POLISCOPE
Back to bills
Part ofHealth →

The civic record

Read. Follow. Verify.
SB 772MARYLANDSession 2026State BillSigned into law
Enacted

Maryland creates employment training database to help residents qualify for public benefits

Original title: Maryland Department of Health - Employment Training and Opportunity Database

Last action · April 28, 2026: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 166Sponsor: Bill Ferguson

Companion · HB 1246same policy, House version
Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

Public stanceCommunity reactions are separate from the official record and reporting.

What This Bill Does

Maryland enacts a law requiring the Department of Health to build and maintain a public database of job training and placement programs by October 1, 2026, aimed at helping residents gain or maintain eligibility for medical assistance and food benefits.

Why it matters

Residents seeking to qualify for the or gain a centralized online tool to find and enroll in vocational training, with state agencies coordinating to recommend and update program listings every 30 days.

Background
  • The Maryland Medical Assistance Program is the state's Medicaid program providing health insurance to low-income residents. context
  • The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides food assistance benefits to eligible low-income individuals and families. 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

Maryland residents seeking public assistance

Residents gain access to a centralized online database of job training and placement programs intended to help them meet public benefits eligibility rules.

Directly affected

Maryland Department of Health

The agency is tasked with developing, maintaining, and updating the database every 30 days and assisting individuals with program enrollment.

Directly affected

Maryland Department of Labor

The agency must coordinate with the Department of Health and establish a process for receiving and forwarding program recommendations.

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 is the purpose of the new employment training database?
The database assists residents in finding vocational and workforce training programs that can help them meet and maintain eligibility requirements for the and the .
How often will the database be updated?
The Maryland Department of Health is required to update the database at least every 30 days.
Who can submit recommendations for programs to be included in the database?
Any person can recommend a vocational or workforce training program through a process established by the Department of Labor, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Service and Civic Innovation.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Follow the record

Votes, people, money & the original source

Where This Stands

Current status: Signed into law.

Procedural history

14 actions
  1. Apr 28, 2026Governor of MarylandEnrolled
    Approved by the Governor - Chapter 166
  2. Apr 10, 2026SenateFloor
    Returned Passed
  3. Apr 10, 2026HouseFloor
    Third Reading Passed (121-9)
  4. Apr 8, 2026HouseFloor
    Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
  5. Apr 8, 2026HouseCommittee
    Favorable Report by Economic Matters
  6. Mar 20, 2026HouseCommittee
    Referred Economic Matters Government, Labor, and Elections
Show 8 earlier actions
  1. Mar 19, 2026SenateFloor
    Third Reading Passed (45-0)
  2. Mar 18, 2026SenateFloor
    Second Reading Passed
  3. Mar 18, 2026SenateFloor
    Favorable Adopted
  4. Mar 18, 2026SenateCommittee
    Favorable Report by Finance
  5. Feb 14, 2026Senate
    Hearing 3/05 at 1:00 p.m.
  6. Feb 14, 2026Senate
    Hearing canceled
  7. Feb 12, 2026Senate
    Hearing 3/03 at 1:00 p.m.
  8. Feb 6, 2026SenateIntroduced
    First Reading Finance

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

Bill FergusonSenate · District 46DemocraticSponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

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

policy shift95% confidence

Interagency Coordination for Benefit Eligibility

The law mandates cross-agency coordination between health, labor, human services, and civic innovation departments to streamline workforce development recommendations.

Maryland Department of HealthMaryland Department of LaborDepartment of Human ServicesDepartment of Service and Civic Innovation

Connected Entities

Department of Human Services, Maryland Chamber of Commerce, Maryland Department of Health and 4 more
OrganizationDepartment of Human Services“Establishes a process for program recommendations and assists with state hiring ”Map →
OrganizationMaryland Chamber of Commerce“Consulted during the development and maintenance of the database”Map →
OrganizationMaryland Department of Health“Required to develop and maintain the employment training and opportunity databas”Map →
PersonWes Moore“Governor of Maryland who approved the act”Map →
OrganizationMaryland Department of Labor“Coordinates on receiving and forwarding program recommendations for the database”Map →
OrganizationDepartment of Service and Civic Innovation“Participates in the recommendation process for inclusion in the database”Map →
OrganizationGovernor's Commission on Service and Volunteerism“Receives staff support from the Department of Service and Civic Innovation”Map →

Sources

Open source document

mgaleg.maryland.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance50
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy10
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz20
    Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools

Share or embed this record

POLISCOPE publisher tools

Share or embed this record