The Student Mental Health Line Awareness Act.

2025-2026 Session Introduced by Eric Ager and 29 co-sponsors

Increases foreclosure filing fee to $450, directing new revenue to the Housing Counseling and Foreclosure Mediation Fund to support homeowners and mediation.

Passed 1st Reading

Summary — HB 796 (as reflected in the provided documents)

Note on document mismatch
- The bill header you provided (title: “Teacher and administrator license; deny or revoke for those who physically abuse a student”) does not match the legislative text and fiscal documents included. The documents supplied concern a Maryland real‑property measure that increases the filing fee for residential mortgage foreclosures. This summary focuses on the actual bill content in the documents (Maryland: Real Property – Filing Fee for Residential Mortgage Foreclosure – Increase).

Purpose and intent

Increase the mandatory filing fee that must accompany an order to docket (OTD) or complaint to foreclose a mortgage or deed of trust on residential property.

Direct additional revenue to the Housing Counseling and Foreclosure Mediation Fund to support counseling, legal aid for homeowners, and foreclosure mediation.

Key provisions

Amends Maryland Code, Real Property §7‑105.1(e) to raise the foreclosure filing fee from $300 to $450 (the fiscal note and enacted language indicate $450 as the effective amount).

Requires all OTDs or complaints to include this increased fee in addition to other required filings and supporting documents (mortgage copy, affidavits, notice of intent to foreclose, loss mitigation affidavit, etc.).

Continues distribution of fee revenue to the Housing Counseling and Foreclosure Mediation Fund, which may be used to:

Support nonprofit and government housing counselors and legal assistance for homeowners,
Support DHCD and Department of Labor efforts to assist homeowners in financial difficulty,
Help fund foreclosure mediation provided by the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH).

Fiscal impact and timeline

Effective date: October 1, 2025.

Estimated revenue: Special fund (DHCD) revenues increase by approximately $525,600 in FY2026 (partial year) and about $700,800 annually thereafter (based on ~4,672 foreclosure filings in FY2024).

General fund: minimal increase from interest earnings on the special fund (due to statutory transfer of certain special‑fund interest to the general fund).

No direct increase in State expenditures; additional funds available for the fund’s authorized activities.

Local government finances: not materially affected.

Small business impact: small lenders/third‑party purchasers pay higher filing fees (described as meaningful).

Who is affected

Secured parties/mortgage lenders and their counsel (must pay the higher filing fee).

Homeowners facing foreclosure — indirectly affected via potential changes in foreclosure mediation and counseling resources funded by the fee.

Department of Housing and Community Development (administers the fund) and Office of Administrative Hearings (foreclosure mediation funding).

Small-business lenders and third‑party purchasers of delinquent tax certificates will see higher filing costs.

Status and related legislation

The packet includes committee activity and an enrolled/chaptered version (Chapter 581) showing gubernatorial action dated May 13, 2025; fiscal materials and earlier drafts are included. A companion bill listed is SB 566.

If you intended a summary of the teacher/administrator licensing bill (deny/revoke for physical abuse of a student), please provide the matching bill text or documents and I will prepare a summary for that measure.