---
type: "Bill"
title: "Criminal Procedure - Evidence - Protecting Artists' Creative Expression (PACE Act)"
description: "Criminal Procedure - Evidence - Protecting Artists' Creative Expression (PACE Act)"
jurisdiction: "us/states/md"
legislature: "Maryland General Assembly"
session: "2026"
identifier: "SB 475"
citation: "Maryland SB 475 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Charles", "Mautz", "Sydnor", "West"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 17
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2026-02-02"
last_action: "2026-05-12"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/7b79c60c-d3c4-43fa-bf38-dd6508e8aefe"
source_url: "http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/sb0475?ys=2026RS"
source_hash: "2f4f2564414b44a827991e80b39f24fa3dc6015da25e95532f8f80fac0e125fe"
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 475 (2026) — Criminal Procedure - Evidence - Protecting Artists' Creative Expression (PACE Act)

## Version chain

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

1. **Chapter - Criminal Procedure - Evidence - Protecting Artists' Creative Expression (PACE Act)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/Chapters_noln/CH_517_sb0475e.pdf)
2. **Enrolled - Criminal Procedure - Evidence - Protecting Artists' Creative Expression (PACE Act)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0475e.pdf)
3. **First - Criminal Procedure - Evidence - Protecting Artists' Creative Expression (PACE Act)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0475f.pdf)
4. **Third - Criminal Procedure - Evidence - Protecting Artists' Creative Expression (PACE Act)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/sb/sb0475t.pdf)

## Votes

- On Third Reading — **33–10** (pass) · upper
- Bill is on Third Reading for Final Passage. — **32–10** (pass) · upper
- On Third Reading (Amend) — **99–35** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Charles — primary (person)
- Mautz — primary (person)
- Sydnor — primary (person)
- West — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2026-02-02** First Reading Judicial Proceedings `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-04** Hearing 2/11 at 1:00 p.m.
- **2026-02-09** Hearing canceled
- **2026-02-09** Hearing 2/11 at 2:00 p.m.
- **2026-03-23** Favorable Report by Judicial Proceedings `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2026-03-23** Favorable Adopted `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2026-03-23** Second Reading Passed
- **2026-03-23** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2026-03-24** Referred Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2026-04-06** Favorable with Amendments Report by Judiciary `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2026-04-06** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2026-04-06** Second Reading Passed with Amendments
- **2026-04-08** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2026-04-09** Senate Concurs House Amendments
- **2026-04-09** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2026-04-09** Passed Enrolled
- **2026-05-12** Approved by the Governor - Chapter 517 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/7b79c60c-d3c4-43fa-bf38-dd6508e8aefe`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Maryland legislature records).