83	83
84	84	(VIII) ONE REPRESENTATIVE O F A RELIGIOUS COMMUN ITY WHO 22
85	85	HAS KNOWLEDGE OF AND EXPERIENCE WITH CEME TERIES; 23
86	86
87	87	(IX) TWO INDIVID UALS WHO ARE MEMBERS OF A CEMETERY 24
88	88	DESCENDANT COMMUNITY ; 25
89	89
90	90	(X) ONE INDIVIDUAL WHO H AS EXPERIENCE IN PRE SERVATION 26
91	91	PLANNING; 27
92	92	SENATE BILL 631 3
93	93
94	94
95	95	(XI) ONE INDIVIDUAL WHO H AS KNOWLEDGE OF CEME TERY 1
96	96	HISTORY, ARCHITECTURE , ARCHAEOLOGY , OR URBAN DESIGN ; AND 2
97	97
98	98	(XII) ONE INDIVIDUAL FROM THE GENE RAL PUBLIC. 3
99	99
100	100	(2) A VOTING MEMBER OF THE COMMISSION MUST BE A RESIDENT OF 4
101	101	THE STATE. 5
102	102
103	103	(3) TO THE EXTENT PRACTIC ABLE, THE MEMBERSHIP OF TH E 6
104	104	COMMISSION SHALL COLL ECTIVELY REFLECT THE GEOGRAPHIC , RACIAL, ETHNIC, 7
105	105	GENDER, AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY OF THE STATE. 8
106	106
107	107	(B) THE TERM OF A VOTING MEMBER IS 4 YEARS. 9
108	108
109	109	(C) A VOTING MEMBER OF THE COMMISSION: 10
110	110
111	111	(1) MAY NOT RECEIVE COMP ENSATION AS A VOTING MEMBER OF THE 11
112	112	COMMISSION; BUT 12
113	113
114	114	(2) IS ENTITLED TO REIMB URSEMENT FOR EXPENSE S UNDER THE 13
115	115	STANDARD STATE TRAVEL REGULATIONS, AS PROVIDED IN THE STATE BUDGET . 14
116	116
117	117	(D) (1) (I) FROM AMONG ITS MEMBER S, THE COMMISSION SHALL 15
118	118	ELECT THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR OF THE COMMISSION. 16
119	119
120	120	(II) THE COMMISSION SHALL DETE RMINE: 17
121	121
122	122	1. THE MANNER OF ELECTI ONS OF OFFICERS ; AND 18
123	123
124	124	2. THE DUTIES OF EACH O FFICER. 19
125	125
126	126	(2) THE COMMISSION SHALL DETE RMINE THE TIMES AND PLACES OF 20
127	127	ITS MEETINGS. 21
128	128
129	129	(3) A MAJORITY OF COMMISSION MEMBERS CO NSTITUTES A 22
130	130	QUORUM. 23
131	131
132	132	(4) ACTION BY THE COMMISSION REQUIRES T HE AFFIRMATIVE VOTE 24
133	133	OF A MAJORITY OF THE VOTING MEMBERS . 25
134	134
135	135	(E) THE OFFICE SHALL PROVIDE STAFF FOR THE COMMISSION. 26
136	136	4 SENATE BILL 631
137	137
138	138
139	139	(F) THE COMMISSION MAY INCLUD E AS NONVOTING MEMBE RS ANY 1
140	140	INTERESTED INDIVIDUA L WITH KNOWLEDGE OR EXPERTISE REGARDING 2
141	141	ABANDONED OR NEGLECT ED CEMETERIES , CEMETERY CONSERVATIO N, MONUMENT 3
142	142	CONSTRUCTION AND REP AIR, OR CEMETERY MAINTENA NCE. 4
143	143
144	144	5–1004. 5
145	145
146	146	THE COMMISSION SHALL : 6
147	147
148	148	(1) ESTABLISH STANDARD D EFINITIONS FOR NEGLE CTED AND 7
149	149	ABANDONED CEMETERIES ; 8
150	150
151	151	(2) COMMUNICATE WITH COU NTIES AND MUNICIPALI TIES TO 9
152	152	IDENTIFY ABANDONED O R NEGLECTED CEMETERIES IN THEIR JURISDICTIONS; 10
153	153
154	154	(3) CONSULT WITH LOCAL J URISDICTIONS REGARDI NG ENABLING 11
155	155	LEGISLATION THAT PRO VIDES CEMETERY PROTE CTIONS; 12
156	156
157	157	(4) SUPPORT THE DEVELOPM ENT AND ESTABLISHMEN T OF A 13
158	158	STATEWIDE INVENTORY OF CEMETERIES AND BU RIAL SITES IN THE STATE THAT 14
159	159	INCLUDES: 15
160	160
161	161	(I) INFORMATION RELATED TO ABANDONED AND NEG LECTED 16
162	162	MARYLAND CEMETERIES ; AND 17
163	163
164	164	(II) A SEARCHABLE DATABAS E OF INFORMATION FRO M EACH 18
