Bill > SB847

This bill requires Maryland higher education institutions to develop comprehensive policies addressing racial, ethnic, and religious violence, harassment, and intimidation. Institutions must adopt and enforce antihate and antidiscrimination policies that apply to all students, faculty, administrators, and employees, including mandatory training on responding to hate incidents and establishing complaint procedures with anonymous reporting options. The bill mandates that each institution create a time, place, and manner policy for expressive activities, collaborate with law enforcement to provide security for student organizations facing threats, and annually designate a senior administrator to meet with approved student organizations to discuss these policies. Additionally, the bill establishes the Campus Community Grant Program, which will provide $500,000 in funding to support intergroup and interfaith outreach, and creates a temporary Workgroup on Combating Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Other Forms of Racial, Ethnic, and Religious Violence, which will develop model policies, best practices, and recommendations for implementing these new requirements. The institutions must also submit annual reports to the state commission detailing incidents of violence, harassment, or intimidation, disaggregated by demographic groups and incident types. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2025, with the workgroup provisions expiring on June 30, 2026.

Education

https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/SB0847?ys=2025RS