Bills to protect voter rights in Maryland and strengthen child welfare system signed into law
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed another batch of bills into law on Tuesday aimed at protecting voter rights, strengthening the state's child welfare system and eliminating dynamic grocery store pricing.
The governor previously signed 153 bills into law a day after the legislative session ended in mid-April.
Protecting Maryland voter rights
The Voting Rights Act of 2026 is an emergency bill that passed the General Assembly on the final day after causing controversy between lawmakers. It aims to prevent local and county governments from impacting voters or the results of an election.
The new law will also allow residents or the state's attorney general to sue local and county governments over their voting processes or plans.
"It ensures that if you honestly believe in democracy, more people should participate and not fewer," Moore said during the bill signing.
State Sen. Charles Sydnor sponsored the bill and said Maryland is leading the way to make sure everyone's right to vote is protected.
He added that the bill was born out of personal experience after the redistricting process in Baltimore County in 2021, when the county was sued for its new map.
Sydnor said the ACLU, among other organizations, won the lawsuit in federal court, but said Marylanders shouldn't have to rely on organizations to defend them.
"One does not have to rely on private counsel to help defend these types of civil rights cases. This is a huge win for Marylanders," Sydnor said. "When one looks at what's happening at the federal level with the Trump Administration, just chipping away with the federal courts, chipping away, we needed to have something in Maryland to protect Marylanders."
This comes as the U.S. Supreme Court considers a challenge to the federal Voting Rights Act. If the court sides with the challengers, it could dilute Black voting districts nationwide.
Voting rights advocates in Maryland say this underscores the importance of passing this state law now.
"The onus has really been on state-level leaders to ensure that they are doing everything they can to protect access to the ballot and help to preserve and advance democracy," said Natasha Murphy, from Black Girls Vote.
Oversight of Maryland's child welfare system
Kanaiyah's Law was named after Kanaiyah Ward, a 16-year-old who died while under the care of the state. The bill aims to strengthen oversight of Maryland's child welfare system.
Ward took her own life while being housed at a hotel in Baltimore. A report by the Maryland Department of Human Services found that she was neglected by her caretaker. The report also found that children under age five were being housed in unsupervised hotel rooms.
The new law will prevent the state from placing children in unlicensed homes like shelters, hotels or offices.
The law also expands background checks for adults living with guardians and would create an independent advocate position in the Attorney General's Office to handle complaints and review child welfare practices.
Kanaiyah's Law will go into effect on October 1, 2027.
Eliminating grocery store surveillance pricing
The Protection From Predatory Pricing Act will prevent grocery stores and third-party delivery services from using dynamic or surveillance pricing — including electronic shelf labels that can change the prices of items instantly, based on demand or other customer data.
The bill aims to protect consumers from automatic price gouging and unpredictable price spikes.
The law will require grocery stores to keep prices fixed for at least one business day and would ban the use of surveillance data in pricing systems. The law will go into effect on October 1, 2026.
"The Protection from Predatory Pricing Act is an important step to keep grocery prices fair and transparent," AARP said in a statement. "As retailers increasingly use AI and surveillance data to adjust prices, Marylanders, especially older adults and people on fixed incomes, shouldn't pay more simply because an algorithm thinks they will."
State Republican leaders slammed Gov. Moore for signing the bill Tuesday, with Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey saying "If we're serious about affordability, we should be focused on energy costs, taxes, and housing - the expenses families actually feel every month. Instead, this bill creates the appearance of action without delivering real savings."
