---
type: "Bill"
title: "Maryland Protecting Opportunities and Regional Trade (PORT) Act"
description: "Maryland Protecting Opportunities and Regional Trade (PORT) Act"
jurisdiction: "us/states/md"
legislature: "Maryland General Assembly"
session: "2024"
identifier: "SB 1188"
citation: "Maryland SB 1188 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Ferguson", "Salling"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 18
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2024-03-29"
last_action: "2024-04-09"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/f1fe0e82-d3f6-4f24-a9a9-0fbe1c671bc0"
source_url: "http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/sb1188?ys=2024RS&search=True"
source_hash: "6976e97f9d5aade6e6a02e6d81f2bfee7bd577ddd99e7d9c508c9c4d23f895d9"
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 1188 (2024) — Maryland Protecting Opportunities and Regional Trade (PORT) Act

## Version chain

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

1. **Chapter - Maryland Protecting Opportunities and Regional Trade (PORT) Act** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/Chapters_noln/CH_3_sb1188e.pdf)
2. **Enrolled - Maryland Protecting Opportunities and Regional Trade (PORT) Act** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/bills/sb/sb1188e.pdf)
3. **First - Maryland Protecting Opportunities and Regional Trade (PORT) Act** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/bills/sb/sb1188f.pdf)
4. **Third - Maryland Protecting Opportunities and Regional Trade (PORT) Act** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/bills/sb/sb1188t.pdf)

## Votes

- On Third Reading (Emerg/Amend) — **130–2** (pass) · lower
- Bill is on Third Reading for Final Passage. — **47–0** (pass) · upper
- On Third Reading (Emerg) — **47–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Ferguson — primary (person)
- Salling — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-03-29** First Reading Finance and Budget and Taxation `referral-committee`
- **2024-03-29** Motion Rules Suspend for Late Introduction (Senator Ferguson) Adopted
- **2024-03-29** Motion Rules Suspend to Refer (Senator Ferguson) Adopted
- **2024-03-29** Hearing 4/02 at 1:00 p.m. (Finance)
- **2024-04-03** Favorable with Amendments Report by Finance `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-04-03** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-04-03** Second Reading Passed with Amendments
- **2024-04-03** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2024-04-04** Referred Rules and Executive Nominations `referral-committee`
- **2024-04-08** Rereferred to Economic Matters and Appropriations
- **2024-04-08** Favorable with Amendments Report by Economic Matters `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-04-08** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-04-08** Second Reading Passed with Amendments
- **2024-04-08** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2024-04-08** Senate Concurs House Amendments
- **2024-04-08** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2024-04-08** Passed Enrolled
- **2024-04-09** Approved by the Governor - Chapter 3 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/f1fe0e82-d3f6-4f24-a9a9-0fbe1c671bc0`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Maryland legislature records).