Prince George’s County Teen Pregnancy Support Program and Fee in Child Support Cases – Established PG 504–26
HB0574 would create a Prince George’s County Teen Pregnancy Support Program within the county school system to assist public high school students who are expecting a child or already parenting. The program would provide cash vouchers for child care expenses, parenting education, and other resources for first-time parents. The Prince George’s County Board of Education would be responsible for setting procedures for delivering these supports.
To finance the program, the bill would require the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County to collect a $100 fee in child support cases involving applications for a child support decree or modification, or proceedings to recover arrearages or enforce a child support order. The collected revenue would be remitted quarterly to the county board of education and dedicated to the teen pregnancy support program. The bill would take effect July 1, 2026.
The bill would add new provisions to both the Education Article and the Family Law Article of the Maryland Code, but only as applied in Prince George’s County. It would create a new county-specific education program and impose a new court fee in certain child support matters, with the fee revenue earmarked for school-based support services. The measure would affect the Prince George’s County Board of Education, public high school students who are young parents or expecting parents, and litigants in child support cases in Prince George’s County.
The available record shows no committee transcript or vote data, and the bill was ultimately withdrawn by the sponsor in the House. Based on the bill text, the proposal appears aimed at supporting teen parents and their children through education and child care assistance, suggesting a policy focus on student retention and family support. Because there is no recorded debate in the provided materials, there is no clear evidence of broader support or opposition beyond the sponsor’s withdrawal.
The main potential point of contention is the funding mechanism: the bill would impose a new $100 fee on parties in child support proceedings in Prince George’s County and dedicate that revenue to a school-based teen pregnancy support program. Supporters would likely view this as a targeted way to fund services for vulnerable students, while opponents could object to using child support-related cases to finance an unrelated county education program or to the added cost on litigants. Another possible issue is the county-specific nature of the program and fee, which creates a localized policy and fiscal structure rather than a statewide approach.