---
type: "Bill"
title: "Standing - Environmental and Natural Resources Protection Proceedings (Clean Water Justice Act of 2024)"
description: "Standing - Environmental and Natural Resources Protection Proceedings (Clean Water Justice Act of 2024)"
jurisdiction: "us/states/md"
legislature: "Maryland General Assembly"
session: "2024"
identifier: "SB 653"
citation: "Maryland SB 653 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Augustine", "Elfreth", "M. Washington", "Smith"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 14
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2024-01-29"
last_action: "2024-05-09"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/cbd5bfe6-ce03-4c26-9d78-fc0b32bae916"
source_url: "http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/sb0653?ys=2024RS&search=True"
source_hash: "5824fcbe37c712f30c83e676848e4e418a683a861d72abf22774b2a2c5e41a05"
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 653 (2024) — Standing - Environmental and Natural Resources Protection Proceedings (Clean Water Justice Act of 2024)

## Version chain

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

1. **Chapter - Standing - Environmental and Natural Resources Protection Proceedings (Clean Water Justice Act of 2024)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/Chapters_noln/CH_536_sb0653t.pdf)
2. **First - Standing - Environmental and Natural Resources Protection Proceedings (Clean Water Justice Act of 2024)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/bills/sb/sb0653f.pdf)
3. **Third - Standing - Environmental and Natural Resources Protection Proceedings (Clean Water Justice Act of 2024)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/bills/sb/sb0653t.pdf)

## Votes

- On Third Reading — **99–36** (pass) · lower
- On Third Reading — **33–12** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Augustine — primary (person)
- Elfreth — primary (person)
- M. Washington — primary (person)
- Smith — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-01-29** First Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-07** Hearing 2/27 at 1:00 p.m.
- **2024-04-02** Favorable with Amendments Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-04-02** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-04-02** Second Reading Passed with Amendments
- **2024-04-03** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2024-04-03** Referred Rules and Executive Nominations `referral-committee`
- **2024-04-05** Rereferred to Environment and Transportation
- **2024-04-05** Favorable Report by Environment and Transportation `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-04-06** Favorable Adopted `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-04-06** Second Reading Passed
- **2024-04-08** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2024-04-08** Returned Passed
- **2024-05-09** Approved by the Governor - Chapter 536 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/cbd5bfe6-ce03-4c26-9d78-fc0b32bae916`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Maryland legislature records).