Public Institutions of Higher Education - Pregnant and Parenting Students - Plan and Reporting
HB0006 requires the Maryland Higher Education Commission and public institutions of higher education to collect and report student-level data about parental status. The Commission must develop standardized questions asking whether a student is a parent or legal guardian, the age of the child, and the nature of caregiving responsibilities, and institutions must include those questions on demographic forms and provide the data to the Commission. The Commission must then report summarized findings annually beginning September 1, 2027. The bill also amends the definition of student data in the Maryland Longitudinal Data System to include parental status, while specifying that this information is not treated as a medical or health record and that pregnancy status is excluded from student data for that purpose.
The bill also expands existing requirements for pregnant and parenting student support plans. Each public institution of higher education and each community college must adopt a plan consistent with Title IX that includes referrals to assistance programs such as WIC, child care scholarships, Medicaid, CHIP, and other supports; information about adoption services; information on institutional accommodations; and a referral network of health care providers. Institutions must post the plan on their websites by October 1, 2026. The measure applies broadly across public higher education, with an explicit exclusion for the University of Maryland Global Campus from the new data-collection section.
In terms of state law, HB0006 adds a new reporting and data-collection framework to the Education Article and modifies the Maryland Longitudinal Data System statute to permit sharing parental-status data with the system. It also updates the existing pregnant and parenting student law to cover community colleges, not just senior public institutions, and to require more detailed institutional planning and public posting. The practical effect is to create a statewide picture of parenting students in higher education and to formalize support obligations at public campuses.
The overall sentiment reflected in the bill’s enactment is positive and administrative rather than contentious, as the bill was approved by the Governor and became Chapter 735. No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no documented floor or committee debate to indicate opposition. Based on the text, the bill appears aimed at improving student support and data-informed policymaking for pregnant and parenting students.
The main potential points of contention are privacy and data handling, since the bill requires institutions to collect sensitive parental-status information and integrate it into broader student data systems. The legislation addresses some of those concerns by stating the information is not a medical or health record, but it still raises questions about confidentiality, data sharing, and how institutions will implement the new reporting requirements. Another possible issue is administrative burden on institutions, especially community colleges that must now adopt and publish formal support plans.
HB0006 amends the Education Article to require statewide collection and reporting of parental-status data from public institutions of higher education, and it expands the pregnant and parenting student planning requirement to all public higher education institutions and community colleges. It also changes the Maryland Longitudinal Data System law to include parental status as student data, while excluding pregnancy status from that definition and clarifying that the collected information is not a medical or health record. The bill creates new obligations for the Maryland Higher Education Commission, public campuses, and community colleges, and it establishes annual reporting to legislative committees.
The bill’s apparent sentiment is broadly supportive and policy-oriented, focusing on student access, equity, and institutional support rather than controversy. It was enacted into law and there is no available record of committee debate or roll-call opposition in the provided materials. The measure appears to have been treated as a practical effort to identify and assist pregnant and parenting students in higher education.
The most notable issues are likely privacy, confidentiality, and implementation burden. Because the bill requires institutions to ask students about parental status and share that information with the Commission, some stakeholders could be concerned about sensitive data collection and how it will be used, even though the bill says it is not a medical or health record. Institutions may also view the new reporting and planning requirements as an administrative obligation, particularly community colleges that are newly included in the plan requirement. No specific opposition is documented in the provided transcripts or votes.