---
type: "Bill"
title: "Operating a Vessel While Under the Influence of Alcohol - Enforcement (Nick's Law)"
description: "Operating a Vessel While Under the Influence of Alcohol - Enforcement (Nick's Law)"
jurisdiction: "us/states/md"
legislature: "Maryland General Assembly"
session: "2024"
identifier: "SB 740"
citation: "Maryland SB 740 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Bailey", "Gile", "Jackson", "McKay", "Ready"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 14
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2024-01-31"
last_action: "2024-05-09"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/7df91ee2-52c7-4f3c-9cf4-31aafde212ac"
source_url: "http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/sb0740?ys=2024RS&search=True"
source_hash: "83277c075ab2e23eaf374a84a8bea024273ebba0219089fa5a5fbe241ec05cb8"
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 740 (2024) — Operating a Vessel While Under the Influence of Alcohol - Enforcement (Nick's Law)

## Version chain

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

1. **Chapter - Operating a Vessel While Under the Influence of Alcohol - Enforcement (Nick's Law)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/Chapters_noln/CH_418_sb0740t.pdf)
2. **First - Operating a Vessel While Under the Influence of Alcohol - Enforcement (Nick's Law)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/bills/sb/sb0740f.pdf)
3. **Third - Operating a Vessel While Under the Influence of Alcohol - Enforcement (Nick's Law)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/bills/sb/sb0740t.pdf)

## Votes

- On Third Reading — **136–0** (pass) · lower
- On Third Reading — **45–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Bailey — primary (person)
- Gile — primary (person)
- Jackson — primary (person)
- McKay — primary (person)
- Ready — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-01-31** First Reading Judicial Proceedings `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-01** Hearing 2/22 at 1:00 p.m.
- **2024-03-15** Favorable with Amendments Report by Judicial Proceedings `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-03-15** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-03-15** Second Reading Passed with Amendments
- **2024-03-18** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2024-03-19** Referred Environment and Transportation `referral-committee`
- **2024-03-21** Hearing 4/03 at 1:00 p.m.
- **2024-04-05** Favorable Report by Environment and Transportation `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-04-05** Favorable Adopted `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-04-05** Second Reading Passed
- **2024-04-08** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2024-04-08** Returned Passed
- **2024-05-09** Approved by the Governor - Chapter 418 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/7df91ee2-52c7-4f3c-9cf4-31aafde212ac`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Maryland legislature records).