---
type: "Bill"
title: "Criminal Law - Harm to Service Animals"
description: "Criminal Law - Harm to Service Animals"
jurisdiction: "us/states/md"
legislature: "Maryland General Assembly"
session: "2021"
identifier: "HB 234"
citation: "Maryland HB 234 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Williams"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 16
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2020-10-30"
last_action: "2021-05-18"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/c674bb9c-304d-42ca-849e-8970ecc203ef"
source_url: "http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0234?ys=2021RS&search=True"
source_hash: "1cd92586d68cef05d01dc1f4f1bbdfb481d0ae946df20e98e4c6f54720a2b814"
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 234 (2021) — Criminal Law - Harm to Service Animals

## Version chain

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

1. **Chapter - Criminal Law - Harm to Service Animals** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2021RS/Chapters_noln/CH_178_hb0234t.pdf)
2. **First - Criminal Law - Harm to Service Animals** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2021RS/bills/hb/hb0234f.pdf)
3. **Third - Criminal Law - Harm to Service Animals** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2021RS/bills/hb/hb0234t.pdf)

## Votes

- On Third Reading — **46–0** (pass) · upper
- On Third Reading — **131–2** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Williams — 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`
- **2021-01-15** Hearing 1/28 at 1:30 p.m.
- **2021-03-18** Favorable with Amendments Report by Judiciary `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-03-18** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-03-18** Motion Special Order until Later This Session (Delegate Clippinger) Adopted
- **2021-03-18** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-03-18** Second Reading Passed with Amendments
- **2021-03-19** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2021-03-22** Referred Judicial Proceedings `referral-committee`
- **2021-04-12** Favorable Report by Judicial Proceedings `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-04-12** Favorable Adopted `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-04-12** Second Reading Passed
- **2021-04-12** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2021-04-12** Returned Passed
- **2021-05-18** Approved by the Governor - Chapter 178 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/c674bb9c-304d-42ca-849e-8970ecc203ef`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Maryland legislature records).