Black Maternal Health Week is April 11-17. NCNW headquarters and the NCNW Durham Section are hosting a virtual Panel on Black Maternal Health.

May 3, 2025  A Bridgerton Royal Tea - Reproductive Justice Maryland. The time has come to don your most exquisite hat and join RJM for a Bridgerton-inspired afternoon tea in celebration of Reproductive Justice Maryland’s 2nd Anniversary.

May 4, 2025  Safeguarding Reproductive Freedom in Maryland - NCJW, Temple Beth Ami, Red Tent Fund, and Washington Hebrew Congregation. This in-person event will explore Jewish perspectives on abortion, provide updates on legislation impacting women’s reproductive health, and feature firsthand accounts from clinics providing care.

May 5, 2025 Daily Record Top 100 Women Awards 30th Anniversary - Towson University Arena. Maryland’s Top 100 Women recognizes high-achieving Maryland women who are making an impact through their leadership, community service and mentoring.

May 6, 2025 The Women's Law Center of Maryland “Night of the Advocate” Awards - The Women's Law Center of Maryland. A night to gather, honor changemakers, and celebrate the impact we’re making for women across Maryland. Join us to enjoy great food, good people, and to recognize the advocates and changemakers making a difference in the lives of Maryland survivors

May 7, 2025  Hear Our Stories: Partners on a Mission to End IPV- JCADA. Join in virtually on highlighting the stories of survivors and their dynamic colleagues in the field, JCADA is working together to normalize conversations about intimate partner violence and actively reduce the tolerance for abuse in our communities

The Maryland Commission for Women serves as a clearinghouse for information about women's rights activities across the state.

The Commission works in partnership with multiple coalitions, including the Maryland Legislative Agenda for Women, the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence, the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault and the Women Legislators of Maryland. In addition to supporting these coalition priorities, we also have our own legislative agenda. 

The following summary highlights some of the accomplishments of our coalition partners this legislative session.

The Commission for Women staff are working on a detailed report analyzing all of the legislation that passed which impacts women this session. This will be distributed in our May newsletter.

Commission for Women Priorities 

Maryland Commission for Women- OTC Birth Control Collaborative   HB939/SB674

This is the first bill related to the Commission for Women in more than a decade. It requires the Maryland Commission for Women to establish the Maryland Collaborative to Advance Implementation of Coverage of Over-the-Counter Birth Control. The Commission will partner with state agencies and professional and community groups to increase access to birth control. Sponsors: Senator Shelly Hettleman and Delegate Joseline Pena-Melnyk.

Dental Services - Qualification for Maryland Dent-Care Program  HB0265/SB0456 

Women make up a large portion of dental hygienists—93%—and many of them are caregivers who need to work part-time. Currently, they are excluded from the state loan assistance program, as the program does not include part-time employment. This bill aligns the dental loan repayment program with the other health care professionals programs by ensuring part time dentists and dental hygienists are eligible. Sponsors Senator Mike McKay and Delegate Heather Bagnall.

Maryland Public Health Abortion Grant Program HB930/SB848 

This legislation is a top priority for numerous women's rights organizations, including Reproductive Justice Maryland, the Women's Law Center of Maryland, and MLAW. It will establish a grant program for uninsured and underinsured individuals seeking abortion care in Maryland utilizing unused funds being held by insurance carriers. Sponsors Senator Guy Guzzone and Delegate Lesley Lopez. 

MCASA Priorities

In addition to fighting to protect funding in this year’s budget, the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault also had several notable policy victories. They include: 

Human Trafficking Awareness, Training & Response (See Someone, Save Someone) – HB1/SB7

Requires the Department of Transportation to develop and implement a training program for transportation employees on the identification and reporting of suspected child exploitation and human trafficking victims. Sponsors: Senator Michael Jackson and Delegate Eric Ebersole.

Rape Kits – SAKI Funding – HB675/SB669

A bill to ensure the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative receives continued support until the Maryland rape kit backlog is cleared.  This will ensure that Maryland fulfills its promise to survivors to not only test the rape kit backlog, but also investigate cases, consider prosecution, and support survivors.  Sponsors:  Senator Shelly Hettleman and Vice Chair Sandy Bartlett.

MNADV Priorities

There were a number of priority bills for the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence this year. Importantly, they fought to preserve state Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding. The custody decisions bill described below has been a longstanding project and hard fought victory. 

Custody Decisions – SB548/HB1191

A bill to codify factors to be considered when making a decision regarding custody of a child, including protections for survivors of abuse.  Sponsors:  Senator Mary-Dulaney James and Delegate Susan McComas.

