HB 1642

HOUSE BILL 1642
     F2  6lr3447
     By: Delegates Buckel, Hill, and McComas
     Introduced and read first time: February 25, 2026
     Assigned to: Rules and Executive Nominations
  A BILL ENTITLED
1 AN ACT concerning
2    Higher Education – Transformative Economic Efficiency – Framework and
3Standards
4 FOR the purpose of requiring the Maryland Higher Education Commission to establish a
5      framework for transformative economic efficiency for a certain purpose; requiring
6      the Commission to develop, post on its website, and periodically update independent
7      consensus–based standards to encourage transformative economic efficiency; and
8      generally relating to transformative economic efficiency.
9 BY adding to
10      Article – Education
11      Section 11–409
12      Annotated Code of Maryland
13      (2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement)
14SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND,
15 That the Laws of Maryland read as follows:
16Article – Education
17 11–409.
18(A)     (1)     IN THIS SECTION THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS
19 INDICATED.
20(2)
  “INDEPENDENT CONSENSUS–BASED STANDARDS” MEANS
21 METHODOLOGIES, SPECIFICATIONS, REGULATORY SOLUTIONS, AND TECHNICAL
22 STANDARDS DEVELOPED COLLABORATIVELY BY INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER
23 EDUCATION, RESEARCH ENTITIES, OR STAKEHOLDER GROUPS THROUGH A
24 STRUCTURED PROCESS.
     EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
  [Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
  *hb1642*
2HOUSE BILL 1642
1(3)   “TRANSFORMATIVE   ECONOMIC    EFFICIENCY”    MEANS
2 MEASURABLE    IMPROVEMENT    IN  ECONOMIC  PERFORMANCE,    RESOURCE
3 UTILIZATION, AND HEALTH RISK PREVENTION ACHIEVED THROUGH EDUCATION
4 AND RESEARCH–INFORMED PRACTICES.
5     (B) (1) THE COMMISSION SHALL  ESTABLISH   A   FRAMEWORK     FOR
6 TRANSFORMATIVE ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY.
7(2)   THE
  PURPOSE OF THE FRAMEWORK IS TO OPTIMIZE
8 INDEPENDENT CONTINUOUS LEARNING AND ENCOURAGE TRANSFORMATIVE
9 ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT AND UTILIZATION OF
10 INDEPENDENT CONSENSUS–BASED STANDARDS.
11      (C) THE    COMMISSION    SHALL  DEVELOP      THE    INDEPENDENT
12 CONSENSUS–BASED STANDARDS BY:
13(1)   RELYING ON INDEPENDENT RESEARCH AND REPRODUCIBLE
14 DATA;
15(2) UTILIZING INDEPENDENT VERIFICATION, VALIDATION, AND
16 CALIBRATION METHODOLOGIES; AND
17(3)   SEEKING CONSENSUS AMONG STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING:
18(I)    INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION;
19(II)   COMMUNITY–BASED RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS; AND
20(III) RELEVANT SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS.
21      (D)   THE COMMISSION SHALL:
22(1)   POST THE INDEPENDENT CONSENSUS–BASED STANDARDS ON ITS
23 WEBSITE; AND
24(2)     PERIODICALLY UPDATE THE INDEPENDENT CONSENSUS–BASED
25 STANDARDS.
26SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July
27 1, 2026.