HB 709

Landlord and Tenant - Residential Leases and Holdover Tenancies - Local Good Cause Termination (Good Cause Eviction)

Sponsor: Jheanelle K. Wilkins (District 20)Committee: Environment and TransportationSubject: Real PropertyStatus: Hearing 2/18 at 1:00 p.m. (as of Dec 1, 2025)

What this bill does

Official synopsis

Authorizing a county to adopt, by local law or ordinance, provisions prohibiting certain landlords of residential property from failing to renew a lease during the lease period or from terminating a holdover tenancy without good cause; establishing certain requirements and prohibitions for a local law or ordinance adopted in accordance with the Act; etc.

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Analysis reads the bill text, the fiscal note, and the witness list. It is generated by Claude and reviewed by nobody, so check the source documents before you rely on it.

Testimony (0)

MGA witness list

FAV 116FavorableFWA 2Favorable with amendmentsUNF 11Unfavorable

Position	Witness	Organization	Testimony
FAV	Arikat, Loraine	1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East	Written (PDF)
FAV	Hovermale, Emilylobbyist	Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership	Written (PDF)
FAV	Hasiuk, Ethan	Balto City Council	Written (PDF)
FAV	Coronado Flores, Jose	CASA	Position only
FAV	Keys, Rachael	CASH CAMPAIGN OF MARYLAND	Written (PDF)
FAV	Martinez, Madelinlobbyist	Catholic Charities	Written (PDF)
FAV	DuBois, Gwen	Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility	Written (PDF)
FAV	Carrington, Darrell	City of Greenbelt	Written (PDF)
FAV	Duvall, Jessamine	Columbia Housing Center, Inc.	Written (PDF)
FAV	Wilson Randall, Claudia	Community Development Network of Maryland	Written (PDF)
FAV	Sarro, Lisa	Community Legal Services	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Schniderman, Saul	Community Vision for Takoma	Written (PDF)
FAV	Wilpone-Welborn, Kira	Consumer Protection Division of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General	Written (PDF)
FAV	Cook, Chuck	Department of Housing and Community Development	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Gallagher, Zoelobbyist	Economic Action Maryland	Written (PDF)
FAV	Chestnut, Tonia	Enclave Tenant Association	Written (PDF)
FAV	Bondi, Melissa	Enterprise Community Partners	Written (PDF)
FAV	Diamond, Joanna	Health Care for the Homeless	Written (PDF)
FAV	Duvall, Jessamine	Howard County Housing Affordability Coalition	Written (PDF)
FAV	Hall, Courtney	Interfaith Works	Written (PDF)
FAV	Evans, Allison	JUFJ	Written (PDF)
FAV	Rives, Kelli	Jewish Community Relations Council of Howard County	Written (PDF)
FAV	Lampel, Anita	Jews United for Justice	Written (PDF)
FAV	Weissman, Louise	Jews United for Justice	Written (PDF)
FAV	Zeimer, Matanlobbyist	Jews United for Justice	Written (PDF)
FAV	Agarin, J.D., Ufuoma	Legislative Black Caucus	Written (PDF)
FAV	Porter, Kathy	Long Branch Housing Action Team	Written (PDF)
FAV	SMITH, CARL	MARYLAND POOR POEPLES COMPAIGN	Position only
FAV	Butchko, Dominic	Maryland Association of Counties (MACo)	Written (PDF)
FAV	Zelaya, Michellelobbyist	Maryland Catholic Conference	Written (PDF)
FAV	Schumitz, Kalilobbyist	Maryland Center on Economic Policy	Written (PDF)
FAV	Kelter, Chris	Maryland Centers for Independent Living	Written (PDF)
FAV	Wilkins, Jheanelle	Maryland House of Delegates	Written (PDF)
FAV	Wenger, Katie	Maryland Just Power Alliance	Written (PDF)
FAV	Shah, Zafar	Maryland Legal Aid	Written (PDF)
FAV	Plante, Cecilia	Maryland Legislative Coalition	Written (PDF)
FAV	Lyons Wooten, JoAnne	Maryland Poor People's Campaign	Written (PDF)
FAV	Kennedy, Thomas	Maryland Poor Peoples Campaign	Written (PDF)
FAV	Snyder, Co-Chair, Abby	Marylanders Against Poverty	Written (PDF)
FAV	Themelis, Nina	Mayor's Office of Government Relations	Written (PDF)
FAV	Frey, Leslie	Montgomery County	Written (PDF)
FAV	Henriquez, Demitrius	Montgomery County DSA	Written (PDF)
FAV	Elrich, Marc	Montgomery County Government	Oral
FAV	Losak, Matthew	Montgomery County Renters Alliance, Inc.	Written (PDF)
FAV	Koravos, JoAnne	Montgomery County Women's Democratic Club	Written (PDF)
FAV	DeLong, Michael	Montgomery County Young Democrats	Written (PDF)
FAV	English, Michael	N/A	Written (PDF)
FAV	Jacobs, Robin	N/A	Written (PDF)
FAV	Wheaton, David	NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Proctor, Karessa	NASW Maryland	Written (PDF)
FAV	Butler, TJ	NIA	Written (PDF)
FAV	Slayton, Sr., Rev. Dr. Kevin	NORTHWOOD APPOLD UNITED METHODIST CHURCH	Written (PDF)
FAV	Vaughn, Douglas	Poor People’s Campaign	Written (PDF)
FAV	Desrouleaux, Sasha	Prince George's County Government	Written (PDF)
FAV	Puentes, Ericalobbyist	Progressive Maryland	Written (PDF)
FAV	Williamson, Sam	Public Justice Center	Written (PDF)
FAV	Somashekhar, Sheila	Purple Line Corridor Coalition, National Center for Smart Growth at UMD	Written (PDF)
FAV	Blaha, Katherine	SURJ	Written (PDF)
FAV	Badeker, Melissa	SURJ Baltimore	Written (PDF)
FAV	Hauck, Barbara	SURJ Baltimore	Written (PDF)

