Criminal Law - Interference With Critical Infrastructure or a Public Safety Answering Point
HB0593 requires operators of certain public libraries in Maryland to place an automated external defibrillator (AED) in a prominent, accessible location beginning January 1, 2026. Covered libraries include the State Library Resource Center, regional resource centers, county library systems, the Enoch Pratt Free Library, the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled, the Maryland Deaf Culture Digital Library, and certain metropolitan cooperative service programs, while excluding school library media programs, mobile library units, and correctional facility libraries. Libraries must keep the AED functional and ensure that a trained individual is present whenever the library is open to the public.
The bill also ties libraries into Maryland’s Public Access Automated External Defibrillator Program by requiring compliance with existing AED program rules and registration with the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems. Registration is intended to make library locations available to emergency dispatchers and to ensure libraries receive maintenance and recall notices. In addition, the bill directs the Maryland Department of Health and MIEMSS to adopt regulations on inspections, annual maintenance, and assistance to libraries implementing the program.
HB0593 provides liability protections for libraries and individuals in connection with AED use. A library that meets the statutory requirements is shielded from civil liability for acts or omissions related to providing defibrillation, and individuals are protected when they act in good faith, in a reasonably prudent manner, and without compensation while rendering AED assistance to a suspected sudden cardiac arrest victim. The bill also states that libraries and individuals are not liable for failing to render AED assistance.
The bill’s broader legal effect is to amend the Education Article by adding a new section specifically governing AED requirements for libraries and by excluding certain libraries from the definition of “facility” under the existing Public Access Automated External Defibrillator Program. It also requires MIEMSS to report by December 1, 2026, on which libraries registered AEDs and how many adverse cardiac events occurred in those libraries. The act takes effect October 1, 2025.
Overall, the bill appears to have been treated as a public-safety and emergency-preparedness measure, with the available record showing no recorded committee transcript debate or vote details. The absence of recorded opposition suggests the measure was not especially controversial in the available materials, though the requirements to purchase, maintain, register, and staff AEDs could raise implementation and cost concerns for library operators. The main policy tradeoff is between improved emergency response capability in libraries and the operational burden of compliance.
HB0593 adds a new Education Article provision, § 23–102.2, imposing AED placement, maintenance, staffing, registration, and reporting requirements on specified Maryland libraries. It also amends § 13–517 to exclude libraries subject to the new section from the existing definition of “facility” under the Public Access Automated External Defibrillator Program, while preserving and extending related regulatory and immunity provisions. The bill affects library systems, MIEMSS, the Maryland Department of Health, emergency dispatch coordination, and library patrons and employees.
The available record suggests generally favorable sentiment, or at least no documented opposition in the provided materials. The bill is framed as a life-saving public health and emergency response measure, with liability protections and implementation regulations designed to support compliance. Because there are no committee transcripts or vote tallies included, there is no evidence here of significant floor debate or partisan division.
The main potential points of contention are practical rather than ideological: whether libraries can afford the AED equipment, training, maintenance, and staffing obligations; whether smaller or specialized library branches can reliably keep a trained individual present during all open hours; and how the registration and inspection requirements will be administered. Another possible issue is the scope of the mandate, since it applies to a defined set of public library entities but excludes school, mobile, and correctional facility libraries. The bill’s liability protections reduce legal risk, but they may not fully address concerns about compliance costs or operational feasibility for library operators.