---
type: "Bill"
title: "Agriculture - Invasive Plant Species - Regulation (Biodiversity and Agriculture Protection Act)"
description: "Agriculture - Invasive Plant Species - Regulation (Biodiversity and Agriculture Protection Act)"
jurisdiction: "us/states/md"
legislature: "Maryland General Assembly"
session: "2024"
identifier: "HB 979"
citation: "Maryland HB 979 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Foley", "Guyton", "Ruth", "Stein"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 14
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2024-02-05"
last_action: "2024-05-09"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/984ff2c2-1d83-4ecb-bb32-ed86c62253c0"
source_url: "http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0979?ys=2024RS&search=True"
source_hash: "3fb0303ebe73edab31701ffad4a566682e586c672abe3b932e53fff6b261177f"
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 979 (2024) — Agriculture - Invasive Plant Species - Regulation (Biodiversity and Agriculture Protection Act)

## Version chain

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

1. **Chapter - Agriculture - Invasive Plant Species - Regulation (Biodiversity and Agriculture Protection Act)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/Chapters_noln/CH_590_hb0979t.pdf)
2. **First - Agriculture - Invasive Plant Species - Regulation (Biodiversity and Agriculture Protection Act)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/bills/hb/hb0979f.pdf)
3. **Third - Agriculture - Invasive Plant Species - Regulation (Biodiversity and Agriculture Protection Act)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/bills/hb/hb0979t.pdf)

## Votes

- On Third Reading — **45–0** (pass) · upper
- On Third Reading — **105–30** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Foley — primary (person)
- Guyton — primary (person)
- Ruth — primary (person)
- Stein — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-02-05** First Reading Environment and Transportation `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-07** Hearing 2/28 at 1:00 p.m.
- **2024-03-13** Favorable with Amendments Report by Environment and Transportation `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-03-13** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-03-13** Motion Special Order until 3/14 (Delegate Ghrist) Adopted
- **2024-03-14** Second Reading Passed with Amendments
- **2024-03-15** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2024-03-18** Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment `referral-committee`
- **2024-03-28** Favorable Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-03-28** Favorable Adopted `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-03-28** Second Reading Passed
- **2024-03-29** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2024-04-01** Returned Passed
- **2024-05-09** Approved by the Governor - Chapter 590 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/984ff2c2-1d83-4ecb-bb32-ed86c62253c0`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Maryland legislature records).