The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Maryland requires state agencies to report waived contract damages and sets new financial leadership pay and qualifications
Last action · May 12, 2026: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 367Sponsor: Shelly Hettleman
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Does
Maryland requires executive branch agencies to submit documentation to the Board of Public Works and the Joint Audit and Evaluation Committee whenever they decide to waive contract , regardless of contract value. The law also authorizes the Secretary of Budget and Management to set flexible pay scales to recruit and retain chief financial officers and chief information officers in large agencies, establishes mandatory qualifications for CFOs, and mandates annual financial reporting to the Comptroller starting July 1, 2026.
Large state agencies managing over $1.75 billion annually must now adhere to strict statutory qualifications for their chief financial officers and provide detailed annual financial and federal award disclosures directly to the Comptroller. At the same time, agencies gain administrative flexibility to adjust executive pay scales to attract qualified financial and technology leadership.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Units of State government
State agencies must submit documentation for waived liquidated damages, ensure their chief financial officers meet statutory qualifications, and comply with new annual financial reporting obligations to the Comptroller.
Chief Financial Officers
CFOs in large state agencies must meet newly mandated education and experience criteria and provide certified financial information and attestation letters at the close of the fiscal year.
Office of the Comptroller
The Comptroller's office receives annual financial entries, schedules of federal expenditures, and formal attestation letters from agency CFOs.
Board of Public Works
The Board receives mandatory documentation whenever state agencies decide not to pursue liquidated damages on contracts.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What documentation must state agencies provide if they waive contract liquidated damages?
Which state agencies are subject to the new Chief Financial Officer qualification requirements?
What qualifications are required for a Chief Financial Officer under the new law?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
13 actions- May 12, 2026Governor of MarylandEnrolledApproved by the Governor - Chapter 367
- Apr 10, 2026SenateFloorReturned Passed
- Apr 10, 2026HouseFloorThird Reading Passed (119-13)
- Apr 8, 2026HouseFloorFavorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
- Apr 8, 2026HouseCommitteeFavorable Report by Government, Labor, and Elections
- Mar 26, 2026HouseHearing 3/31 at 1:00 p.m.
Show 7 earlier actions
- Mar 21, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred Government, Labor, and Elections
- Mar 20, 2026SenateFloorThird Reading Passed (41-0)
- Mar 19, 2026SenateFloorSecond Reading Passed with Amendments
- Mar 19, 2026SenateFavorable with Amendments { 553826/1 Adopted
- Mar 19, 2026SenateCommitteeFavorable with Amendments Report by Budget and Taxation
- Feb 11, 2026SenateHearing 3/03 at 1:30 p.m.
- Feb 6, 2026SenateIntroducedFirst Reading Budget and Taxation
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.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Removal of Procurement Threshold for Waived Damages
The law eliminates the previous $5,000,000 minimum procurement threshold for reporting waived liquidated damages, expanding oversight to any contract value.
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
Publisher tools