4-Year Institutions of Higher Education - Mandatory Disclosures for New and Prospective Students (Informed Enrollment Act)
House Bill 538 reassigns responsibility for administering Maryland’s federal Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). Under the bill, the Department of Human Services’ Family Investment Administration becomes the central coordinating and directing agency for the program when it is operated with funds and resources from the U.S. Department of Agriculture under 7 C.F.R. 247. The bill also removes the existing statutory requirement that the Secretary of Aging administer the program.
The measure amends two sections of the Human Services Article to reflect this change in program oversight. It preserves the state’s participation in the federal CSFP, but shifts the administrative lead from the Department of Aging to the Department of Human Services, aligning the program with other public assistance functions already overseen by the Family Investment Administration. The act takes effect October 1, 2025.
The bill changes Maryland law by amending the Human Services Article to designate the Family Investment Administration as the lead agency for the federal Commodity Supplemental Food Program and by repealing the Secretary of Aging’s statutory administration role for that program. It affects state agency responsibilities rather than eligibility rules or benefit levels, and it applies to CSFP operations funded through USDA resources under federal regulation 7 C.F.R. 247.
The available record suggests little to no controversy around the bill. No committee transcript or recorded vote information was provided, and the enacted text indicates a straightforward administrative reorganization. The bill appears to have been treated as a technical or housekeeping measure to consolidate program oversight within the Department of Human Services.
The main policy issue is administrative placement: whether the Commodity Supplemental Food Program should remain with the Secretary of Aging or be moved under the Family Investment Administration in the Department of Human Services. The bill resolves that question in favor of Human Services, likely reflecting a preference for centralizing public assistance programs. No opposing arguments, amendments, or recorded objections are available in the provided materials.