MLAW Priorities 

Five of the Maryland Legislative Agenda for Women priorities passed this year. The Commission for Women is especially interested in the following bill that addresses the Care Economy workforce. 

Nursing Home Cost Reports- HB933/SB679 

This legislation impacts the overwhelmingly female nursing home workforce and the people (70% of whom are women) who receive care in nursing homes. It requires the Maryland Department of Health to review the cost reports and other data submitted by each nursing home that participates in the Maryland Medical Assistance Program and submit the findings annually between October 2025 and October 2029.  Sponsors: Senator Jim Rosapepe and Delegate Ashanti Martinez.
 

Women's Caucus Priorities

The Women Legislators of Maryland had a robust legislative agenda in 2025. In addition to health care and criminal justice priorities, the Women Legislators of Maryland focused on child care access and affordability this session. 

The Women’s Caucus passed five different bills on childcare. 

1. Delegate Ben Barnes and Delegate Alethia McCaskill’s bill (HB477 )  requires the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to conduct a thorough analysis of the State’s regulatory requirements for child care facilities. 
2. Delegate Julie Palakovitch and Senator Nancy King’s bill (HB389/SB516)   expands eligibility for a personal property tax exemption for large family child care homes.
3. Delegate Dana Jones bill (HB1344 requires an assessment of all facilities owned by the State to evaluate whether part of the building is suitable to lease to a child care center. This work will be done by the Department of General Services in partnership with the State Department of Education. 
4. Delegate Jessica Feldmark’s bill (HB785 ) prevents a cooperative housing corporation, condominium, or homeowners association (HOA) from prohibiting the establishment and operation of a family child care home.
5. Delegate Jared Solomon’s HB859 ensures the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange is working to connect the childcare workforce with subsidized health insurance and Medicaid.

Limitations on Awards for Child Sex Abuse

The legislature also established new limitations for damages under the Child Victims Act. Read more HERE 

FAMLI Implementation Delay

Maryland’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program was set to go into effect this year. However, at the request of the Administration the legislature voted for the program implementation to be delayed. Read more HERE.  

Joint Federal Action Oversight Committee Established

Changes on the federal level are impacting the Maryland economy and government programs. This is especially true in areas related to women’s health, women in the workforce and women’s history. The Maryland General Assembly established The Joint Federal Action Oversight Committee to monitor these and other changes during the legislative interim. Read more HERE  

12 dozen lawmakers accused in 8 years. Women in the Statehouse weigh #MeTOO's impact   Virginia lawmaker Jackie Glass said she got a “safety brief” when she joined the Legislature. In an updated report, the Associated Press has cataloged at least 147 state lawmakers who have been accused of sexual harassment or misconduct since 2017. Many women say there is still work to be done as new allegations continue to come life. To read more, click here.

Questions linger on future of Smithsonian museums on Women, Latinos  Two new Smithsonian museums, designed to honor the contributions of women and Latinos, have faced delays for years due to ongoing disputes over their location and content. Despite these setbacks and the Trump administration's efforts to roll back various diversity initiatives, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is expressing optimism in the current Congress. They are rallying support for two bills that would enable the museums to be built on the National Mall. To read more, click here.

Maryland wants to turn federal workers into teachers. Here’s how. After mass layoffs by the Trump administration, many federal employees in Maryland have lost their jobs. Fortunately, the state’s education sector is offering numerous job opportunities, and the state education department is prepared to welcome these workers into new roles. To read more, click here.

Here are all the ways people are disappearing from government websites Across the federal government, agencies have been actively removing photographic and written references to women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community from their websites. Agencies explain that these removals are in response to President Trump's executive orders rolling back "diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility" policies. However, the removals are not consistent across the board. To read more, click here.

How DOGE Cuts Will Change Women’s Health Thousands of employees at the Department of Health and Human Services woke up to termination notices – a step in the Trump administration’s sweeping layoff plan for HHS that aims to cut more than 20 percent of department staff. To read more, click here.

Shift change on the second floor, an abortion bill advances and chromite is ready for its closeup Governor Wes Moore officially swore in two new Cabinet-level secretaries and seven office leaders at the State House, following Senate confirmations. Moore highlighted the challenges his administration faces, including updating Maryland's business model and navigating a fractured federal-state relationship. Meanwhile, the Maryland legislature passed HB930, which would allocate $25 million in federal funds for abortion services, and rejected an amendment to limit the funds to Maryland residents only. To read more, click here.

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