Maryland
Md. House committee holds hearing on transgender health care bill
Activists rallied in support of Trans Health Equity Act in Annapolis
A Maryland House of Delegates committee on Tuesday held a hearing on a bill that would expand coverage of transgender-specific health care in the state.
The House Government Operations Committee heard testimony on House Bill 283, or the Trans Health Equity Act. The measure would require the Maryland Medical Assistance Program “to provide gender-affirming treatment in a nondiscriminatory manner” and mandate” the gender-affirming treatment be assessed according to nondiscriminatory criteria that are consistent with current clinical standards.” The bill would also prohibit “the issuance of an adverse benefit determination related to gender-affirming treatment unless a certain experienced health care provider has reviewed and confirmed the appropriateness of the determination.”
The Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on an identical bill, Senate Bill 460, on Feb. 28.
The House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 21 will hold a hearing on House Bill 426, or the Trans Respect, Agency and Dignity Act.
This measure would require the Maryland Division of Corrections “to report certain information regarding the gender identities of inmates and the housing status of transgender, nonbinary or intersex inmates.” HB 426 would also prohibit “an employee of a correctional facility from discriminating against inmates on the basis of certain protected classes” and require “the managing official of a correctional facility to develop a written nondiscrimination policy regarding inmates.”
An identical bill, Senate Bill 761, has been introduced in the state Senate.
The two bills are among FreeState Justice’s legislative priorities during this year’s legislative session.
The advocacy group also opposes House Bill 757, which would prevent trans athletes from school sports teams that do not correspond to their gender identity. The House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday is scheduled to hold a hearing on the measure.
Meanwhile, state Sen. Mary Washington (D-Baltimore City) is among those who participated in a rally in support of Trans Health Equity Act. that took place on Lawyer’s Mall in front of the State Capitol in Annapolis on Tuesday.
By PAMELA WOOD | Dan Cox, a Republican who was resoundingly defeated by Democratic Gov. Wes Moore four years ago, has filed to run for governor again this year.
Cox’s candidacy was posted on the Maryland elections board website Friday; he did not immediately respond to an interview request.
Cox listed Rob Krop as his running mate for lieutenant governor.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Maryland
Expanded PrEP access among FreeState Justice’s 2026 legislative priorities
Maryland General Assembly opened on Jan. 14
FreeState Justice this week spoke with the Washington Blade about their priorities during this year’s legislative session in Annapolis that began on Jan. 14.
Ronnie L. Taylor, the group’s community director, on Wednesday said the organization continues to fight against discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS. FreeState Justice is specifically championing a bill in the General Assembly that would expand access to PrEP in Maryland.
Taylor said FreeState Justice is working with state Del. Ashanti Martinez (D-Prince George’s County) and state Sen. Clarence Lam (D-Arundel and Howard Counties) on a bill that would expand the “scope of practice for pharmacists in Maryland to distribute PrEP.” The measure does not have a title or a number, but FreeState Justice expects it will have both in the coming weeks.
FreeState Justice has long been involved in the fight to end the criminalization of HIV in the state.
Governor Wes Moore last year signed House Bill 39, which decriminalized HIV in Maryland.
The bill — the Carlton R. Smith Jr. HIV Modernization Act — is named after Carlton Smith, a long-time LGBTQ activist known as the “mayor” of Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood who died in 2024. FreeState Justice said Marylanders prosecuted under Maryland Health-General Code § 18-601.1 have already seen their convictions expunged.
Taylor said FreeState Justice will continue to “oppose anti anti-LGBTQ legislation” in the General Assembly. Their website later this week will publish a bill tracker.
The General Assembly’s legislative session is expected to end on April 13.
Maryland
Layoffs and confusion at Pride Center of Maryland after federal grants cut, reinstated
Trump administration move panicked addiction and mental health programs
By ALISSA ZHU | After learning it had abruptly lost $2 million in federal funding, the Pride Center of Maryland moved to lay off a dozen employees, or about a third of its workforce, the Baltimore nonprofit’s leader said Thursday.
The group is one of thousands nationwide that reportedly received letters late Tuesday from the Trump administration. Their mental health and addiction grants had been terminated, effective immediately, the letters said.
By Wednesday night, federal officials moved to reverse the funding cuts by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, estimated to total $2 billion, according to national media reports. But the Pride Center of Maryland’s CEO Cleo Manago said as of Thursday morning he had not heard anything from the federal government confirming those reports.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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