---
type: "Bill"
title: "Task Force to Study the Maryland Orphans' Courts"
description: "Task Force to Study the Maryland Orphans' Courts"
jurisdiction: "us/states/md"
legislature: "Maryland General Assembly"
session: "2021"
identifier: "HB 681"
citation: "Maryland HB 681 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Buckel"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 16
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2021-01-26"
last_action: "2021-05-30"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/cb80a759-43de-4702-984e-cce2e729d2fd"
source_url: "http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0681?ys=2021RS&search=True"
source_hash: "5ad7beb1fa4d48539e1608b4c0299dfe8698275577348d973be0c0ffafc8deed"
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 681 (2021) — Task Force to Study the Maryland Orphans' Courts

## Version chain

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

1. **Chapter - Task Force to Study the Maryland Orphans' Courts** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2021RS/Chapters_noln/CH_525_hb0681t.pdf)
2. **First - Task Force to Study the Maryland Orphans' Courts** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2021RS/bills/hb/hb0681f.pdf)
3. **Third - Task Force to Study the Maryland Orphans' Courts** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2021RS/bills/hb/hb0681t.pdf)

## Votes

- On Third Reading — **46–0** (pass) · upper
- On Third Reading — **120–14** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Buckel — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-01-26** First Reading Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-26** Hearing 2/10 at 1:30 p.m.
- **2021-03-20** Favorable with Amendments Report by Judiciary `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-03-20** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-03-20** Second Reading Passed with Amendments
- **2021-03-22** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2021-03-22** Referred Judicial Proceedings `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-23** Hearing 3/31 at 1:00 p.m.
- **2021-03-31** Hearing canceled
- **2021-03-31** Hearing 3/31 at 1:45 p.m.
- **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
- **2021-05-30** Enacted under Article II, Section 17(c) of the Maryland Constitution - Chapter 525 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/cb80a759-43de-4702-984e-cce2e729d2fd`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Maryland legislature records).