---
type: "Bill"
title: "Task Force to Improve Attendance and Reduce Chronic Absenteeism in Schools"
description: "Task Force to Improve Attendance and Reduce Chronic Absenteeism in Schools"
jurisdiction: "us/states/md"
legislature: "Maryland General Assembly"
session: "2025"
identifier: "HB 879"
citation: "Maryland HB 879 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Addison", "Boyce", "Charkoudian", "Conaway", "Embry", "J. Lewis", "Martinez", "McCaskill", "Mireku-North", "Phillips", "R. Lewis", "Ruff", "Shetty", "Smith", "Solomon", "Wells", "Wilkins", "Williams", "Young"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 22
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2025-01-30"
last_action: "2025-05-06"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/8fd1506c-afcb-4e8a-aac4-da83ecc8e9a3"
source_url: "http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0879?ys=2025RS&search=True"
source_hash: "2d18ec06928513169e55c1189a451995b5f88ec93ae37aee0b67b53771cdeb40"
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 879 (2025) — Task Force to Improve Attendance and Reduce Chronic Absenteeism in Schools

## Version chain

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

1. **Chapter - Task Force to Improve Attendance and Reduce Chronic Absenteeism in Schools** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/Chapters_noln/CH_243_hb0879e.pdf)
2. **Enrolled - Task Force to Improve Attendance and Reduce Chronic Absenteeism in Schools** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0879e.pdf)
3. **First - Task Force to Improve Attendance and Reduce Chronic Absenteeism in Schools** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0879f.pdf)
4. **Third - Task Force to Improve Attendance and Reduce Chronic Absenteeism in Schools** (committee substitute) — [source](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0879t.pdf)

## Votes

- On Third Reading (Amend) — **47–0** (pass) · upper
- On Third Reading and Final Passage (Hse concurred) — **135–0** (pass) · lower
- On Third Reading — **139–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Addison — primary (person)
- Boyce — primary (person)
- Charkoudian — primary (person)
- Conaway — primary (person)
- Embry — primary (person)
- J. Lewis — primary (person)
- Martinez — primary (person)
- McCaskill — primary (person)
- Mireku-North — primary (person)
- Phillips — primary (person)
- R. Lewis — primary (person)
- Ruff — primary (person)
- Shetty — primary (person)
- Smith — primary (person)
- Solomon — primary (person)
- Wells — primary (person)
- Wilkins — primary (person)
- Williams — primary (person)
- Young — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-01-30** First Reading Ways and Means `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-04** Hearing 2/19 at 1:00 p.m.
- **2025-02-12** Hearing canceled
- **2025-02-12** Hearing 2/25 at 1:00 p.m.
- **2025-02-14** Hearing canceled
- **2025-02-14** Hearing 3/06 at 1:00 p.m.
- **2025-02-19** Hearing canceled
- **2025-02-19** Hearing 2/25 at 1:00 p.m.
- **2025-03-12** Favorable with Amendments Report by Ways and Means `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-03-12** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-03-12** Second Reading Passed with Amendments
- **2025-03-13** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2025-03-14** Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-18** Hearing 3/27 at 1:00 p.m.
- **2025-04-02** Favorable with Amendments Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-04-02** Favorable with Amendments { `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-04-02** Second Reading Passed with Amendments
- **2025-04-03** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2025-04-05** House Concurs Senate Amendments
- **2025-04-05** Third Reading Passed `passage`
- **2025-04-05** Passed Enrolled
- **2025-05-06** Approved by the Governor - Chapter 243 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/8fd1506c-afcb-4e8a-aac4-da83ecc8e9a3`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Maryland legislature records).