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Specifying that the amount of earnings withholding or a wage withholding order for child support may not exceed 25% of the obligor's disposable earnings for the combined support order and arrearage under certain circumstances; requiring an earnings withholding order or earnings withholding notice sent to an obligor's employer to include information on certain limits on earnings withholding; and authorizing an employee to contest the amount of an earnings withholding order based on certain limits.

Authorizing the Child Support Administration to take action to secure an assignment to the State of any rights to support on behalf of a child receiving foster care maintenance payments; and requiring a court to terminate a child support order that was previously established or assigned for a child receiving a foster care maintenance payment under certain circumstances.

Authorizing the Central Collection Unit and the Child Support Administration to certify certain information about restitution or child support obligors to a video lottery operator for purposes of enforcing a requirement to intercept certain prize payouts; requiring a video lottery operator to provide certain notice to a debtor that wins a prize to be paid by the licensee and withhold all or part of the prize; etc.

Establishing qualifications for an individual to be appointed by a court as a custody evaluator; and authorizing a court to waive certain requirements for a court employee or an individual under contract with the court under certain circumstances.

Requiring both parties to be married, rather than one party, to appear before the clerk of a circuit court to apply for a marriage license; and authorizing the clerk of a circuit court to accept an affidavit rather than an application from both parties to be married if a party to be married is unable to appear before a clerk in the county where the marriage is to take place due to military service, incarceration, hospitalization, or another demonstrated good cause.

Altering and establishing provisions relating to the surrender of firearms by a respondent under the domestic violence statutes; and requiring a local law enforcement authority to take certain actions within 3 business days after service of an order against a respondent who is not in compliance with an order to surrender certain firearms.

Altering provisions relating to the reporting and investigation of abuse, neglect, self-neglect, and exploitation of vulnerable adults; and requiring the local department of aging to complete an investigation and make an indicated, not indicated, or undetermined finding within 60 days.

Specifying that the amount of earnings withholding or a wage withholding order for child support may not exceed 25% of the obligor's disposable earnings under certain circumstances; requiring an earnings withholding order or earnings withholding notice sent to an obligor's employer to include information on certain limits on earnings withholding; and authorizing an employee to contest the amount of an earnings withholding order based on certain limits.

Altering provisions relating to criminal background investigations for certain individuals who care for or supervise children; requiring certain facilities to apply to the Criminal Justice Information System Central Repository for a national and State criminal history records check for each employee, employer, individual, or volunteer; and altering provisions relating to the process under which a certain State or local law enforcement agency conducts a certain name-based check on certain individuals.

Authorizing the Central Collection Unit and the Child Support Administration to certify certain information about restitution or child support obligors to a video lottery operator for purposes of enforcing a requirement to intercept certain prize payouts; requiring a video lottery operator to provide certain notice to a debtor that wins a prize to be paid by the licensee and withhold all or part of the prize; etc.

Altering provisions relating to the reporting and investigation of abuse, neglect, self-neglect, and exploitation of vulnerable adults; and requiring a local department of aging to complete an investigation and make an indicated, not indicated, or undetermined finding within 60 days.

Altering the application of certain provisions of law governing local government personnel, trout stamps, and landlord remedies to apply to all uniformed services; and altering the composition of the Maryland Veterans Trust Fund.

Establishing a rebuttable presumption relating to the best interest of an alleged incapacitated or protected person in an action under the Act; authorizing a certain person to petition a certain court for reasonable visitation with a certain alleged incapacitated or protected person; authorizing the court to impose certain restrictions on a certain visitation; establishing a certain immunity from civil liability under certain circumstances; etc.

Repealing a provision that authorizes a local department of social services to ask the juvenile court to find that reasonable efforts to reunify a child with the child's parent or guardian are not required if the local department concludes that a parent or guardian has involuntarily lost parental rights to a sibling of the child; and repealing the authorization for a juvenile court to waive a local department's obligation to provide certain services if a parent has involuntarily lost certain parental rights.

Establishing qualifications for an individual to be appointed by a court as a custody evaluator; and authorizing a court to waive certain requirements for a court employee or an individual under contract with the court under certain circumstances.

