2025 Maryland General Assembly Legislative Wrap-Up
This year, the Maryland Arborist Association (MAA) continued its commitment to protecting our members' interests throughout the 2025 Maryland General Assembly. As an active member of the Maryland Green Industry Council (MaGIC) - the leading advocacy group for our industry - MAA helped monitor and influence key legislation. This session, we closely followed several important bills, including:
- HB113/SB584 - Civil Actions - Noneconomic Damages - Personal Injury and Wrongful Death
Repealing certain limitations on noneconomic damages in civil actions for personal injury or wrongful death; and applying the Act prospectively.
Failed.
- HB114/SB249 - Pesticide and Pest Control - Revisions to Pesticide Applicator's Law and Repeal of Obsolete Provisions
Establishing requirements for the commercial application of general use pesticides, the commercial application of restricted use pesticides, and the private application of restricted use pesticides; requiring a certified private applicator to ensure that certain individuals working under the certified applicator's supervision meet certain requirements; specifying the responsibility and liability of certified applicators for the application of certain pesticides; etc.
Passed.
- HB362/SB290 - Natural Resources - Roadside Tree Removal Permit Notification Act
Requiring an applicant for a roadside tree removal permit to provide notice of the application to all owners of property abutting and adjacent to the property subject to the application and the governing body of any common ownership community that has control over the land on which the tree subject to the application is located by certified mail, return receipt requested.
Withdrawn.
- HB368 - General Provisions - Commemorative Month - Maryland Native Plant Month
Requiring the Governor to annually proclaim May as Maryland Native Plant Month in recognition of the benefits that native plants have on Maryland's natural environment; and requiring the proclamation to urge educational and environmental organizations and businesses to observe Maryland Native Plant Month properly.
Failed.
- HB386/SB345 - Pesticides - PFAS Chemicals - Prohibitions
Requiring, by January 1, 2026, the Department of Agriculture to develop and maintain a list of certain registered pesticides that list PFAS chemicals as an active ingredient on the labeling accompanying the pesticide; prohibiting, beginning June 1, 2026, a person from using, for certain purposes, PFAS pesticides listed by the Department; prohibiting, beginning June 1, 2028, a person from using PFAS pesticides in the State; etc.
Failed.
- HB701 - Gasoline-Powered Leaf Blowers - Purchase, Use, and Sale - Prohibitions (Clean Air Quiet Communities Act)
Prohibiting the State from purchasing gasoline-powered leaf blowers beginning July 1, 2025; establishing a certain process to phase out on or before a certain date the use by the State of gasoline-powered leaf blowers; requiring a person that sells or offers for sale a gasoline-powered leaf blower in the State to provide certain notice to the purchaser or potential purchaser; prohibiting the sale of gasoline-powered leaf blowers beginning on January 1, 2027; etc.
Failed.
- HB1342/SB932 - Pesticide and Pest Control - State-Owned Property - Pesticide Use Restrictions and Pollinator Habitat
Authorizing a person to apply a pesticide on State-owned property only if the person is applying a listed pesticide or a registered pesticide for specified purposes; requiring the Department of Agriculture to develop a model pesticide and pollinator habitat management plan to be implemented on State-owned and managed property; and requiring a unit of State government that manages tracts of State-owned property to work with the Department to adapt the model plan.
Failed.
- HB1360 - Environment - Road Salt - Outdoor Storage
Prohibiting certain persons from storing road salt uncovered outdoors; and requiring the Department of the Environment to adopt regulations to establish proper outdoor storage requirements for road salt and penalties for noncompliance.
Failed.
- HB1554/SB1045 - Sales and Use Tax - Taxable Business Services - Alterations
Altering the definitions of "taxable price" and "taxable service" for the purposes of certain provisions of law governing the sales and use tax to impose the tax on certain labors and services if both the provider of the service and the buyer are business entities; and specifying the rate of the sales and use tax for certain labor and services.
Failed.
