HB445 expands Maryland’s computer-crime statute to specifically cover conduct aimed at public safety answering points (PSAPs), such as 911 call centers. The bill makes it unlawful to commit prohibited computer-related acts with the intent to interrupt or impair a PSAP, and it also separately prohibits conduct that actually interrupts or impairs a PSAP’s functioning. In addition to the new PSAP provisions, the bill retains existing prohibitions on unauthorized access, copying, possession, distribution of access codes, and ransomware-related conduct, while preserving the existing exceptions for bona fide scientific, educational, governmental, testing, news, or similar justified possession of ransomware.
The bill also establishes new criminal penalties for interference with a PSAP. A person who violates the new intent-based offense is guilty of a felony punishable by up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to $25,000, or both. A person who actually interrupts or impairs a PSAP is subject to a more serious felony penalty of up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to $50,000, or both. The act takes effect October 1, 2025, and amends Maryland Criminal Law § 7-302.
The bill’s practical impact is to give law enforcement and prosecutors a clearer, more specific tool to address cyber or unauthorized-access conduct that targets emergency communications infrastructure. It extends the state’s computer-crime framework to cover 911/public safety answering points alongside existing protected systems such as state government, utilities, health care facilities, and public schools. The measure is aimed at protecting emergency response operations and reducing the risk that malicious interference could delay or disrupt emergency calls.
The available voting history suggests broad bipartisan support and little opposition. The bill passed the House and Senate with overwhelming margins, including one unanimous vote and another vote with only a small number of nays. No committee transcript was provided, so there is no recorded floor or committee debate to indicate substantial controversy. Based on the vote totals, the bill appears to have been viewed as a public-safety and cybersecurity measure with broad consensus rather than a contested policy change.
HB445 amends Maryland Criminal Law § 7-302 to add public safety answering points to the list of protected targets for computer-related interference offenses and creates new felony penalties for both attempted and completed interference. It strengthens the state’s criminal penalties for cyber-related conduct affecting emergency communications systems and expands the scope of protected critical infrastructure under the computer crime statute.
The bill appears to have been received very favorably and with broad bipartisan agreement. The recorded votes were overwhelmingly in favor, including one unanimous third-reading passage and another with only limited opposition. No committee discussion was provided, but the voting pattern indicates the measure was generally supported as a public safety and cybersecurity protection.
No major points of contention are evident in the provided record. The only visible opposition comes from a small number of negative votes on one chamber’s third reading, but the bill otherwise passed by large margins. Because there are no committee transcripts, it is not possible to identify specific objections; however, any concerns likely would have centered on the breadth of the new criminal penalties or the scope of conduct covered under the computer-crime statute.