Authorizing a police officer to arrest a certain person without a warrant if the police officer has probable cause to believe that the person battered another person with whom the person has had a sexual relationship within the past year; and altering the definition of "victim of domestic violence" in provisions relating to a certain domestic violence program to include an individual who has received certain injuries from another individual with whom the individual has had a sexual relationship within the past year.

Altering and establishing provisions relating to the surrender of firearms by a respondent under the domestic violence statutes; and requiring a local law enforcement authority to take certain actions within 3 business days after service of an order against a respondent who is not in compliance with an order to surrender certain firearms.

Expanding the definitions of "abuse" and "sexual abuse" for purposes of provisions relating to the reporting and investigation of child abuse and neglect.

Altering the circumstances under which an equity court is authorized to grant visitation rights to a grandparent of a child to include that the petition for visitation rights was filed after an action for divorce, annulment, custody, or paternity was filed by a parent of the child; and requiring an equity court to grant certain visitation rights if the child resided with the grandparent for at least 12 months, or the child's parent, who is the child of the grandparent, is deceased, and the court finds it in the best interests of the child.

Authorizing a minor who is the parent of a child to initiate or defend an action for child support, whether pendente lite or permanently.

Altering provisions of law relating to the authority of the Child Support Enforcement Administration to notify the Motor Vehicle Administration of an individual's child support arrearages for the purpose of suspending the individual's driver's license or privilege to drive under certain circumstances.

Requiring a custodian to deny inspection of certain records pertaining to a divorce proceeding; and requiring a custodian to release records pertaining to a divorce proceeding to certain applicants under certain circumstances.

Authorizing the Child Support Administration to take action to secure an assignment to the State of any rights to support on behalf of a child receiving foster care maintenance payments; and requiring a court to terminate a child support order that was previously established or assigned for a child receiving a foster care maintenance payment under certain circumstances.

Requiring, rather than authorizing, a court to order visitation to be rescheduled, in a manner consistent with the best interests of the child, when the court finds that a party to a custody or visitation order has unjustifiably denied or interfered with visitation granted by the custody or visitation order.

Altering provisions of law relating to the authority of the Child Support Enforcement Administration to notify the Motor Vehicle Administration of an individual's child support arrearages for the purpose of suspending the individual's driver's license or privilege to drive under certain circumstances.

Requiring both parties to be married, rather than one party, to appear before the clerk of a circuit court to apply for a marriage license.

Extending from 7 to 14 days the time period during which a temporary protective order is effective after service of the order; requiring that a final protective order hearing be held not later than 14 days after the temporary protective order is served on the respondent; and providing that a final protective order may order the respondent to pay to a person eligible for relief from abuse certain losses or expenses incurred as a result of abuse.

Authorizing an individual to apply to be approved as a foster parent by the local department of social services for the county where the individual resides or a county adjacent to the county where the individual resides; prohibiting a local department from denying an application to be a foster parent due to the applicant's county of residence if the individual resides in the same county as, or an adjacent county to, the county where the local department is located; etc.

Modifying certain reporting requirements, boards, and commissions for practicability and efficiency; repealing certain reporting requirements that are unnecessary, obsolete, or duplicative; repealing as obsolete the Renewable Fuels Incentive Board, Criminal Justice Information Advisory Board, Two-Generation Family Economic Security Commission, and Commission on Trauma-Informed Care; repealing as unnecessary the Partnership for Workforce Quality Advisory Board; etc.

Establishing that it is unlawful for a parent or guardian of a student in a public school to fail to seek and participate in counseling with the parent's or guardian's child after receiving a certain notice of violent and disruptive behavior; and requiring a public school principal to provide a certain written notice to the parent or guardian of a student who engages in two or more incidents of violent and disruptive behavior on school premises or during school-related activities during the school year.

Requiring a custodian to deny inspection of certain records pertaining to a divorce proceeding except under certain circumstances.

Extending from 7 to 14 days the time period during which a temporary protective order is effective after service of the order; requiring that a final protective order hearing be held not later than 14 days after the temporary protective order is served on the respondent; and providing that a final protective order may order the respondent to pay to a person eligible for relief from abuse certain losses or expenses incurred as a result of abuse.

Establishing the Algorithmic Addiction Fund to be administered by the Maryland Department of Health; providing the Fund consists of all civil penalties received by the State from any source resulting, directly or indirectly, from a judgment against or settlement relating to claims concerning harm to children from the use of social media and the improper use of algorithms; requiring the Secretary to make a report to the General Assembly by November 1 each year concerning the provision of algorithmic addiction intervention services; etc.

