2026 Legislative Overview
The second regular session of the 103rd General Assembly drew to a close this last week, and the final two weeks of session were quite productive.
On Wednesday, May 6th, both the House and Senate passed the budget bills, ahead of the constitutional deadline of May 8. HB 2003 (MDHEWD’s budget bill) includes language directing the department to develop and submit a funding model for higher education:
The Department is hereby directed to develop and submit an objective, formula-driven funding model for the allocation of state appropriations to public institutions of higher education. The funding model(s) shall apply to all public two-year and four year institutions receiving state operating appropriations and shall establish a transparent methodology for distributing such funds. The model(s) shall be constructed utilizing the total amount of state funding appropriated for public higher education institutions in Fiscal Year 2027 and use the same amount of total funds for two-year and four-year schools. The model(s) shall not assume additional appropriations beyond the Fiscal Year 2027 funding level but shall instead reallocate such funding pursuant to the formula developed under this section. The Department shall consult with public institutions of higher education, the Coordinating Board for Higher Education, members of the General Assembly, and other relevant stakeholders in the development of the funding model(s). No later than December 1, 2026, the Department shall submit a report to the Governor, the Senate, and the House of Representatives detailing: The proposed funding formula, and simulated institutional funding allocations based on Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations.
Throughout the last week and right up until the end of session at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 15, several bills with higher education provisions were still moving. Three were truly agreed and finally passed (TAFP):
- Sponsored by Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman (R-22), SB 890 requires state departments to report on obsolete administrative entities, repeals certain administrative entities and repeals, and reassigns duties for certain other administrative entities. This legislation included a portion of MDHEWD’s clean up bill, fixing statutory references that were not changed in 2019 when the Department of Higher Education merged with the Office of Workforce Development.
- Sponsored by Rep. Chris Brown (R-016), HB 2896 modifies provisions relating to the governing bodies of certain public institutions of higher education.
- Sponsored by Rep. Tara Peters (R-122), HB 2372 modifies provisions relating to healthcare, and establishes a “Pediatric Disease Task Force” within MDHEWD.
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