Md. Gov. Wes Moore signs new bills into law. Here's what will change

Hannah Gaskill, Baltimore Sun on Apr 22, 2025

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BALTIMORE — Gov. Wes Moore and Maryland’s legislative leadership signed a slew of bills into law Tuesday afternoon with a particular focus on criminal justice and protection for federal employees facing job losses under the Trump administration.

Moore, House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones and Senate President Bill Ferguson, all Democrats, signed over 140 bills Tuesday afternoon, including the Expungement Reform Act of 2025, which will expand the ability for people to have their criminal records expunged upon completion of their sentence and rehabilitation requirements for certain crimes, including probation violations.

The bill, brought on behalf of the Moore administration, expands upon an executive clemency order the governor issued last June, which pardoned 175,000 convictions related to cannabis possession.

The removal of the wait time for expunging records will take effect Oct. 1.

“For too many Marylanders, their criminal record is an albatross that is tied around their necks for life,” Moore said. “They cannot get a loan, they cannot get a home, they cannot get hired because of the offense they committed years — if not decades — ago.”

Criminal justice advocates applauded the bill’s enactment, saying it will eliminate unnecessary hurdles for Marylanders who completed their sentences in the past.

“By creating a more efficient and accessible pathway for individuals to expunge cannabis-related convictions and seek post-conviction relief, this bill is a crucial step in addressing the harms caused by decades of cannabis criminalization in Maryland,” Liz Budnick, lead counsel with The Last Prisoner Project, said in a statement. “We are thrilled that more Marylanders will now be able to move forward with their lives, access new opportunities and contribute fully to their communities.”

The Second Look Act also was signed on Tuesday. Under that bill, people imprisoned for at least 20 years who were between 18 and 24 years old at the time of their offense will be given the right to petition for a sentence reconsideration hearing before a judge.

People convicted of sex offenses, the death of a first responder and those sentenced to life without parole are ineligible.

The law will take effect Oct. 1.

Maryland Public Defender Natasha Dartigue applauded the enactment of the Second Look Act Tuesday, saying that it “addresses the disparate sentencing practices that have fueled Maryland’s mass-incarceration crisis.”

The bill was a priority for the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus during the 2025 session. In a statement issued after it was signed, Del. Jheanelle Wilkins, a Montgomery County Democrat and chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, said the policy reflects the “values of compassion, accountability, and second chances.”

“While we have a long way to go, this is what progress looks like — we look forward to the ongoing work to dismantle racial inequities and deliver justice for all Marylanders,” said Wilkins.

Moore, Jones and Ferguson also signed the Protect Our Federal Workers Act Tuesday, which will create the Federal Government Employee Assistance Loan Fund to provide money to Maryland residents who worked for the federal government but were terminated by President Donald Trump’s administration during the ongoing waves of mass firings under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). It also provides an additional $1.5 million to the attorney general’s office to carry out lawsuits against the federal government.

According to Moore, there are over 260,000 federal workers living in Maryland, and 160,000 federal jobs located in the state.

Jones called Trump’s termination of thousands of federal employees “illegal,” and an “attempt to vilify and traumatize them.”

“I don’t take joy in people losing their jobs. I don’t see job loss as collateral damage, and I don’t see our federal workers as political props,” she said.

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