SB 222

Family Law - Child Custody Evaluators - Qualifications

Sponsor: Mary Beth Carozza (District 38)Committee: Judicial ProceedingsSubject: Family LawStatus: First Reading Judiciary (as of Sep 4, 2026)

What this bill does

Official synopsis

Establishing qualifications for an individual to be appointed by a court as a custody evaluator; and authorizing a court to waive certain requirements for a court employee or an individual under contract with the court under certain circumstances.

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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 (23)

MGA witness list

FAV 11FavorableFWA 7Favorable with amendmentsUNF 5Unfavorable

Position	Witness	Organization	Testimony
FAV	Philip, Diana	Coalition to Protect Maryland's Children	Written (PDF)
FAV	Margolis, Leslielobbyist	Disability Rights Maryland	Written (PDF)
FAV	Feldenzer, Christopher	Montgomery County Sheriff's Office	Written (PDF)
FAV	Donahue, Sharon	The Law Firm of Sharon M. Donahue P.A.	Written (PDF)
FAV	Cooper, Lauren	Worcester County CAC	Written (PDF)
FAV	Carozza, Mary Beth	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Houlihan, Gillian	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Kennan, Kelly	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	King, Eileen	Individual	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Krone, Christinelobbyist	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Senator Carozza, Senator Carozzalegislator	Individual	Oral
UNF	Smith, Michelle	MSBA FLSC	Written (PDF)
UNF	Vormelker, Will	Maryland Judiciary	Written (PDF)
UNF	Olarte, Stephanie	Maryland Psychological Association	Written (PDF)
UNF	Villamar, Maria Nenutzka	Office of the Public Defender	Written (PDF)
UNF	OMalley, Catherine	Women's Law Center	Position only
FWA	Ramsbottom, Heidi	Center for Psychological Health and Wellness LLC	Written (PDF)
FWA	Bartlett, Edward	Coalition to End Domestic Violence	Position only
FWA	Brown-Burnett, Gloria	Department of Human Services	Written (PDF)
FWA	LaPenta, Rael	MACA- Mother's Against Child Abuse	Written (PDF)
FWA	aichenbaum, Yaakov	PAS-Intervention MD Chapter	Written (PDF)
FWA	Mansfield, Andrealobbyist	Towing and Recovery Professionals of Maryland	Written (PDF)
FWA	Krawczyk, Laurie	Individual	Written (PDF)

Organizations on record

Center for Psychological Health and Wellness LLCFWA 1

Coalition to End Domestic ViolenceFWA 1

Coalition to Protect Maryland's ChildrenFAV 1

Department of Human ServicesFWA 1

Disability Rights MarylandFAV 1

MACA- Mother's Against Child AbuseFWA 1

Maryland JudiciaryUNF 1

Maryland Psychological AssociationUNF 1

Montgomery County Sheriff's OfficeFAV 1

MSBA FLSCUNF 1

Office of the Public DefenderUNF 1

PAS-Intervention MD ChapterFWA 1

The Law Firm of Sharon M. Donahue P.A.FAV 1

Towing and Recovery Professionals of MarylandFWA 1

Women's Law CenterUNF 1

Worcester County CACFAV 1

Registered lobbyists who testified

FAVMargolis, LeslieDisability Rights MarylandRegistered for: Disability Rights Maryland

FAVKrone, ChristineRegistered for: American Coatings Association; Baltimore Gas and Electric Company; City of Rockville; Coordinating Center for Home and Community Care, The, LLC (dba The Coordinating Center); Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work, Inc.; LifeSpan Network…

FWAMansfield, AndreaTowing and Recovery Professionals of MarylandRegistered for: HDR Engineering, Inc.; Adventist HealthCare, Inc.; Alkermes; Alterwood Health, Inc.; American Chemistry Council; Amrize North America Inc., formerly Holcim Participations (US) Inc.…