165	165	CEMETERY IDENTIFIED BY THE COMMISSION AS ABANDON ED AND NEGLECTED ; 19
166	166
167	167	(5) PROVIDE GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT TO DESCENDANTS WHO WISH 20
168	168	TO IMPROVE OR MAINTA IN ABANDONED OR NEGL ECTED CEMETERIES ; 21
169	169
170	170	(6) RECOMMEND GUIDELINES FOR AND PROVIDE ADVI CE REGARDING 22
171	171	THE REPAIR, RECONSTRUCTION , AND MAINTENANCE OF B URIAL SITES; 23
172	172
173	173	(7) ESTABLISH A PERMANEN T PROGRAM OF BURIAL SITE 24
174	174	PROTECTION EDUCATION FOR DISTRIBUTION TO REALTORS, DEVELOPERS , 25
175	175	COMMUNITY GROUPS , LAW ENFORCEMENT , AND ANY OTHER INTERE STED PERSON; 26
176	176
177	177	(8) DEVELOP AND IMPLEMEN T POLICY RECOMMENDAT IONS 27
178	178	RELATING TO HISTORIC AL CEMETERIES WITH A CONCENTRATION ON ABA NDONED 28
179	179	OR NEGLECTED AFRICAN AMERICAN CEMETERIES ; 29
180	180	SENATE BILL 631 5
181	181
182	182
183	183	(9) COORDINATE WITH THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF ASSESSMENTS 1
184	184	AND TAXATION TO ASSIGN TA X ACCOUNT RECORDS TO CEMETERIES NOT 2
185	185	REGISTERED WITH THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF ASSESSMENTS AND TAXATION; 3
186	186
187	187	(10) ENCOURAGE OWNERS OF LAND ENCOMPASSING AN ABANDONED 4
188	188	OR NEGLECTED CEMETER Y TO ALLOW ACCESS BY A PERSON IN INTEREST IN 5
189	189	ACCORDANCE WITH § 14–121 OF THE REAL PROPERTY ARTICLE; 6
190	190
191	191	(11) CREATE AND MAINTAIN A DIRECTORY OF PRIVA TE AND PUBLIC 7
192	192	ORGANIZATIONS OR GOV ERNMENT ENTITIES WIT H INTEREST IN ACQUIRING , 8
193	193	REPAIRING, OR MAINTAINING ABAND ONED OR NEGLECTED CE METERIES; 9
194	194
195	195	(12) PROVIDE ADVICE AND S UPPORT TO ORGANIZATI ONS REGARDING 10
196	196	THE ACQUISITION OF E QUIPMENT NECESSARY F OR THE REPAIR AND MA INTENANCE 11
197	197	OF ABANDONED OR NEGL ECTED CEMETERIES ; 12
198	198
199	199	(13) IDENTIFY AND CREATE CEMETERY MANAGEMENT AND 13
200	200	MAINTENANCE TRAINING MATERIALS AND CERTIF ICATE PROGRAMS FOR 14
201	201	INCARCERATED INDIVID UALS; AND 15
202	202
203	203	(14) FACILITATE CEMETERY OWNER TRANSITION FOR ABANDONED 16
204	204	CEMETERIES. 17
205	205
206	206	5–1005. 18
207	207
208	208	ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 1, 2026, AND EACH DECEMBER 1 THEREAFTER , 19
209	209	THE COMMISSION SHALL SUBM IT AN ANNUAL REPORT , INCLUDING ANY FINDIN GS 20
210	210	AND RECOMMENDATIONS , TO THE GOVERNOR AND THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, IN 21
211	211	ACCORDANCE WITH § 2–1257 OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE. 22
212	212
213	213	Subtitle [10.] 11. Termination of Title. 23
214	214
215	215	[5–1001.] 5–1101. 24
216	216
217	217	This title may be cited as the “Maryland Cemetery Act”. 25
218	218
219	219	[5–1002.] 5–1102. 26
220	220
221	221	Subject to the evaluation and reestablishment provisions of the Maryland Program 27
222	222	Evaluation Act, the Office of Cemetery Oversight, the provisions in this title relating to the 28
223	223	Office, and all regulations adopted by the Office shall terminate and be of no effect after 29
224	224	July 1, 2033. 30
225	225	6 SENATE BILL 631
226	226
227	227
228	228	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 1
229	229	October 1, 2025. 2
230	230