The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Maryland extends blood-test window for combat sports contestants to 90 days
Last action · April 14, 2026: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 126
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Does
Maryland law extends the pre-licensing and pre-contest blood-testing window for boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, and mixed martial arts contestants from 30 days to 90 days before application or participation, effective October 1, 2026.
Fighters and combat-sports participants have a broader timeframe to complete required negative blood tests for HIV and hepatitis before stepping into a Maryland ring or cage.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Combat sports contestants
Contestants gain a longer 90-day window instead of 30 days to complete required viral blood tests for HIV and hepatitis before applying for a license or competing.
State Athletic Commission
The Commission receives and reviews contestant blood test results submitted under the expanded 90-day timeframe.
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
How many days before a contest do fighters need to take their blood tests under the new law?
What infections must contestants be tested for?
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
15 actions- Apr 14, 2026Governor of MarylandEnrolledApproved by the Governor - Chapter 126
- 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 9 earlier actions
- Feb 12, 2026SenateFloorThird Reading Passed (44-0)
- Feb 10, 2026SenateFloorSecond Reading Passed
- Feb 10, 2026SenateFloorFavorable Adopted
- Feb 9, 2026SenateCommitteeFavorable Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment
- Jan 26, 2026SenateHearing 1/29 at 2:30 p.m.
- Jan 26, 2026SenateHearing canceled
- Jan 19, 2026SenateHearing 1/29 at 2:00 p.m.
- Jan 14, 2026SenateIntroducedFirst Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment
- Sep 17, 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.
Connected Entities
Sources
mgaleg.maryland.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance15How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy5Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz10Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools