SB 251 — 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; generally relating to civil actions and public expression; and applying the Act prospectively.
Latest action: Hearing 1/29 at 3:00 p.m. · Jan 17, 2026
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: Judicial Proceedings (Senate)
Cross-filed with HB 650 — the companion bill in the other chamber, as the legislature links it. Each bill keeps its own votes and status; they are never combined here.
Updated Mar 17, 2026
Timeline
First Reading Judicial Proceedings
Jan 16, 2026 · Senate
Hearing 1/29 at 3:00 p.m.
Jan 17, 2026 · Senate
Sponsored by Sara Love, Shelly Hettleman
No recorded floor votes yet.
How we know this
Every line above comes from the Maryland General Assembly record via Open States. The motion text is shown as recorded, so a procedural vote (to amend, refer or reconsider) is not read as a vote on the bill itself. The source does not say which text version each vote was on; every version is linked below.
Official records. Maryland legislators, bills and roll-call votes from the Maryland General Assembly, imported through Open States on Oct 29, 2026. Accuracy review against the official site is still under way. Campaign-finance records for Maryland are not imported yet.