---
type: "Bill"
title: "Public Utilities - Gas Service Regulator Safety (Flower Branch Act)"
description: "Public Utilities - Gas Service Regulator Safety (Flower Branch Act)"
jurisdiction: "us/states/md"
legislature: "Maryland General Assembly"
session: "2021"
identifier: "SB 503"
citation: "Maryland SB 503 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Smith"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 12
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2021-01-20"
last_action: "2021-05-18"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/aa138751-884b-46f3-a327-c56b075f0d17"
source_url: "http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/sb0503?ys=2021RS&search=True"
source_hash: "0c4dd1e1e9fe2afb0c7502d53ca231099bc39dd3854f423758a76b9b46795283"
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 SB 503 (2021) — Public Utilities - Gas Service Regulator Safety (Flower Branch Act)

## Version chain

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

1. **Chapter - Public Utilities - Gas Service Regulator Safety (Flower Branch Act)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2021RS/Chapters_noln/CH_264_sb0503t.pdf)
2. **First - Public Utilities - Gas Service Regulator Safety (Flower Branch Act)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2021RS/bills/sb/sb0503f.pdf)
3. **Third - Public Utilities - Gas Service Regulator Safety (Flower Branch Act)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2021RS/bills/sb/sb0503t.pdf)

## Votes

- On Third Reading — **46–0** (pass) · upper
- On Third Reading — **101–33** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Smith — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-01-20** First Reading Finance `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-24** Hearing 2/16 at 1:00 p.m.
- **2021-02-26** Favorable with Amendments Report by Finance `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-02-26** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-02-26** Second Reading Passed with Amendments
- **2021-03-02** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2021-03-03** Referred Economic Matters `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-31** Favorable Report by Economic Matters `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-03-31** Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-04-01** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2021-04-02** Returned Passed
- **2021-05-18** Approved by the Governor - Chapter 264 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/aa138751-884b-46f3-a327-c56b075f0d17`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Maryland legislature records).