---
type: "Bill"
title: "Freedom to Read Act"
description: "Freedom to Read Act"
jurisdiction: "us/states/md"
legislature: "Maryland General Assembly"
session: "2024"
identifier: "HB 785"
citation: "Maryland HB 785 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["A. Jones", "Atterbeary", "D. Jones", "Ebersole", "Fair", "Feldmark", "Grossman", "Mireku-North", "Palakovich Carr", "Wilkins", "Wu"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 19
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2024-01-31"
last_action: "2024-04-25"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/bba93b27-0326-4b84-be69-2f778ce570a0"
source_url: "http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0785?ys=2024RS&search=True"
source_hash: "e7353f813f8089f6fb3d5c0f5b35a29ec319e6982ca1dc73517b0d5bc8500d37"
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 785 (2024) — Freedom to Read Act

## Version chain

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

1. **Chapter - Freedom to Read Act** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/Chapters_noln/CH_129_hb0785e.pdf)
2. **Enrolled - Freedom to Read Act** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/bills/hb/hb0785e.pdf)
3. **First - Freedom to Read Act** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/bills/hb/hb0785f.pdf)
4. **Third - Freedom to Read Act** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/bills/hb/hb0785t.pdf)

## Votes

- FLA Del. Schmidt /683725/1 — **35–88** (fail) · lower
- On Third Reading (Emerg) — **98–37** (pass) · lower
- FLA Del. Mangione /493622/1 — **37–90** (fail) · lower
- On Third Reading and Final Passage (Hse concurred) — **100–36** (pass) · lower
- FLA Del. Pippy /123629/1 — **36–88** (fail) · lower
- On Third Reading (Emerg/Amend) — **34–11** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- A. Jones — primary (person)
- Atterbeary — primary (person)
- D. Jones — primary (person)
- Ebersole — primary (person)
- Fair — primary (person)
- Feldmark — primary (person)
- Grossman — primary (person)
- Mireku-North — primary (person)
- Palakovich Carr — primary (person)
- Wilkins — primary (person)
- Wu — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-01-31** First Reading Ways and Means `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-07** Hearing 2/21 at 1:00 p.m.
- **2024-03-11** Favorable with Amendments Report by Ways and Means `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-03-12** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-03-12** Motion Special Order until 3/13 (Delegate Mangione) Adopted
- **2024-03-13** Floor Amendment {
- **2024-03-13** Floor Amendment {
- **2024-03-13** Floor Amendment {
- **2024-03-13** 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 with Amendments Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-03-28** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-03-28** Second Reading Passed with Amendments
- **2024-03-29** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2024-04-02** House Concurs Senate Amendments
- **2024-04-02** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2024-04-02** Passed Enrolled
- **2024-04-25** Approved by the Governor - Chapter 129 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/bba93b27-0326-4b84-be69-2f778ce570a0`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Maryland legislature records).