The segments below provide a brief overview of MACo’s work in the area of government liability and public information in the 2026 General Assembly
session.
Local governments operate at the intersection of transparency, accountability, and legal responsibility. Counties are charged with managing public information, upholding ethical standards, and navigating legal risks across a wide range of functions. From responding to public records requests to defending against liability claims, counties must balance open government requirements with privacy protections and the prudent use of taxpayer resources. Through its advocacy, MACo works to promote policies that support transparency and ethical governance while ensuring fair and sustainable standards for public-sector liability.
In Maryland’s 448th legislative session, the General Assembly considered a wide range of proposals in this space reflecting growing attention to government transparency, data access, and the legal frameworks governing public entities. MACo’s legislative committee guided the association’s position on measures affecting public information practices, litigation standards, and liability exposure with direct implications for how counties manage risk, respond to public requests, and carry out their responsibilities as employers and service providers.
Here, MACo worked to ensure that policies strike an appropriate balance between public access and operational practicality, while also safeguarding counties from undue legal and financial burdens.
Follow these links for more coverage on our Conduit Street blog and Legislative Database.
MACo opposed HB 466 – Civil Actions – Motor Vehicle Accidents Involving Vulnerable Individuals – Comparative Negligence. The bill would have created a new comparative fault standard in Maryland and upended the state’s well-established and carefully balanced contributory negligence standard, without any corresponding adjustments to other components of Maryland’s longstanding balanced approach to tort claims. This bill did not pass the 2026 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo opposed HB 526 – Civil Actions – Settlement Agreements – Payment and Release. This bill would have required the settling defendant in a tort action for money damages to provide a proposed release to a plaintiff within 10 days and to pay all sums due to a plaintiff under a settlement agreement within 15 days. This would have imposed strict new deadlines on local governments to finalize settlement releases and issue payments in tort actions. Although the bill was successfully amended to exempt county governments it did not pass the 2026 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo supported HB 332/SB 346 – Civil Actions – Violation of Constitutional Rights (No Kings Act) with amendments. This bill would have established a path toward granting attorney’s fees in any case asserting a State constitutional claim, likely leading to an increase in litigation and costs for the State and local governments at the taxpayer’s expense. As amended, MACo took no position on SB 346. While this bill did not pass the 2026 session, HB 351 carried the amended provisions and passed.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo supported HB 631 – Criminal Law – Threats Against State or Local Official – Penalties. This bill would have strengthened the penalties for threats against local elected officials. These changes sought to deter harmful actions that both endanger public servants and discourage public participation in leadership roles. This bill did not pass in the 2026 session.
Bill Information | MACo Testimony
MACo opposed HB 1536 – Maryland Enforcement Limits and Transparency (MELT) Act. This bill would have altered how county employees, private contractors, and various members of the public interact with federal agents and agencies attempting to knowingly comply with immigration and customs enforcement. MACo warned that this could expose local governments to legal and financial liability for actions taken by sheriffs and deputies—state officials who operate independently of county control. This bill did not pass in the 2026 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo supported HB 256/SB 487 – Motor Vehicles – Speed Monitoring Systems – Safety Corridors (Vulnerable Road User Protection Act of 2026). This bill authorizes the State Highway Administration (SHA) to establish a “Safety Corridor” program aimed at reducing serious injuries and fatalities among vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, and individuals using mobility devices in segments of highways identified as high risk. This extension of automated enforcement includes an authorization for county governments. This bill did pass in the 2026 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo supported HB 1105/SB 979 – Statute of Limitations – Civil Suits to Enforce Local Consumer Protection Codes. This bill would have established a timeline of three years for a local jurisdiction to file a claim against an entity in violation of a local consumer protection code. This would have been a practical step to strengthen local enforcement efforts and help ensure consumers have meaningful protections at the community level. This bill did not pass in the 2026 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo supported HB 1522/SB 921 – Traffic Control Signal Monitoring and Speed Monitoring Systems – Exemptions From Liability – Vehicle Rental Companies. This bill would have repealed the exemptions for a vehicle rental or leasing company from liability for citations issued by a red-light camera or speed monitoring system in Maryland, representing an enhancement to public safety by all motorists being subject to enforcement, rather than certain groups being openly exempted. This bill did not pass in the 2026 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo supported HB 249/SB 173 – Vehicle Laws – Automated Enforcement – Reciprocal Agreements, Arrangements, and Declarations. This bill would have authorized the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administrator to establish reciprocal agreements with other jurisdictions for the enforcement of certain traffic safety violations. This establishes a practical tool to improve roadway safety by setting a new standard for safety and accountability throughout the region. While this bill did not pass in the 2026 session, the provisions were amended on to SB 111 which passed.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
MACo supported HB 55/SB 45 – Vehicle Laws – Speed Monitoring Systems – Residential Districts. This bill would have authorized statewide use of speed monitoring devices in residential districts under certain circumstances and only when enabled by a local ordinance. These changes could have helped promote safety and deter aggressive, reckless, and negligent driving, particularly in areas with families and children. This bill did not pass in the 2026 session.
Bill Information | MACo Coverage
