---
type: "Bill"
title: "COVID-19 Testing, Contact Tracing, and Vaccination Act of 2021"
description: "COVID-19 Testing, Contact Tracing, and Vaccination Act of 2021"
jurisdiction: "us/states/md"
legislature: "Maryland General Assembly"
session: "2021"
identifier: "HB 836"
citation: "Maryland HB 836 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Pena-Melnyk"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 18
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2021-01-29"
last_action: "2021-12-08"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/f38169b7-a641-4231-bc0c-85364448d682"
source_url: "http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0836?ys=2021RS&search=True"
source_hash: "2762552b66e3255dbf38588dc5ed852001dee725bcd72f8ade432fc6fba9cc09"
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 836 (2021) — COVID-19 Testing, Contact Tracing, and Vaccination Act of 2021

## Version chain

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

1. **Chapter - COVID-19 Testing, Contact Tracing, and Vaccination Act of 2021** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2021RS/Chapters_noln/Ch_31_hb0836t.pdf)
2. **First - COVID-19 Testing, Contact Tracing, and Vaccination Act of 2021** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2021RS/bills/hb/hb0836f.pdf)
3. **Third - COVID-19 Testing, Contact Tracing, and Vaccination Act of 2021** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2021RS/bills/hb/hb0836t.pdf)

## Votes

- On Third Reading (Emerg) — **47–0** (pass) · upper
- On Third Reading (Emerg) — **113–25** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Pena-Melnyk — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-01-29** First Reading Health and Government Operations and Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2021-02-04** Hearing 2/23 at 1:30 p.m. (Health and Government Operations)
- **2021-04-09** Favorable with Amendments Report by Health and Government Operations `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-04-10** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-04-10** Second Reading Passed with Amendments
- **2021-04-12** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2021-04-12** Referred Rules `referral-committee`
- **2021-04-12** Rereferred to Finance
- **2021-04-12** Favorable Report by Finance `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
- **2021-05-28** Vetoed by the Governor (Policy) `executive-veto`
- **2021-12-06** Motion Special Order vote on veto until next session (Delegate Luedtke) Adopted
- **2021-12-07** Overridden `veto-override-passage`
- **2021-12-08** Overridden `veto-override-passage`
- **2021-12-08** Became law per Maryland Constitution, Chapter 31 of 2021 Special Session `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/f38169b7-a641-4231-bc0c-85364448d682`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Maryland legislature records).