Maryland / State / 2025 Regular Session
Chapter 270 of 2025 (HB 699) Counted as honorable, for every state veterans benefit, a discharge the department finds eligible under 38 C.F.R. 3.12
Added General Provisions section 1-109.1(a)(3): with respect to any State program of benefits, rights, or privileges for a veteran, "honorable discharge" includes a less than honorable discharge where the Department of Veterans and Military Families determines the individual is eligible for State benefits under the federal character of discharge criteria in 38 C.F.R. 3.12. Items (1) and (2) already covered discharges for sexual orientation or gender identity. Effective October 1, 2025.
Progress
Path to law: Bill in a two-chamber legislature
- Introduced Done, House
- In committee Done, House Health and Government Operations, then Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment
- Passed one chamber Done, House, 138-0
- Passed both chambers Done, The Senate passed it amended 41-0 on April 5, 2025 and the House concurred 139-0
- Signed by the governor Done,
- In effect Done,
Sponsors
- Allen
- Bhandari
- Boyce
- Ebersole
- Fair
- Forbes
- Guyton
- D. Jones
- Kaiser
- R. Lewis
- Lopez
- Martinez
- McCaskill
- Rogers
- Stein
- Vogel
- White Holland
- Alston
- Bagnall
- Chisholm
- Cullison
- Guzzone
- Hill
- Hutchinson
- S. Johnson
- Kerr
- Kipke
- M. Morgan
- Pena-Melnyk
- Reilly
- Rosenberg
- Ross
- Szeliga
- Taveras
- Woods
- Woorman
What it touches
- Md. Code, Gen. Prov. § 1-109.1
Catalog entries (3)
Official record
Read Chapter 270 of 2025 (HB 699) on the jurisdiction's own record