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Bill Summary · HB 896

Summary — HB 896 (multiple jurisdiction versions / “Jesse’s Law”)

Note: The documents provided include several distinct bills all numbered HB 896 from different jurisdictions (Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia, Illinois). Below are concise, separate summaries for each substantive version, highlighting purpose, key provisions, who is affected, fiscal/timing details, and enforcement/implementation.

Maryland — Human Relations: Discrimination in Housing — Income‑Based Housing Subsidies

  • Purpose: Prohibits landlords who use financial information (including credit history) from refusing prospective tenants solely because they pay rent with an income‑based housing subsidy, with limited federal‑law exceptions.
  • Key provisions:
    • Defines “income‑based housing subsidy” to include recurring landlord payments from government/nonprofit sources (e.g., HUD vouchers).
    • Prohibits refusal to rent on basis of tenant’s income, credit score, lack of credit score, or adverse credit history when rent will be paid with such a subsidy — except where federal law authorizes otherwise.
    • Allows landlords that receive government/quasi‑government/nonprofit funding requiring income qualification for income‑restricted units to collect financial information when that collection is a funding condition.
    • Classifies violations as discriminatory housing practices enforceable by the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights (MCCR).
  • Fiscal/administrative impact:
    • MCCR estimates general fund costs of ~$128,200 (FY2026) to hire two investigators; ongoing annual increases thereafter. HUD reimbursements not available for these complaints.
  • Effective date: October 1, 2025 (per bill text).

Who is affected: Landlords and prospective tenants using housing subsidies; MCCR for enforcement.

North Carolina — “Jesse’s Law” (child custody / domestic violence training)

Two related drafts appear:

  1. Initial substantive bill
  2. Purpose: Require trauma‑informed, culturally appropriate training for judges, magistrates, court personnel, guardians ad litem, mediators, parent coordinators, and court‑referred professionals engaged in reunification treatment in child custody cases involving domestic violence or child abuse.
  3. Key provisions:
    • Initial training: at least 20 hours; refresher at least 15 hours every 5 years.
    • Core topics: domestic/sexual violence (including child sexual abuse), coercive control, bias, trauma, impacts on children, victim/perpetrator patterns, and evidence‑based research (e.g., Duluth model, ACEs).
    • Training delivered by experienced practitioners/victim‑service providers and grounded in peer‑reviewed research.
  4. Implementation: Administrative Office of the Courts (or appropriate agency) to apply for federal grants (including VAWA funds).

  5. Effective date: October 1, 2025.

  6. Committee substitute (favorable)

  7. Establishes a 13‑member Study Committee to evaluate statewide training standards, content, providers, costs/funding, implementation models, and to report interim (by March 1, 2026) and final (by June 30, 2026) recommendations.

  8. Who is affected: judges, guardians ad litem, mediators, parent coordinators, reunification providers, children and families in custody proceedings.

Georgia (Local Act) — Hall County Excise Tax authorization

  • Purpose: Authorizes Hall County governing authority to levy up to an 8% excise tax on lodging (hotels, motels, campgrounds) pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 48‑13‑51(b).
  • Key provisions:
    • Enactment follows a February 13, 2025 county resolution specifying rate, projects, and allocation.
    • At least 50% of the portion of collections that exceed what would be collected at 5% must be used for tourism promotion by the designated destination marketing organization; remaining excess funds to be used for tourism product development.
  • Who is affected: lodging businesses in Hall County and tourism promotion/development entities.

Illinois — Technical amendment

  • Purpose: Minor/technical change to the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois — corrects short title wording in Section 1‑1.
  • Impact: Administrative/clarifying only.

If you want, I can:
- Produce a single jurisdiction deep dive (e.g., full legislative history and likely next steps for the North Carolina “Jesse’s Law”),
- Draft plain‑language talking points for affected stakeholders (landlords, tenants, court personnel), or
- Extract and format the exact statutory language changes for a chosen jurisdiction.

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

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