Requiring, rather than authorizing, a court to order visitation to be rescheduled, in a manner consistent with the best interests of the child, when the court finds that a party to a custody or visitation order has unjustifiably denied or interfered with visitation granted by the custody or visitation order.

Altering certain provisions of law relating to the reporting of child abuse and neglect and the reporting of certain information regarding certain children at risk of harm to require reporting to the Department of Human Services instead of to the local department of social services or the appropriate law enforcement agency; requiring the Department to establish a centralized intake system for reports, assess reports for validity, and assign reports to the appropriate local department to investigate; etc.

Expanding the circumstances under which a report or record concerning child abuse or neglect may be disclosed by the Department of Human Services to include the administrator of a certain child care center, the coach, team administrator, or manager of a certain youth sports program, and the administrator or other appropriate personnel of any organization that provides adult supervision or care and control of children.

Altering certain provisions relating to the responsibilities of the Department of Human Services as representative payee and fiduciary for certain children committed to the custody of the Department; requiring the Department to use certain benefits in a manner that is in the best interest of the child for the child's current unmet needs; etc.

Altering the definition of child neglect to include the failure or refusal to provide to a child the education required by law.

Requiring a certain on-site interview following a report of suspected child abuse to be with the child's parent or guardian rather than the child's caretaker; and requiring a local department of social services or a law enforcement agency to provide a certain notice to a parent or legal guardian of a child at a certain time during an investigation of suspected child abuse or neglect.

Requiring that a court determine custody before awarding child support under certain circumstances; and establishing a conclusive presumption that the application of the child support guidelines would be unjust or inappropriate if the parents mutually assert that the agreement is in the best interest of the child.

Establishing the Workgroup on Aging Out of Foster Care to identify the types of resources available for youth who have aged out of foster care to help them achieve self-sufficiency, determine the effectiveness of currently available resources and identify the challenges with current services and programs offered before a youth ages out of the system; and requiring the Workgroup to submit a report of its findings and recommendations by July 1, 2027, to the General Assembly.

Stating a certain intent of the General Assembly regarding matters involving the care and custody of children; and requiring an equity court to apply the same standards and procedures in a proceeding for custody or guardianship of an immigrant child that are applied in a proceeding for custody or guardianship of a child who is a United States citizen.

Prohibiting a child placement agency from denying a prospective parent's application to adopt a child based on certain characteristics with certain exceptions; prohibiting the Social Services Administration of the Department of Human Services and certain agencies, institutions, and facilities from discriminating against a foster parent, a prospective foster parent, or a child in foster care based on certain characteristics; etc.

Requiring that a juvenile court include in an order granting guardianship of a child to a specific individual a requirement that the individual provide a criminal records history check to a local department of social services regarding an adult who resides in the home of the guardian; establishing procedures for the review of certain guardianships of certain children by the juvenile court under certain circumstances; prohibiting the Social Services Administration from allowing the placement of children in unlicensed settings; etc.

Requiring the Department of Human Services, by May 1, 2028, to develop a certain form for the submission of a certain written report concerning suspected child abuse or neglect for cases in which the victim is currently an adult; requiring the Department to consult with health practitioners, survivors of abuse, law enforcement agencies, and the State's attorney in the process of developing the form; etc.

Requiring a certain on-site interview following a report of suspected child abuse to be with the child's parent or guardian rather than the child's caretaker; requiring a local department of social services or a law enforcement agency to provide a certain notice to a parent or legal guardian of a child at a certain time during an investigation of suspected child abuse or neglect; requiring the Department to develop a system to document proof of notice; etc.

Altering certain provisions relating to the responsibilities of the Department of Human Services as representative payee and fiduciary for certain children committed to the custody of the Department; and requiring the Department to use the benefits in a manner that is in the best interests of the child for the child's current unmet needs for costs not paid by the Department as part of the child's care or by the child's health insurance.

Altering the definition of child neglect to include the failure or refusal to provide to a child the education required by law.

Requiring a school to provide notice to the parent, guardian, or caretaker of a child if a mandated reporter reports certain suspected abuse or neglect that occurs at a school or school-sponsored activity, unless the parent, guardian, or caretaker is the subject of the report; and requiring the notice to be provided not later than 24 hours after the report is made.

