---
type: "Bill"
title: "Alcoholic Beverages - Definition of Beer - Hard Cider"
description: "Alcoholic Beverages - Definition of Beer - Hard Cider"
jurisdiction: "us/states/md"
legislature: "Maryland General Assembly"
session: "2017"
identifier: "SB 281"
citation: "Maryland SB 281 (2017)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Alcoholic Beverages - Statewide Bills", "Alcoholic Beverages", "Weights and Measures"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Ready"]
version_count: 1
action_count: 14
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2017-01-20"
last_action: "2017-04-18"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d288fbd5-a7a4-4a7f-ab01-35b42dc1e418"
source_url: "http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frmMain.aspx?id=SB281&stab=01&pid=billpage&tab=subject3&ys=2017rs"
source_hash: "689d7c954c46e6cb2b6307866395e4f58e2e19ef5f85ad3d6ae1af5d4d3e6ea8"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-md"]
---

# Maryland SB 281 (2017) — Alcoholic Beverages - Definition of Beer - Hard Cider

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Bill Text** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2017RS/bills/sb/sb0281f.pdf)

## Votes

- Third Reading — **47–0** (pass) · legislature
- Third Reading — **140–0** (pass) · legislature

## Sponsors

- Ready — primary (person)
- Bates — cosponsor (person)
- Cassilly — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2017-01-20** First Reading Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs `referral-committee`
- **2017-02-01** Hearing 2/24 at 1:00 p.m.
- **2017-03-06** Favorable Report by Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2017-03-07** Favorable Report Adopted `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2017-03-07** Second Reading Passed
- **2017-03-09** Third Reading Passed (47-0) `passage`
- **2017-03-10** First Reading Economic Matters `referral-committee`
- **2017-03-15** Hearing 3/23 at 1:00 p.m.
- **2017-04-05** Favorable Report by Economic Matters `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2017-04-05** Favorable Report Adopted `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2017-04-05** Second Reading Passed
- **2017-04-06** Third Reading Passed (140-0) `passage`
- **2017-04-07** Returned Passed
- **2017-04-18** Approved by the Governor - Chapter 316 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/d288fbd5-a7a4-4a7f-ab01-35b42dc1e418`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Maryland legislature records).