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SB 187MARYLANDSession 2026State BillBecame law without the governor's signature
Enacted

Maryland enacts Monica Cooper Prerelease Act requiring a new women's reentry facility in Baltimore City

Original title: Correctional Services - Comprehensive Rehabilitative Prerelease Services - Female Incarcerated Individuals (Monica Cooper Prerelease Act)

Last action · May 31, 2026: Enacted under Article II, Section 17(c) of the Maryland Constitution - Chapter 876Sponsor: Mary Washington

Companion · HB 935same policy, House version
Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Does

Maryland enacted Senate Bill 187 (Chapter 876) as an emergency measure, requiring the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services and the Department of General Services to establish a comprehensive rehabilitative reentry facility for female incarcerated individuals in Baltimore City by 2031, with specific site, architectural, and service requirements.

Why it matters

Changes statutory requirements for women's prerelease housing and services in Maryland by mandating a dedicated 3-acre minimum facility in Baltimore City with specific architectural privacy standards, on-site medical and career suites, and comprehensive gender-responsive programs provided prior to final construction.

Background
  • The Monica Cooper Prerelease Act alters existing Maryland correctional statutes to establish comprehensive rehabilitative reentry services and a dedicated facility for female incarcerated individuals. 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.

Directly affected

Female incarcerated individuals

Eligible women will be housed in the new reentry facility and receive mandatory gender-responsive, trauma-informed educational, vocational, and medical services.

Directly affected

Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services

The Department must operate the reentry facility, provide on-site services, submit progress reports, and cooperate with the Correctional Ombudsman.

Directly affected

Department of General Services

The Department is responsible for evaluating proposals, issuing RFPs, and directing procurement processes for the construction of the facility.

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

Where must the new women's reentry facility be located?
The facility must be located in Baltimore City on a site that is not less than 3 acres in land area and not located within a 1-mile radius of any existing correctional facility.
What services must be provided to eligible female incarcerated individuals before the new facility is fully constructed?
The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services must develop a plan to provide comprehensive on-site at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women on or before September 1, 2026.
By what date must construction of the reentry facility be completed?
Construction or renovation of the facility must be completed on or before March 1, 2031, or not later than 6 months thereafter.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

Current status: Became law without the governor's signature.

Procedural history

23 actions
  1. May 31, 2026Governor of Maryland
    Enacted under Article II, Section 17(c) of the Maryland Constitution - Chapter 876
  2. Apr 13, 2026SenateFloor
    Passed Enrolled
  3. Apr 13, 2026SenateFloor
    Third Reading Passed (32-13)
  4. Apr 13, 2026SenateFloor
    Senate Concurs House Amendments
  5. Apr 13, 2026SenateFloor
    Motion Limit Debate (Senator King) Adopted (32-13)
  6. Apr 13, 2026HouseFloor
    Third Reading Passed (101-36)
Show 17 earlier actions
  1. Apr 10, 2026HouseFloor
    Second Reading Passed with Amendments
  2. Apr 10, 2026House
    Favorable with Amendments { 293323/1 Adopted
  3. Apr 10, 2026HouseCommittee
    Favorable with Amendments Report by Judiciary
  4. Apr 2, 2026House
    Hearing 4/02 at 2:00 p.m. (Judiciary)
  5. Apr 2, 2026House
    Hearing canceled (Judiciary)
  6. Mar 30, 2026House
    Reassigned to Judiciary Appropriations
  7. Mar 27, 2026House
    Hearing 4/02 at 1:00 p.m.
  8. Mar 27, 2026House
    Hearing canceled
  9. Mar 26, 2026House
    Hearing 3/31 at 1:00 p.m.
  10. Mar 24, 2026HouseCommittee
    Referred Judiciary
  11. Mar 23, 2026SenateFloor
    Third Reading Passed (31-12)
  12. Mar 20, 2026SenateFloor
    Second Reading Passed with Amendments
  13. Mar 20, 2026Senate
    Favorable with Amendments { 653123/1 Adopted
  14. Mar 20, 2026SenateCommittee
    Favorable with Amendments Report by Judicial Proceedings
  15. Jan 14, 2026SenateIntroduced
    First Reading Judicial Proceedings and Budget and Taxation
  16. Jan 13, 2026Senate
    Hearing 1/28 at 11:00 a.m. (Judicial Proceedings)
  17. Oct 10, 2025SenateIntroduced
    Pre-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.

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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

Mary WashingtonSenate · District 43DemocraticSponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift99% confidence

Shift from Prerelease Unit to Comprehensive Reentry Facility

The legislation formally replaces prior statutory references to a prerelease unit for women with a detailed, architecturally specific community-based reentry facility featuring enhanced privacy, medical suites, and mandatory on-site services.

General ServicesMaryland Correctional Institution for Women

Connected Entities

Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, Office of the Correctional Ombudsman, Maryland Correctional Institution for Women and 5 more
OrganizationSenate Budget and Taxation Committee“Legislative committee receiving reports and deliverables”Map →
OrganizationOffice of the Correctional Ombudsman“Office tasked with reviewing and verifying compliance with the Act”Map →
OrganizationMaryland Correctional Institution for Women“Correctional facility housing female inmates where initial services must be prov”Map →
OrganizationGeneral Services“Department of General Services directed to handle procurement and timelines”Map →
PersonMary Washington“Bill sponsor in the upper house”Map →
OrganizationHouse Appropriations Committee“Legislative committee receiving reports and deliverables”Map →
OrganizationHouse Judiciary Committee“Legislative committee receiving progress updates and annual reports”Map →
OrganizationSenate Judicial Proceedings Committee“Legislative committee receiving progress updates and annual reports”Map →

Sources

Open source document

mgaleg.maryland.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance85
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy15
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz45
    Current news / social attention level

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