Showing 60 of 129

Organizations on record

1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers EastFAV 1

Baltimore Regional Housing PartnershipFAV 1

Balto City CouncilFAV 1

CASAFAV 1

CASH CAMPAIGN OF MARYLANDFAV 1

Catholic CharitiesFAV 1

Chesapeake Physicians for Social ResponsibilityFAV 1

City of GreenbeltFAV 1

Columbia Housing Center, Inc.FAV 1

Community Development Network of MarylandFAV 1

Community Legal ServicesFAV 1

Community Vision for TakomaFAV 1

Consumer Protection Division of the Maryland Office of the Attorney GeneralFAV 1

Department of Housing and Community DevelopmentFAV 1

Economic Action MarylandFAV 1

Enclave Tenant AssociationFAV 1

Enterprise Community PartnersFAV 1

Health Care for the HomelessFAV 1

Howard County Housing Affordability CoalitionFAV 1

Interfaith WorksFAV 1

Jewish Community Relations Council of Howard CountyFAV 1

Jews United for JusticeFAV 3

JUFJFAV 1

Legislative Black CaucusFAV 1

Long Branch Housing Action TeamFAV 1

Maryland Association of Counties (MACo)FAV 1

Maryland Building Industry AssocUNF 1

Maryland Building Industry AssociationUNF 1

Maryland Catholic ConferenceFAV 1

Maryland Center on Economic PolicyFAV 1

Maryland Centers for Independent LivingFAV 1

Maryland House of DelegatesFAV 1

Maryland JudiciaryUNF 1

Maryland Just Power AllianceFAV 1

Maryland Legal AidFAV 1

Maryland Legislative CoalitionFAV 1

Maryland Poor People's CampaignFAV 1

Maryland Poor Peoples CampaignFAV 1

MARYLAND POOR POEPLES COMPAIGNFAV 1

Marylanders Against PovertyFAV 1

Mayor's Office of Government RelationsFAV 1

Montgomery CountyFAV 1

Montgomery County DSAFAV 1

Montgomery County GovernmentFAV 1

Montgomery County Renters Alliance, Inc.FAV 1

Montgomery County Women's Democratic ClubFAV 1

Montgomery County Young DemocratsFAV 1

N/AFAV 2

NAACP Legal Defense & Educational FundFAV 1

NASW MarylandFAV 1

NIAFAV 1

NORTHWOOD APPOLD UNITED METHODIST CHURCHFAV 1

Poor People’s CampaignFAV 1

Prince George's County GovernmentFAV 1

Progressive MarylandFAV 1

Public Justice CenterFAV 1

Purple Line Corridor Coalition, National Center for Smart Growth at UMDFAV 1

Regional Management, Inc.UNF 1

Rifkin, Weiner, Livingston LLCUNF 1

Santoni, Vocci & Ortega, LLCFAV 1

Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ)FAV 1

Showing Up for Racial Justice- BaltimoreFAV 1

Social Work Advocates for Social ChangeFAV 1

Spring Parc Tenants CommitteeFAV 1

SURJFAV 1

SURJ BaltimoreFAV 4

The Horizon FoundationFAV 1

Unitarian Universalist Environmental Justice MinistryFAV 1

University of MinnesotaFAV 1

Vaping Awareness Public Education SocietyFWA 1

YearFAV 1

Young Democrats of MarylandFAV 1

Registered lobbyists who testified

FAVHovermale, EmilyBaltimore Regional Housing PartnershipRegistered for: Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership

FAVMartinez, MadelinCatholic CharitiesRegistered for: Catholic Charities

FAVGallagher, ZoeEconomic Action MarylandRegistered for: Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition DBA Economic Action Maryland

FAVZeimer, MatanJews United for JusticeRegistered for: Jews United for Justice

FAVZelaya, MichelleMaryland Catholic ConferenceRegistered for: Maryland Catholic Conference

FAVSchumitz, KaliMaryland Center on Economic PolicyRegistered for: Maryland Center on Economic Policy

FAVPuentes, EricaProgressive MarylandRegistered for: Progressive Maryland

FAVMercer, JenniferRegistered for: Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence

UNFGraf, LoriMaryland Building Industry AssociationRegistered for: Maryland Building Industry Association

UNFHoward, KatherineRegional Management, Inc.Registered for: Regional Management Inc

UNFCastelli, WilliamRifkin, Weiner, Livingston LLCRegistered for: ASC Engineered Solutions; Berkshire Hathaway Energy GT&S, LLC; Board of County Commissioners of Allegany County, MD; Brown Advisory; Cable Telecommunications Association of Maryland, Delaware and D.C., Inc.; Colonial Pipeline Company…

UNFAnleu, BrianRegistered for: AOBA; Apartment & Office Building Association; National Apartment Association

UNFBagwell, AshlieRegistered for: AbbVie Inc.; Aligned Data Centers; American Academy of Anesthesiology Assistants, Inc.; Atmosphere Data Centers LLC; Baltimore Civic Fund, Inc.; Beltway Fine Wine…

UNFGreenfield, AaronRegistered for: BTS Bioenergy; Baltimore Area Council Boy Scouts of America, Inc.; Embassy of Japan; Ernst & Young, LLP; FEi Systems; Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake…