DRM Communications, Author at Disability Rights Maryland

photo collage of legislative events, text says 2026 legislative recap

2026 Legislative Highlights

Posted on May 21, 2026

The 2026 legislative session in Maryland was a challenging one for Marylanders with disabilities. DRM worked with partner organizations, individual allies, and legislators to advocate for bills that would protect and advance the rights of people with disabilities in Maryland. During the session, DRM paid close attention to over 170 bills and submitted formal support or opposition to at least 100 of those bills. Below are some highlights of the work we accomplished this year.

Child Welfare

This year we worked on a trio of child welfare bills including HB980, HB1559 and HB1181. Kanaiyah’s Law (HB980/SB996) bans the placement of foster care youth in unlicensed settings like hotels unless the agency is actively looking for placement. It is named after 16-year-old Kanaiyah Ward who died while housed in a hotel by the foster care system. While we wish each bill had gone further than it does to protect children and youth, we are hopeful that these bills will lead to much-needed reform of the child welfare system.

Other bills affecting children’s rights:

HB0012: Juvenile Sex Offender Registry—Qualifying Offenses and Access; DRM Opposed; Bill Did Not Pass
HB0014: County Boards of Education—Bullying, Harassment, or Intimidation—Information Collection and Reporting Requirements; DRM Monitored; Bill Passed
HB396/SB402: Residential Child Care Programs—Education of Children and Training of Child and Youth Care Practitioners; DRM Supported; Bill Passed

Voting

Voting was a big topic for many proposed bills. SB29 also passed and requires that ballot questions include a statement describing the policy change in plain language and a statement explaining the practical outcome of each voting choice. SB241/HB115 also passed and will ensure that individuals released from state correctional facilities will automatically have their voter registration restored. Both bills are waiting to be signed into law by the governor.

Other bills affecting voting rights:

HB1027/SB901: Election Law—Telephone Voting System—Requirements; DRM Supported with Amendments; Bill Did Not Pass
SB73: Election Law—Polling Place Procedures—Voting by Elderly Voters and Voters With Disabilities (Accessible and Expedited Voting Act of Maryland); DRM Supported; Bill Did Not Pass
SB100/HB263: Election Law—Early Voting Centers—Bus Stops; DRM Supported; Bill Passed
HB0641: Election Law – Curbside Voting – Pilot Program; DRM Supported with Amendments; Bill Did Not Pass

Mental Health

SB412/HB658 will change the way the Community Forensic Aftercare Program (CFAP) operates. CFAP monitors those who are found not criminally responsible because of an intellectual disability or mental illness to ensure they comply with the treatment. Changes to the program ensure greater transparency and will give those involved a voice in the CFAP process, allowing them to choose an agent (outside of their attorney) to represent their interests.

Other bills affecting mental health rights:

HB1014/SB707: Mental Health Law—Danger to the Life or Safety of the Individual or of Others—Definition (Right to Treatment); DRM Opposed; Bill Passed
SB550: Health Care Decisions Act—Surrogate Decision Making—Mental Disorders; DRM Opposed; Bill Did Not Pass
HB632: Certificate of Need—Psychiatric Health Care Facilities and Psychiatric and Mental Health Services—Exemption; DRM Opposed; Bill Did Not Pass

Developmental Disabilities

Again, this year the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) faced budget cuts. DDA provides funds and coordinates community-based services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Last year the DDA budget was cut by $126 million. This year Governor Moore proposed another $150 million in cuts. Through collective advocacy, $23 million was restored to this year’s budget.

The Maryland Protecting People with Disabilities Act (HB1445/SB 742) passed. This bill requires the State to follow federal legal requirements that protect people from losing Medicaid and home and community-based services because of procedural errors and processing delays. It requires the state to meet timelines, prevent procedural terminations of Medicaid eligibility, and prevent gaps in services. This bill is critical to ensuring access to home and community-based services and protecting against unnecessary institutionalization.

