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Read. Follow. Verify.Maryland Transfers Jane E. Lawton Conservation Loan Program to Clean Energy Center
Last action · May 12, 2026: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 372
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What This Bill Does
Senate Bill 223 transfers the Jane E. Lawton Conservation Loan Program and its fund from the Maryland Energy Administration to the Maryland Clean Energy Center effective July 1, 2026. The legislation shifts loan administration, fund management, and project monitoring responsibilities to the Center while altering reporting requirements for the .
Local governments, public schools, nonprofit organizations, and eligible businesses seeking zero- and low-interest energy conservation loans must now apply to and coordinate loan servicing, repayments, and compliance through the Maryland Clean Energy Center rather than the Maryland Energy Administration.
- The Jane E. Lawton Conservation Loan Program was established to provide low- and zero-interest loans for energy efficiency and conservation projects in Maryland. context
- The Maryland Clean Energy Center is a corporate instrumentality of the state created to encourage and promote economic development in clean energy industries. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Maryland Clean Energy Center
Assumes administrative, financial management, and monitoring responsibilities for the Jane E. Lawton Conservation Loan Program and Fund.
Maryland Energy Administration
Transfers program oversight, fund administration, and regulatory authority over the loan program to the Maryland Clean Energy Center.
Nonprofit organizations, local jurisdictions, State agencies, and eligible businesses
Must submit loan applications, documentation, and repayments to the Maryland Clean Energy Center instead of the Maryland Energy Administration.
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
Who do local governments and nonprofits apply to for energy conservation loans under this law?
What happens to the Jane E. Lawton Conservation Fund?
What are the penalties for making a false statement on a loan application?
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
14 actions- May 12, 2026Governor of MarylandEnrolledApproved by the Governor - Chapter 372
- Apr 13, 2026SenateFloorReturned Passed
- Apr 13, 2026HouseFloorThird Reading Passed (104-22)
- Apr 9, 2026HouseFloorFavorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
- Apr 8, 2026HouseCommitteeFavorable Report by Environment and Transportation
- Mar 25, 2026HouseHearing 4/02 at 1:00 p.m.
Show 8 earlier actions
- Mar 23, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred Environment and Transportation
- Mar 23, 2026SenateFloorThird Reading Passed (44-0)
- Mar 20, 2026SenateFloorSecond Reading Passed with Amendments
- Mar 20, 2026SenateFavorable with Amendments { 123523/1 Adopted
- Mar 20, 2026SenateCommitteeFavorable with Amendments Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment
- Jan 27, 2026SenateHearing 2/05 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.
Institutional Consolidation of Energy Financing
The legislation shifts operational control of the Jane E. Lawton Conservation Loan Program from a traditional state department (the Maryland Energy Administration) to a public instrumentality and clean energy center.
Connected Entities
Sources
mgaleg.maryland.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How 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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