---
type: "Bill"
title: "Freedom to Read Act"
description: "Freedom to Read Act"
jurisdiction: "us/states/md"
legislature: "Maryland General Assembly"
session: "2024"
identifier: "SB 738"
citation: "Maryland SB 738 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["A. Washington", "Beidle", "Benson", "Brooks", "Elfreth", "Feldman", "Ferguson", "Gile", "Guzzone", "Hettleman", "Jackson", "Kagan", "Kelly", "King", "Kramer", "Lewis Young", "M. Washington", "McCray", "Waldstreicher", "Zucker"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 22
vote_count: 5
first_action: "2024-01-31"
last_action: "2024-04-25"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/0abe7eac-7fd7-44cd-8880-609237d18b43"
source_url: "http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/sb0738?ys=2024RS&search=True"
source_hash: "92975f58da41b87fc029eeacd412c74cc33785e9874acf9f8d80f6a344661d47"
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 738 (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_130_sb0738e.pdf)
2. **Enrolled - Freedom to Read Act** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/bills/sb/sb0738e.pdf)
3. **First - Freedom to Read Act** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/bills/sb/sb0738f.pdf)
4. **Third - Freedom to Read Act** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/bills/sb/sb0738t.pdf)

## Votes

- On Third Reading (Emerg/Amend) — **101–38** (pass) · lower
- Floor Amendment Ready /863729/1 — **13–32** (fail) · upper
- Floor Amendment Ready /273022/1 — **12–33** (fail) · upper
- On Third Reading (Emerg) — **36–10** (pass) · upper
- Bill is on Third Reading for Final Passage. — **31–11** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- A. Washington — primary (person)
- Beidle — primary (person)
- Benson — primary (person)
- Brooks — primary (person)
- Elfreth — primary (person)
- Feldman — primary (person)
- Ferguson — primary (person)
- Gile — primary (person)
- Guzzone — primary (person)
- Hettleman — primary (person)
- Jackson — primary (person)
- Kagan — primary (person)
- Kelly — primary (person)
- King — primary (person)
- Kramer — primary (person)
- Lewis Young — primary (person)
- M. Washington — primary (person)
- McCray — primary (person)
- Waldstreicher — primary (person)
- Zucker — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-01-31** First Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-09** Hearing 2/23 at 9:00 a.m.
- **2024-03-07** Favorable with Amendments Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-03-08** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-03-08** Motion Special Order until 3/12 (Senator Ready) Adopted
- **2024-03-12** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-03-12** Floor Amendment {
- **2024-03-12** Floor Amendment {
- **2024-03-12** Second Reading Passed with Amendments
- **2024-03-14** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2024-03-15** Referred Ways and Means `referral-committee`
- **2024-03-16** Hearing 3/27 at 1:00 p.m.
- **2024-03-27** Hearing canceled
- **2024-03-27** Hearing 3/27 at 1:30 p.m.
- **2024-04-01** Favorable with Amendments Report by Ways and Means `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-04-01** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-04-01** Second Reading Passed with Amendments
- **2024-04-04** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2024-04-05** Senate Concurs House Amendments
- **2024-04-05** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2024-04-05** Passed Enrolled
- **2024-04-25** Approved by the Governor - Chapter 130 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/0abe7eac-7fd7-44cd-8880-609237d18b43`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Maryland legislature records).