Other bills affecting developmental disability rights:

SB742/HB1445: Maryland Medical Assistance Program and Developmental Disabilities Administration—Home-and-Community-Based Services Eligibility Determinations (Maryland Protecting People with Disabilities Act); DRM Supported; Bill Passed
SB745/HB634: Police Training—Autism and Dementia (LEAD Act of 2026); DRM Monitored; Bill Passed
HB1015: Developmental Disabilities Administration—Services—Eligibility for Recently Relocated Individuals (Ralph’s Act); DRM Supported; Bill Passed
HB1445/SB742: Maryland Medical Assistance Program and Developmental Disabilities Administration—Home-and-Community-Based Services Eligibility Determinations (Maryland Protecting People with Disabilities Act); DRM Supported; Bill Passed

Housing

The Fair Chance in Housing Act (SB 937/HB 1073) also passed. This law will add restrictions on when and how landlords can deny someone housing based on their criminal record and makes automatic denials illegal. We remain concerned about how this law will be enforced and hope to work closely with the Maryland Attorney General in the implementation process.

Other bills affecting housing rights:

SB937: Landlord and Tenant—Residential Leases—Prospective Tenant Criminal History Records Check (Maryland Fair Chance Housing Act); DRM Supported; Bill Passed
HB315/SB335: Human Relations—Discrimination in Housing—Income-Based Housing Subsidies; DRM Supported; Bill Passed
HB774/SB462: Landlord and Tenant—Residential Leases and Holdover Tenancies—Local Good Cause Termination (Good Cause Eviction); DRM Supported; Bill Did Not Pass

Thank You!

We would like to thank our donors whose support enabled DRM to advocate for people with disabilities throughout the 2026 legislative session. If you are passionate about advancing the rights of people with disabilities in Maryland and able to give, please consider making a generous contribution to support our work.

Public Statement: DDA Budget Cuts and Proposed Waiver Amendments

Posted on May 15, 2026

Public Statement DRM re: DDA Budget Cuts and Proposed Waiver Amendments, May 2026

Disability Rights Maryland (DRM) is aware of and deeply concerned by the recent budget reductions and accompanying proposed waiver amendments affecting services delivered through the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA), including cuts to both the provider-managed model and self-directed services model.

While we recognize the fiscal challenges facing Maryland and the importance of DDA remaining fiscally solvent, budget pressures do not diminish the State’s legal obligations. Maryland must ensure that any change to service delivery under the waiver does not undermine the legal rights of individuals under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Olmstead v. L.C., which require that services be delivered in the most integrated, least restrictive setting appropriate to each individual. Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) exist to enable individuals with disabilities to live, work, and fully participate in their communities. Budget cuts and waiver amendments that limit access to community-based services increase the risk of unnecessary institutionalization, service disruption, and serious harm to individuals with disabilities.

We are particularly concerned by reports from people with disabilities, families, and providers that their input has not been meaningfully considered by DDA in the development of these proposals. The lack of transparency and communication regarding these budget cuts and proposed waiver amendments undermines trust and makes it more difficult for affected Marylanders to understand and anticipate changes that directly impact their daily lives.

As Maryland’s Protection and Advocacy Agency, DRM is closely reviewing the proposed cost-containment measures and will assess their legality under federal and state law. We will submit formal comments regarding the proposed waiver amendments. The text of the waiver amendments are available at the following link on the MD Department of Health website: https://health.maryland.gov/dda/Pages/Community-Pathways-Waiver-Amendment-4-2026.aspx.

DDA has posted information about regional webinars about the waiver amendments and budget cuts at the above website as well. We encourage all interested parties to stay engaged as information becomes available and consider submitting comments on the proposed waiver amendments.

DRM will examine these proposals from a systemic perspective and, where possible, represent individuals in challenging reductions or denials of services to protect people with disabilities from unnecessary institutionalization. However, these changes will affect thousands of Marylanders, and DRM can only represent a limited number of individuals in their personal situations. We therefore encourage individuals and families to seek additional advocacy resources where available.

We urge the State to work openly and collaboratively with people with disabilities, families, providers, and advocates to identify solutions that preserve access to necessary home and community-based services without compromising the well-being and fundamental rights of people with disabilities.

Young man with short brown hair smiling at camera wearing black glasses and a red tshirt

Charting the Life Course Workshop

Posted on May 13, 2026

DRM is hosting a workshop helping student beneficiaries of Social Security age 14-21 and their parents problem-solve and build a plan for specific goals around employment.

We will use the Charting the LifeCourse framework to help students, and their parents develop their vision for a good life, think about what they need to know and do to prepare for future employment, identify how to find or develop supports, and discover what it takes to live the lives they want to live.

