HB 650 — Maryland

Civil Actions - Maryland Uniform Public Expression Protection Act

Repealing a certain provision relating to strategic lawsuits against public participation; authorizing a person served with a pleading asserting a certain cause of action based on the person's communication related to a governmental proceeding or exercise of certain constitutional rights to file a special motion for expedited relief to dismiss the cause of action; and generally relating to civil actions and public expression.

Latest action: Hearing 2/25 at 1:00 p.m. · Feb 2, 2026

In committeeAAdministrative AgenciesAnnotated Code of MarylandAppealsAttorneys' FeesCivil ActionsCivil Actions and ProceduresCivil Rights and Social EquityClaimsCommunicationsComplaintsCourt CostsCourtsEvidenceGoods and ServicesHealthHearingsNews MediaPetitionsProtests and DemonstrationsPublic Corporations and InstrumentalitiesPublic EmployeesSafetyTime

Synopsis written by the legislature's own staff, as published on the official bill page. Status label is derived from the recorded actions. The full text below is the record.

Committees: Judiciary (House of Delegates)

Updated Mar 17, 2026

Timeline

First Reading Judiciary
Jan 30, 2026 · House of Delegates
Hearing 2/25 at 1:00 p.m.
Feb 2, 2026 · House of Delegates

Sponsored by Sandy Rosenberg, Jon Cardin, Elizabeth Embry, Scott Phillips, Stuart Schmidt, Sean Stinnett, Nicole Williams

No recorded floor votes yet.

Fiscal and Policy Note — official analysis by legislative staff (PDF) Bill text (First reading) — Maryland General Assembly (PDF) Official record — Maryland General Assembly bill page

Official records. Maryland legislators, bills and roll-call votes from the Maryland General Assembly, imported through Open States on Oct 27, 2026 (partial import — not yet the full session). Accuracy review against the official site is still under way. Campaign-finance records for Maryland are not imported yet.