---
type: "Bill"
title: "Courts of Appeals and Special Appeals – Renaming"
description: "Courts of Appeals and Special Appeals – Renaming"
jurisdiction: "us/states/md"
legislature: "Maryland General Assembly"
session: "2021"
identifier: "HB 885"
citation: "Maryland HB 885 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["A"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["R. Watson"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 14
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2021-01-29"
last_action: "2021-04-13"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/c452a50a-9bf9-4265-b092-4ce5e396d9cb"
source_url: "http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0885?ys=2021RS&search=True"
source_hash: "cf5437742481353b52840ee52125355592e14103e559c4d7b18aaac9f6e3a39a"
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 885 (2021) — Courts of Appeals and Special Appeals – Renaming

## Version chain

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

1. **Chapter - Courts of Appeals and Special Appeals – Renaming** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2021RS/Chapters_noln/CH_83_hb0885t.pdf)
2. **First - Courts of Appeals and Special Appeals – Renaming** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2021RS/bills/hb/hb0885f.pdf)
3. **Third - Courts of Appeals and Special Appeals – Renaming** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2021RS/bills/hb/hb0885t.pdf)

## Votes

- On Third Reading (Const) — **40–7** (pass) · upper
- On Third Reading (Const) — **125–10** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- R. Watson — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-01-29** First Reading Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-31** Hearing 2/23 at 1:30 p.m.
- **2021-02-02** Hearing canceled
- **2021-02-02** Hearing 2/24 at 1:30 p.m.
- **2021-03-20** Favorable Report by Judiciary `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-03-20** Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-03-22** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2021-03-22** Referred Judicial Proceedings `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-31** Favorable Report by Judicial Proceedings `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-04-01** Favorable Adopted `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-04-01** Second Reading Passed
- **2021-04-06** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2021-04-06** Returned Passed
- **2021-04-13** Approved by the Governor, assigned a chapter number, enactment subject to constitutional referendum - Chapter 83 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/c452a50a-9bf9-4265-b092-4ce5e396d9cb`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Maryland legislature records).