---
type: "Bill"
title: "Family Law - Grounds for Divorce"
description: "Family Law - Grounds for Divorce"
jurisdiction: "us/states/md"
legislature: "Maryland General Assembly"
session: "2023"
identifier: "SB 36"
citation: "Maryland SB 36 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["West"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 17
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2022-11-01"
last_action: "2023-05-16"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/3ffb0ee9-6fdb-4946-8c54-1bf49540a379"
source_url: "http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/sb0036?ys=2023RS&search=True"
source_hash: "89c405d6ad05d98123b83d4fef83d8c76da39b71a2dd5e27c7078cf1d7d6b367"
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 36 (2023) — Family Law - Grounds for Divorce

## Version chain

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

1. **Chapter - Family Law - Grounds for Divorce** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2023RS/Chapters_noln/CH_645_sb0036t.pdf)
2. **First - Family Law - Grounds for Divorce** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2023RS/bills/sb/sb0036f.pdf)
3. **Third - Family Law - Grounds for Divorce** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2023RS/bills/sb/sb0036t.pdf)

## Sponsors

- West — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2022-11-01** Pre-filed `introduction`
- **2023-01-11** First Reading Judicial Proceedings `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-16** Hearing 1/31 at 1:00 p.m.
- **2023-03-17** Favorable Report by Judicial Proceedings `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-17** Favorable `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-17** Motion Special Order until Next Session (Senator Ready) Adopted
- **2023-03-17** Favorable Adopted `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-17** Floor Amendment {
- **2023-03-17** Second Reading Passed with Amendments
- **2023-03-20** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2023-03-20** Referred Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-22** Hearing 4/05 at 1:00 p.m.
- **2023-04-07** Favorable Report by Judiciary `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-04-08** Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-04-10** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2023-04-10** Returned Passed
- **2023-05-16** Approved by the Governor - Chapter 645 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/3ffb0ee9-6fdb-4946-8c54-1bf49540a379`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Maryland legislature records).