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Read. Follow. Verify.Maryland Restricts Unemployment Record Disclosures and Imposes Penalties for Unauthorized Releases
Last action · April 14, 2026: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 130
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What This Bill Does
Maryland enacts strict statutory confidentiality rules for unemployment insurance records starting October 1, 2026, aligning state provisions with federal regulations and establishing criminal penalties for unauthorized disclosures by state employees and data recipients.
Residents filing for unemployment face new limitations and standardized safeguards regarding who can access their claim, wage, and address information, while department personnel and third-party data recipients face misdemeanor penalties including up to one year in prison or a $1,000 fine for unlawful leaks.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Unemployment Insurance Claimants
Claimants have statutory protections ensuring their personal data, wage records, and home addresses remain confidential unless specific legal exemptions or consent requirements apply.
Maryland Department of Labor Employees
Current and former department employees are subject to criminal misdemeanor penalties and fines if they unlawfully disclose confidential unemployment records.
Third-Party Data Recipients
Entities receiving confidential unemployment data must comply with rigid electronic and physical storage safeguards, audit requirements, and restrictions against unauthorized redisclosure.
Key Facts
- Any unemployment insurance information that reveals identifying data about an individual, employer, or employing unit is classified as confidential and restricted from public disclosure.
- Confidential information explicitly includes claim information (such as benefit status, benefit amounts, and current home addresses) and wage information.
- The Secretary of Labor may authorize disclosures under strict conditions to claimants, employers, public officials in the performance of official duties, and third parties operating under written informed consent releases.
- Recipients of confidential unemployment insurance information must implement physical and electronic security safeguards, maintain audit systems, and agree to prohibit unauthorized redisclosures.
Show all 6 facts
- Current and former employees of the Maryland Department of Labor and external data recipients who unlawfully disclose confidential information are guilty of a misdemeanor, subject to a fine up to $1,000, imprisonment up to 1 year, or both.
- The legislation repeals older duplicate confidentiality provisions and takes effect on October 1, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is allowed to access confidential unemployment insurance information under this law?
What penalties apply if an employee or data recipient misuses confidential unemployment data?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
13 actions- Apr 14, 2026Governor of MarylandEnrolledApproved by the Governor - Chapter 130
- Apr 3, 2026SenateFloorReturned Passed
- Apr 2, 2026HouseFloorThird Reading Passed (132-0)
- Apr 1, 2026HouseFloorFavorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
- Apr 1, 2026HouseCommitteeFavorable Report by Economic Matters
- Feb 13, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred Economic Matters
Show 7 earlier actions
- Feb 12, 2026SenateFloorThird Reading Passed (44-0)
- Feb 10, 2026SenateFloorSecond Reading Passed
- Feb 10, 2026SenateFloorFavorable Adopted
- Feb 9, 2026SenateCommitteeFavorable Report by Finance
- Jan 19, 2026SenateHearing 1/28 at 2:00 p.m.
- Jan 14, 2026SenateIntroducedFirst Reading Finance
- Sep 16, 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.
Consolidation of Unemployment Data Confidentiality
The bill repeals scattered sections across different subtitles and consolidates comprehensive confidentiality requirements, definitions, and safeguards into a new single section (§ 8-111).
Connected Entities
Sources
mgaleg.maryland.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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