Montgomery County Board of Elections - Membership MC 6-26
HB1083 requires the Maryland Department of Health to convene a workgroup and, through the Behavioral Health Advisory Council and the Commission on Behavioral Health Care Treatment and Access, develop recommendations for implementing federal Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) requirements for children. The bill focuses on improving how Maryland identifies and responds to children’s behavioral health needs, including screening and assessment, the use of the DC:0–5 diagnostic classification for children under age 5, community-based services, and services for children with early symptoms, urgent needs, or crisis needs.
The workgroup is directed to include a broad range of stakeholders, such as behavioral health professionals, childhood mental health specialists, clinicians, children with behavioral health issues, advocates, parents and caregivers, and other interested parties. The Department of Health must submit a report with findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by January 1, 2026. The act takes effect July 1, 2025, and is temporary, expiring June 30, 2026 unless further legislative action is taken.
The bill does not directly rewrite Maryland’s substantive behavioral health statutes, but it does create a temporary planning and reporting requirement for the Maryland Department of Health and related advisory bodies. Its practical effect is to push state agencies to evaluate how Maryland can better align children’s behavioral health services with federal EPSDT obligations and to identify policy, clinical, and service-delivery changes that may be needed. The bill may affect children, families, providers, advocates, and state agencies involved in Medicaid and behavioral health service planning.
The available voting history suggests strong bipartisan support and little visible opposition: the bill passed the House 138-0 and the Senate 46-0, and the Senate later passed it again with amendments by a 42-0 vote. No committee transcript material is provided, but the unanimous votes indicate broad agreement with the bill’s goal of improving children’s behavioral health screening and access to services through a study-and-recommendations process rather than immediate regulatory change.
No major points of contention are evident in the provided record. The bill’s approach is largely procedural and consultative, which likely reduced opposition. The only potentially debatable policy issues are the feasibility of implementing DC:0–5 for children under age 5, the scope of community-based services that should be recommended, and how broadly the workgroup should define behavioral health needs and crisis response for children. Because the bill only requires recommendations and a report, any disagreement appears to have been resolved, as reflected in the unanimous votes.