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SB 648

Requiring courts to interpret statutes and regulations

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Laura Chapman

The bill lets the Maryland Parole Commission grant medical parole to life-sentence inmates without gubernatorial review, finalizing decisions at the Commission level.

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Bill Summary · SB 648

SB 648 — Correctional Services: Medical Parole for Individuals Serving Life Sentences

Status: Introduced (Judicial Proceedings) — Drafted effective date: October 1, 2025
Primary sponsors/authors (Maryland): Senators Muse and Charles (companion: HB 311)

Purpose and intent

SB 648 removes the gubernatorial review step currently required when the Maryland Parole Commission (MPC) decides to grant medical parole to an incarcerated person serving a term of life imprisonment. The bill is intended to make medical-parole decisions for eligible incarcerated people serving parole‑eligible life terms final at the Commission level, eliminating the separate 180‑day period during which the Governor may disapprove MPC’s medical‑parole decision.

Key provisions

  • Amends Article — Correctional Services, § 7‑309 (medical parole).
  • Deletes the requirement that the MPC transmit a decision to grant medical parole for a person serving a life sentence to the Governor for possible disapproval.
  • Eliminates the Governor’s authority to disapprove such medical‑parole decisions within 180 days and the associated “becomes effective unless disapproved” mechanism.
  • Leaves intact the Commission’s procedures and standards for medical parole, including:
    • Who may file a medical‑parole request (the incarcerated person, attorney, prison official, medical professional, family member, or any other person).
    • Required information for consideration (medical recommendations, medical and prognosis information, Karnofsky Performance Scale or similar measure, mental‑health evaluation if relevant, discharge/housing plans, family/community supports, case management and criminal history).
    • Conditions of release (placement in hospital/hospice or suitable housing; requirement to provide ongoing medical records).
    • Revocation process if the parolee’s incapacitation no longer exists.
    • Applicability of victim notification and opportunity to be heard (with possible time‑limit reductions in imminent‑death cases).
  • Implements the change as legislative text showing the amendment of § 7‑309; the draft specifies an effective date of October 1, 2025.

Who is affected

  • Directly affected: incarcerated individuals serving parole‑eligible life sentences who are considered for medical parole; these individuals could have their medical‑parole grant take effect without gubernatorial review.
  • Institutions/agencies: Maryland Parole Commission (gains final decision authority for these cases); Office of the Governor (loses the narrow disapproval role for medical parole of life‑sentenced persons); Department of Public Safety & Correctional Services (continued role in medical assessments and custody).
  • Indirectly affected: victims (notifications and hearings continue to apply), medical providers and community/hospice placements (case management, discharge planning).

Procedural / timeline aspects

  • The bill removes the 180‑day gubernatorial review period for MPC medical‑parole decisions in life‑sentence cases. As drafted, the change would take effect October 1, 2025.
  • The Commission still must follow its established medical‑parole procedures and may impose release conditions; revocation rules remain.

Fiscal and policy considerations

  • Fiscal note: The bill is not anticipated to materially affect State finances. Medicaid reimbursement rules for post‑release inpatient care remain governed by existing Medicaid requirements (e.g., institutional eligibility).
  • Policy implications: The change centralizes and streamlines decision‑making at the MPC, potentially shortening time to release for qualifying medical‑parole candidates but also reducing an executive check (Governor’s disapproval authority) that previously applied in these narrow cases. Victim‑notification provisions and oversight functions at the Commission level remain.

Related legislation / history

  • Companion: HB 311.
  • The bill amends longstanding medical‑parole provisions (originally established 2008 and modified by later chapters). Similar proposals have been considered in prior sessions.

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

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