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HB0209, as enacted as Chapter 166, repeals a duplicative cybersecurity law requirement in the State Finance and Procurement Article. The bill removes Section 3.5-405, which had required county governments, local school systems, and local health departments to create or update a cybersecurity preparedness and response plan and complete a cybersecurity preparedness assessment, in consultation with local emergency management. The measure also renumbers the remaining related sections so the statutory scheme stays organized after the repeal.
The bill is a cleanup and streamlining measure rather than a substantive policy expansion. It leaves Maryland’s broader local cybersecurity preparedness framework in place, but eliminates one overlapping provision to reduce duplication in the code. The act takes effect July 1, 2025, and applies to the affected local government entities and the Department responsible for the regulations under the article.
HB0209 changes Maryland’s State Finance and Procurement law by repealing a specific local cybersecurity preparedness and assessment requirement and renumbering adjacent sections. Its practical effect is to remove one statutory obligation from county governments, local school systems, and local health departments, while preserving the rest of the local cybersecurity response framework. The bill primarily affects local public entities and the state department that administers the related regulations, and it functions as a technical code revision rather than a major policy shift.
The available record suggests little to no controversy around the bill. There are no committee transcripts or recorded votes in the provided materials, and the bill was ultimately enacted and approved by the Governor. The language of the act indicates a consensus-oriented cleanup measure aimed at removing a duplicative provision, which typically draws limited opposition.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Because the bill was described as repealing a duplicative provision, any disagreement would likely have centered on whether the cybersecurity plan and assessment requirement was still needed or whether it imposed unnecessary administrative burden on local governments, school systems, and health departments. However, the absence of transcripts, votes, or recorded debate means no particular stakeholder objections can be identified from the record.