Altering the definition of "abuse" to include female genital mutilation for the purposes of a provision of law requiring certain persons to provide notice of suspected abuse or neglect of a child or make a written report of suspected abuse or neglect of a child; altering the actions regarding female genital mutilation in which a person is prohibited from engaging; increasing the penalties for a violation of certain provisions related to female genital mutilation; etc.

Altering the definition of "adjusted actual income" under the State child support guidelines.

Providing that a debtor may provide certain notice to a creditor and request that the creditor cease debt collection activity relating to a coerced debt; authorizing a debtor, after providing a creditor with certain notice, to bring an action against the creditor seeking certain relief; authorizing a debtor to bring a certain action against a certain individual; and establishing a certain affirmative defense.

Altering provisions relating to children who are placed in an out-of-home placement by a local department of social services under a voluntary placement agreement; altering the duties of the Workgroup on Children in Unlicensed Settings and Pediatric Hospital Overstays; and requiring the Department of Human Services and the Maryland Department of Health to jointly submit a certain report concerning children who are placed in an out-of-home placement under a voluntary placement agreement.

Prohibiting a person from advertising adoption services in the State, unless the person is a local department or child placement agency licensed by the Social Services Administration; authorizing the Administration to notify the Attorney General for a violation of the Act; and authorizing the Attorney General to bring an action for damages for a violation of the Act.

Requiring a local department to consider a child's feelings or views about a prospective kinship caregiver in selecting a placement that is in the best interest of the child in an out-of-home placement; including a certain unrelated individual identified by a child as an option for a kinship caregiver; and requiring a local department to consider certain factors when determining whether to approve an individual as a kinship caregiver.

Authorizing a child who is the subject of a child in need of assistance proceeding to be present at the proceeding; and authorizing the court to exclude the child from a proceeding under certain circumstances and after considering certain alternatives.

Expanding the circumstances under which a report or record concerning child abuse or neglect may be disclosed by the Department of Human Services to include the administrator of a certain child care center, the coach, team administrator, or manager of a certain youth sports program, and the administrator or other appropriate personnel of any organization that provides adult supervision or care and control of children.

Altering certain provisions of law relating to the reporting of child abuse and neglect and the reporting of certain information regarding certain children at risk of harm to require reporting to the Department of Human Services instead of to the local department of social services or the appropriate law enforcement agency; requiring the Department to establish a centralized intake system for reports, assess reports for validity, and assign reports to the appropriate local department to investigate; etc.

Authorizing mandated reporters to report suspected labor trafficking or sex trafficking of a child to a regional navigator; and authorizing the Attorney General or a State's Attorney to investigate and prosecute human trafficking.

Requiring all relief granted under a final protective order to remain effective against a respondent on probation during the period of the respondent's probation.

Altering the definition of "abuse" to include female genital mutilation for the purposes of a provision of law requiring certain persons to provide notice of suspected abuse or neglect of a child or make a written report of suspected abuse or neglect of a child; altering the actions regarding female genital mutilation in which a person is prohibited from engaging; increasing the penalties for a violation of certain provisions related to female genital mutilation; etc.

Altering certain provisions relating to the juvenile court's determination of a permanency plan for a certain child in need of assistance or guardianship review hearing.

Renaming and transferring the State Clearinghouse for Missing Children to be the State Clearinghouse for Missing Persons; requiring the Department of State Police to study the Department's capacity to report about persons who have disappeared from, or are thought to be located in, Maryland to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System; and requiring the Department to submit its findings to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 1, 2026.

Authorizing a person to petition for a protective order against another person who the petitioner alleges has engaged in controlling or coercive behavior toward the petitioner; and defining "coercive control" as a pattern of emotional or psychological manipulation, maltreatment, threat of force, or intimidation used to compel an individual to act, or refrain from acting, against the individual's will.

Requiring that a juvenile court include in an order granting guardianship of a child to a specific individual a requirement that the individual provide a criminal records history check to a local department of social services regarding an adult who resides in the home of the guardian; establishing procedures for the review of certain guardianships of certain children by the juvenile court under certain circumstances; prohibiting the Social Services Administration from allowing the placement of children in unlicensed settings; etc.