SB 299

County Boards of Education - Therapy Dogs - Policy for Handling and Use in Schools

Sponsor: Katie Fry Hester (District 9)Committee: Education, Energy, and the EnvironmentSubject: Primary and Secondary EducationStatus: Hearing 2/27 at 1:00 p.m. (as of Sep 4, 2026)

What this bill does

Official synopsis

Requiring a county board of education to allow, subject to certain requirements and policies, the use of therapy dogs in public schools in the county.

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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 (20)

MGA witness list

FAV 14FavorableFWA 1Favorable with amendmentsUNF 5Unfavorable

Position	Witness	Organization	Testimony
FAV	Mills, Morganlobbyist	Compass Government Relations	Written (PDF)
FAV	Murphy, JD	MD Chesapeake Chapter of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP)	Position only
FAV	Fry Hester, Katie	Maryland Senate	Written (PDF)
FAV	Lamb, Laurenlobbyist	Maryland State Education Association	Written (PDF)
FAV	Clements, Alisa	Pet Advocacy Network	Written (PDF)
FAV	Callahan, Mary Margaret	Pet Partners	Written (PDF)
FAV	Paddy, Michaellobbyist	Public Policy Partners	Written (PDF)
FAV	Kaplowitz, Richard KAP	Year	Written (PDF)
FAV	Bartolomei, Sonja	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Dunlap, Delia	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Graham, Lizzy	Individual	Position only
FAV	Hamouch, Jordan	Individual	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Kuhn, Harriet	Individual	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Senator Hester, Senator Hesterlegislator	Individual	Oral
UNF	Wilson, Grace	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	Written (PDF)
UNF	Mathias, Sam	Maryland Association of Boards of Education	Written (PDF)
UNF	Anderson, Zaniah	Public School Superintendents' Association of Maryland	Written (PDF)
UNF	Gross, Kenneth	Individual	Position only
UNF	Tibbals, Trudy	Individual	Position only
FWA	Flook, William	Individual	Written (PDF)

Organizations on record

Anne Arundel County Public SchoolsUNF 1

Compass Government RelationsFAV 1

Maryland Association of Boards of EducationUNF 1

Maryland SenateFAV 1

Maryland State Education AssociationFAV 1

MD Chesapeake Chapter of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP)FAV 1

Pet Advocacy NetworkFAV 1

Pet PartnersFAV 1

Public Policy PartnersFAV 1

Public School Superintendents' Association of MarylandUNF 1

YearFAV 1

Registered lobbyists who testified

FAVMills, MorganCompass Government RelationsRegistered for: Alley Cat Allies; CFG Health Network; Coinbase, Inc.; Girl Scouts of Central Maryland; Horizon Foundation of Howard County, Inc., The; Maryland Association for Justice, Inc.…

FAVLamb, LaurenMaryland State Education AssociationRegistered for: Maryland State Education Association

FAVPaddy, MichaelPublic Policy PartnersRegistered for: American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network; Campaign to Protect Patient Health d/b/a Value of Care Coalition; Chase Brexton Health System; Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition; Gaudenzia, Inc.; Gilead Sciences, Inc.…