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Bill

HB 1171

Howard County Board of Education - Student Member - Voting Ho. Co. 7-26

2026 Regular Session

Expands the student member’s voting to cover land, property, donations, condemnation, school consolidation/transportation, and budget matters on the board.

Approved by the Governor - Chapter 578
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Bill Summary · HB 1171

Summary of HB 1171 (Howard County) – Student Member Voting on the Howard County Board of Education

Jurisdiction: Maryland | Session: 2026 | Bill: HB 1171 | Title: Howard County Board of Education – Student Member – Voting

Purpose and Intent

  • Expands the voting authority of the Howard County Public School System’s student member on the Howard County Board of Education.
  • The bill adds several additional subjects to the list of matters on which the student member may vote, aligning more closely with the full voting rights of elected board members for many operational and policy areas.

Key Provisions and Changes

  • Repeals and reenacts, with amendments, the provisions governing the student member’s voting rights.
  • Current law (as amended) states that the student member may vote on all matters except a defined set of topics. HB 1171 broadens the set of topics on which the student member is allowed to vote.
  • Specifically, the bill authorizes the student member to vote on: 1) Geographical attendance areas 2) Acquisition and disposition of real property and matters relating to school construction 3) Donations 4) Condemnation 5) Consolidation of schools and transportation of students 6) Budgetary matters 7) Student suspension and expulsion
  • The bill retains the following exclusions (i.e., topics on which the student member cannot vote):
    • Appointment and salary of the county superintendent
    • Employee discipline and certain appeals
    • Collective bargaining (for certificated and noncertificated staff)
    • Budgetary matters (as a distinct category already listed among the broadened approvals)
    • Other personnel matters and related constitutional/board governance areas
  • The student member’s voting remains subject to: a majority of the voting members must approve a motion when the student member is voting; five affirmative votes are needed to pass with the student member voting, and four votes if the student member is not authorized to vote (existing procedural framework).

Who or What Is Affected

  • The Howard County Board of Education and its student member.
  • Howard County public school students who elect the student member (11th or 12th grade resident student elected by students in grades 6–11).
  • No direct state fiscal impact is anticipated; the fiscal note indicates no change in statewide or local revenues or expenditures beyond procedural changes.

Procedural and Timeline Highlights

  • Introduced: February 11, 2026.
  • Committee: Ways and Means; received a favorable report.
  • House Action: Favorable adoption; second reading passed.
  • Third Reading: Passed on April 13, 2026; Legislative action completed.
  • Effective date: July 1, 2026.
  • The bill is designated as a local bill affecting only Howard County’s Board of Education structure and voting rights.

Fiscal Impact

  • State Effect: None.
  • Local Effect: None. The change is procedural and does not directly affect Howard County school finances.
  • Small Business Effect: None.

Practical Implications

  • The student member will have a broader role in shaping policies related to land use, facilities, real property decisions, fundraising (donations), emergency/condemnation decisions, school consolidation and transportation planning, and budget-related matters.
  • The expansion of voting rights enhances student representation in more substantive governance decisions, subject to current governance safeguards and voting thresholds.
  • Remains consistent with practices in some other Maryland counties where student members have voting rights on a subset of the board’s matters.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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