---
type: "Bill"
title: "Landlord and Tenant – Residential Tenants – Access to Counsel"
description: "Landlord and Tenant – Residential Tenants – Access to Counsel"
jurisdiction: "us/states/md"
legislature: "Maryland General Assembly"
session: "2021"
identifier: "HB 18"
citation: "Maryland HB 18 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Rosenberg", "Stewart", "W. Fisher", "Wilkins"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 22
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2020-10-30"
last_action: "2021-05-30"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d2dd2c1f-cb60-4592-9bb5-af3644bf3368"
source_url: "http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0018?ys=2021RS&search=True"
source_hash: "00a6ba54e6c35e7b77d5050261254a117314f47cf47c05461ce9f68ffbe7995b"
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 HB 18 (2021) — Landlord and Tenant – Residential Tenants – Access to Counsel

## Version chain

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

1. **Chapter - Landlord and Tenant – Residential Tenants – Access to Counsel** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2021RS/Chapters_noln/CH_746_hb0018e.pdf)
2. **Enrolled - Landlord and Tenant - Residential Tenants - Right to Counsel** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2021RS/bills/hb/hb0018e.pdf)
3. **First - Landlord and Tenant – Eviction Action – Right to Counsel** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2021RS/bills/hb/hb0018f.pdf)
4. **Third - Landlord and Tenant - Residential Tenants - Right to Counsel** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2021RS/bills/hb/hb0018t.pdf)

## Votes

- FLA Del. Morgan /393322/1 — **44–88** (fail) · lower
- FLA Del. Chisholm /403922/1 — **35–88** (fail) · lower
- FLA Del. Buckel /883227/1 — **46–86** (fail) · lower
- On Third Reading (Amend) — **30–15** (pass) · upper
- On Third Reading — **95–42** (pass) · lower
- On Third Reading and Final Passage (Hse concurred) — **94–43** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Rosenberg — primary (person)
- Stewart — primary (person)
- W. Fisher — primary (person)
- Wilkins — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2020-10-30** Pre-filed `introduction`
- **2021-01-13** First Reading Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-26** Hearing 2/17 at 1:30 p.m.
- **2021-03-16** Favorable with Amendments Report by Judiciary `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-03-16** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-03-16** Motion Special Order until Next Session (Delegate Buckel) Adopted
- **2021-03-17** Floor Amendment {
- **2021-03-17** Floor Amendment {
- **2021-03-17** Floor Amendment {
- **2021-03-17** Second Reading Passed with Amendments
- **2021-03-18** Motion Vote Previous Question (Delegate Lierman) Adopted
- **2021-03-18** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2021-03-19** Referred Judicial Proceedings Budget and Taxation `referral-committee`
- **2021-04-09** Favorable with Amendments Report by Judicial Proceedings `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-04-09** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-04-09** Second Reading Passed with Amendments
- **2021-04-10** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2021-04-12** House Concurs Senate Amendments
- **2021-04-12** Motion Vote Previous Question (Delegate Pena-Melnyk) Adopted
- **2021-04-12** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2021-04-12** Passed Enrolled
- **2021-05-30** Enacted under Article II, Section 17(c) of the Maryland Constitution - Chapter 746 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/d2dd2c1f-cb60-4592-9bb5-af3644bf3368`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Maryland legislature records).