Date: Saturday, May 30, 2026 at 9am – 3pm

Location: Disability Rights Maryland, First Floor Conference Rooms, 1500 Union Ave # 2000, Baltimore, Maryland 21211

Pictured: Man in chair on a path looking at the camera. Text: 2024-2025 Impact Report

Impact Report 2024-2025

Posted on April 15, 2026

Download PDF Here

DRM Statement about Snow and Ice in Travel Paths

Posted on January 30, 2026

DRM Statement, January 29, 2026

We recognize that this storm has created serious challenges, and that extremely cold temperatures and repeated freeze–thaw cycles make snow and ice removal more difficult. We appreciate the actions Baltimore City and Maryland are taking and their efforts to communicate with residents. At the same time, more must be done to ensure that people with disabilities are not left without access to transportation, medical care, work and their communities.

When sidewalks, curb cuts, and bus stop boarding areas are not fully cleared of snow and ice, people with disabilities can be effectively cut off from public transit and daily life, even after roads become passable. For wheelchair users, people who use walkers or canes, and many other people with disabilities, a single blocked curb ramp can make an entire trip impossible. In situations like these, we routinely hear that people miss medical appointments, cannot get to work, or are forced to remain at home days after a storm because the pedestrian network is only partially cleared. When sidewalks are impassable, people are often forced into the street to get around snowbanks or ice, creating serious and predictable safety risks.

These impacts are compounded during prolonged cold snaps like the one Maryland is experiencing now, where hardened snow and refreezing turn untreated areas into sheets of ice. In these conditions, accessibility barriers are not just inconvenient; they are dangerous and exclusionary.

These issues are also not new. Baltimore has a history of inaccessible sidewalks and curb ramps. The City is operating under the Goodlaxson1 partial consent decree. Under the ADA and the Goodlaxson consent decree, Baltimore has an obligation not only to build accessible sidewalks and curb ramps, but to maintain them in a condition that people with disabilities can actually use. The decree also mandates an annual public initiative to educate the public on the need for timely removal of snow and other debris from curb ramps and pedestrian walkways that provide access to bus stops and public transportation stations.

Maintenance also means clearing sidewalks to a fully usable path width, not just a narrow trench. After snowstorms, sidewalks are often cleared only to a narrow, shovel-width path. While well-intentioned, this does not accommodate wheelchair users, people with walkers or other mobility devices, or others who need space and stability to move safely. For many, including people with visual disabilities, these narrow and uneven paths can be disorienting and hazardous. A path that narrow is functionally unusable and can be just as exclusionary as no clearing at all.

In Baltimore City, residential and commercial property owners are legally required to clear snow and ice from sidewalks within three hours after a snowfall ends, or by 11:00 a.m. if snowfall stops between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. While enforcement may vary during extreme conditions, these requirements exist because sidewalks are part of the public pedestrian network and must remain accessible to everyone. The Baltimore Snow Corps pilot program reflects an important recognition that older adults, people with disabilities, and others may need assistance clearing sidewalks.

These conditions also directly affect people who rely on paratransit services, who must be able to safely access the vehicle. When sidewalks are icy, narrowed, or blocked, people may be unable to reach the pickup point, board the vehicle safely, or navigate from the drop-off location to their destination. The result is that people may lose access to essential services, not necessarily because the service is unavailable, but because the surrounding pedestrian environment makes it unusable.

For many riders with disabilities, buses running does not mean transit is usable if sidewalks, curb ramps, and bus stops remain blocked or unsafe. Without clear and accessible paths to reach buses, people remain effectively cut off from transportation and community access even as service resumes.

If roads reopen but sidewalks, curb ramps, bus stops, and pedestrian routes remain blocked or constricted, transportation and community access are “open” in name only for people with disabilities. True recovery from a storm requires clearing the full accessible travel path so that people with disabilities can safely move through the city and maintain access to care, work, and community life on the same timeline as everyone else.

Gabriel Rubinstein

Managing Attorney

Disability Rights Maryland

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2026 Legislative Highlights

Thank You!

Public Statement: DDA Budget Cuts and Proposed Waiver Amendments

Charting the Life Course Workshop

Impact Report 2024-2025

DRM Statement about Snow and Ice in Travel Paths

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DRM Statement about Snow and Ice in Travel Paths