Maryland 2026 Session Status: Introduced 1 D cosponsors

SB0983 — Higher Education - Academic Program Approval - Objections Process Alteration and Study

Last action — Committee Report (House of Origin) — Favorable with Amendments

  1. 1
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House of Delegates
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced February 15, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Prognosis

Stalled 28% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • Introduced

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 D).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 1 recorded vote so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

Repealing the requirement that a proposed new academic program be a graduate program in order for the Maryland Higher Education Commission or institutions of higher education in the State to file an objection to implementation of the proposed program; requiring the Program Review Process Advisory Council to study and make recommendations on extending the objection process for certain proposed academic programs with consideration of certain legal precedence regarding unnecessary program duplication; etc.

Bill Text

We don't have the full text on file for this bill yet.

Read SB0983 on the official Maryland source →

Action History

  1. Committee Report (House of Origin) — Favorable with Amendments

  2. Hearing (Primary, House of Origin)

  3. First Reading (Opposite House)

  4. Third Reading (House of Origin) — Passed

  5. Second Reading (House of Origin) — Passed with Amendments

  6. First Reading (House of Origin)

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 187 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (187)

187 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 187 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

On Third Reading

Passed 42 Yea · 0 Nay · 5 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democrat 25004
Unaffiliated 6000
Republican 11001
Total 42005
% of votes cast 89%0%0%11%
How each member voted (47)
Member Party Vote
Mr. President — Yea
Lewis Young — Yea
Sydnor — Yea
Guzzone — Yea
Watson — Yea
Hershey — Yea
Delegate Stephanie Smith Democrat Yea
Senator Alonzo T. Washington Democrat Yea
Senator Antonio Hayes Democrat Yea
Senator Arthur Ellis Democrat Not Voting
Senator Benjamin Brooks Democrat Yea
Senator Benjamin F. Kramer Democrat Yea
Senator Brian J. Feldman Democrat Yea
Senator C. Anthony Muse Democrat Not Voting
Senator Carl Jackson Democrat Yea
Senator Cheryl C. Kagan Democrat Yea
Senator Clarence K. Lam Democrat Yea
Senator Cory V. McCray Democrat Yea
Senator Craig J. Zucker Democrat Yea
Senator Dalya Attar Democrat Yea
Senator Dawn Gile Democrat Yea
Senator Jeff Waldstreicher Democrat Yea
Senator Jim Rosapepe Democrat Yea
Senator Joanne C. Benson Democrat Not Voting
Senator Katie Fry Hester Democrat Yea
Senator Kevin M. Harris Democrat Yea
Senator Malcolm Augustine Democrat Yea
Senator Mary Washington Democrat Yea
Senator Mary-Dulany James Democrat Not Voting
Senator Nancy J. King Democrat Yea
Senator Nick Charles Democrat Yea
Senator Pamela Beidle Democrat Yea
Senator Sara Love Democrat Yea
Senator Shaneka Henson Democrat Yea
Senator Shelly Hettleman Democrat Yea
Senator Bryan W. Simonaire Republican Not Voting
Senator Chris West Republican Yea
Senator J.B. Jennings Republican Yea
Senator Jack Bailey Republican Yea
Senator Jason C. Gallion Republican Yea
Senator Johnny Mautz Republican Yea
Senator Johnny Ray Salling Republican Yea
Senator Justin Ready Republican Yea
Senator Mary Beth Carozza Republican Yea
Senator Mike McKay Republican Yea
Senator Paul D. Corderman Republican Yea
Senator William G. Folden Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB0983 do?
Repealing the requirement that a proposed new academic program be a graduate program in order for the Maryland Higher Education Commission or institutions of higher education in the State to file an objection to implementation of the proposed program; requiring the Program Review Process Advisory Council to study and make recommendations on extending the objection process for certain proposed academic programs with consideration of certain legal precedence regarding unnecessary program duplication; etc.
Who sponsors SB0983?
SB0983 is sponsored by Senator Cory V. McCray (Democrat).
What is the current status of SB0983?
This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced February 15, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB0983?
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Last checked for changes about 12 hours ago · updated continuously

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