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Read. Follow. Verify.Maryland Senate Bill 203 authorizes Department of the Environment to require lead paint contractors to carry liability insurance or bonds
Last action · March 25, 2026: Hearing 4/02 at 1:00 p.m.
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What This Bill Would Do
Maryland Senate Bill 203 authorizes the Department of the Environment to require any person to provide lead paint services to maintain reasonable liability insurance or a performance bond, starting July 1, 2026.
Lead contractors in Maryland face new financial security mandates, which may alter operating costs and insurance requirements for businesses performing lead hazard reduction work.
- Lead paint abatement regulations in Maryland are administered by the Department of the Environment under subtitle 10 of the Environment Article. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Lead paint abatement contractors
Contractors accredited to provide lead paint abatement services may be required to obtain and maintain reasonable liability insurance or a performance bond.
Department of the Environment
The Department is authorized to adopt regulations including performance bond and liability insurance requirements for accredited persons.
Key Facts
- The Department of the Environment is authorized to require reasonable performance bonds or liability insurance for anyone accredited to provide lead paint abatement services.
- Abatement includes the removal, containment, encapsulation, or replacement of lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust or soil.
- Lead-containing substances include paint, plaster, or surface encapsulation material containing more than 0.50 percent lead by weight or more than 0.7 milligrams lead per square centimeter.
- The Act takes effect on July 1, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who must carry the new performance bond or liability insurance?
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed chamber. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
9 actions- Mar 25, 2026HouseHearing 4/02 at 1:00 p.m.
- Feb 20, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred Environment and Transportation
- Feb 19, 2026SenateFloorThird Reading Passed (43-0)
- Feb 17, 2026SenateFloorSecond Reading Passed
- Feb 17, 2026SenateFloorFavorable Adopted
- Feb 16, 2026SenateCommitteeFavorable Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment
Show 3 earlier actions
- Jan 16, 2026SenateHearing 2/03 at 1:00 p.m.
- Jan 14, 2026SenateIntroducedFirst Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment
- Sep 25, 2025SenateIntroducedPre-filed
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Addition of Financial Security Requirements
The legislation explicitly adds performance bond and liability insurance standards to the Department of the Environment's regulatory powers for lead abatement service providers.
Connected Entities
Sources
mgaleg.maryland.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance50How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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