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HB1114 renames Maryland’s existing Walter Sondheim Jr. Public Service Internship Scholarship Program as the Public Service Internship Scholarship Program and updates the statute governing how the program operates. The bill clarifies that the program includes several named public service internship fellowships, including the Governor’s Summer Internship Program, the Maryland Department of Transportation Fellows Program, the Sondheim Maryland Nonprofit Leadership Internship Program, and the Sondheim Public Service Law Fellows Program.
The bill also expands the priority criteria for student participation. In addition to Maryland residency, demonstrated interest in public service, and work in legal, social work, or nursing shortage areas, priority would extend to students serving in transportation or other state or local government fields, as well as other public or nonprofit sectors facing shortages of qualified practitioners for low-income or underserved communities. The measure keeps the scholarship awards tied to available budgeted funds, with awards ranging from $2,000 to $5,000, and preserves the Shriver Center at UMBC as the program administrator and clearinghouse for participating employers.
HB1114 would amend the Education Article provisions governing the Public Service Internship Scholarship Program by removing the Walter Sondheim Jr. naming reference, broadening eligible priority fields, and making the program’s funding more directive. Beginning in fiscal year 2027, the Governor would be required to include an appropriation in the annual budget bill sufficient to double the number of internships funded in the 2024-2025 school year, with minimum enrollment targets for the Governor’s Summer Internship Program, the nonprofit leadership program, the public service law fellows program, and the Maryland Department of Transportation Fellows Program. The bill therefore increases the State’s statutory commitment to funding public service internships and could expand opportunities for college and graduate students in public, nonprofit, transportation, and legal service careers.
The bill appears generally supportive and expansionary in tone, reflecting a policy emphasis on public service, workforce development, and state-supported internship pipelines. The preamble explicitly frames the measure as part of Governor Moore’s broader public service agenda and as a way to build a new generation of public servants. No vote totals or committee testimony were provided, so there is no recorded opposition or amendment debate in the supplied materials.
The main potential point of contention is fiscal: the bill moves from permissive annual budget support to a mandatory appropriation beginning in fiscal 2027, and it sets specific minimum internship counts that would require sustained funding. Another possible issue is program scope and administration, since the bill expands priority to additional fields such as transportation and other government roles, which may raise questions about how broadly the scholarship should be targeted. No explicit objections or supporters were included in the provided transcripts or voting history.