Summary — HB 1481: Adapted Vehicle Access Pilot Program (Maryland)
Status
- Enacted as Chapter 393 (2025). Signed by the Governor May 6, 2025; effective October 1, 2025.
- The pilot program terminates automatically on September 30, 2030.
- MDOD must report on the pilot by December 1, 2028.
Purpose and intent
- Establish a time‑limited Adapted Vehicle Access Pilot Program within the Maryland Department of Disabilities (MDOD) to expand access to motor vehicles modified for people who require a mobility aid, and to study the effects of providing adapted vehicles to people not otherwise served by existing programs.
Key provisions
- Definitions: “Adapted vehicle” = motor vehicle modified to be operated by an individual who requires a wheelchair for mobility (the bill text also uses broader “mobility aid” in some versions); “eligible individual” = person who requires a wheelchair/mobility aid, is a licensed driver, and is qualified to operate an adapted vehicle.
- Program duties (MDOD):
- Implement and administer the pilot.
- Select eligible participants, prioritizing those living in areas with limited public transportation access.
- Solicit, request, apply for, and facilitate donations of vehicles, vehicle modifications/adaptive services, and funds from individuals or public/private corporations.
- Apply for, receive, and spend federal funds and grants for the program as available.
- Study the program’s impacts on recipients’ independence, mobility, employment opportunities, and reliance on public subsidies.
- Reporting requirement: by December 1, 2028 MDOD must report to the Governor and General Assembly on:
- Number of vehicle recipients;
- How the program affected independence, mobility, job opportunities, and dependency on subsidies;
- Availability of vehicles, modification/adaptation services, and funds; and
- Recommendation on extending or expanding the program.
- MDOD must make reasonable efforts to anonymize recipient data.
Who is affected
- Primary beneficiaries: licensed drivers who require a wheelchair/mobility aid and who are ineligible for other MDOD vehicle programs.
- MDOD and the Maryland Technology Assistance Program (MDTAP), which already handles assistive‑technology donations and loans.
- Potential donors (individuals, nonprofits, corporations) and vehicle modification/adaptive service providers.
- Minimal direct effect on local governments; small business impact described as minimal.
Fiscal and operational impact
- Department of Legislative Services fiscal note: MDOD can likely absorb program administration in existing MDTAP operations and resources.
- FY2026 budgeted MDTAP federal funds/expenditures are about $1.3 million (personnel and program costs).
- If MDOD secures additional federal grants or monetary donations, federal and special fund revenues/expenditures would increase by an indeterminate amount (potentially as early as FY2026 through FY2030). Monetary donations would be treated as restricted special funds for program use.
Timeline / Sunset
- Effective date: October 1, 2025.
- MDOD report due: December 1, 2028.
- Program sunsets: September 30, 2030 (automatic termination).
