Maryland General Assembly - Economic Matters Committee

The Economic Matters Committee is a standing committee of the Maryland House of Delegates ^[1][1] Ballotpedia. "Economic Matters Committee, Maryland House of Delegates." Ballotpedia, 2026, https://ballotpedia.org/Economic_Matters_Committee,_Maryland_House_of_Delegates.. It oversees legislation related to business regulation, alcoholic beverages, and labor and employment ^[2][2] Maryland General Assembly. "Economic Matters Committee - Maryland." Maryland.gov, 24 Mar. 2026, https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Committees/Details?cmte=ecm.. The committee also manages laws for financial institutions, insurance regulation, and workers' compensation ^[3][3] Maryland Manual On-Line. "House Economic Matters Committee - Origin & Functions." Maryland.gov, 2026, https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/06hse/html/com/03eco.html.. Currently, 24 delegates serve on this committee ^[4][4] Maryland General Assembly. "2023-2026 Maryland General Assembly Roster." Maryland.gov, 2026, https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Members/Index/house.. The Speaker of the House appoints the members, chair, and vice chair ^[5][5] Ballotpedia. "Maryland House of Delegates." Ballotpedia, 2026, https://ballotpedia.org/Maryland_House_of_Delegates.. This committee plays a vital role in shaping the state's commercial and labor policies ^[1][1] Ballotpedia. "Economic Matters Committee, Maryland House of Delegates." Ballotpedia, 2026, https://ballotpedia.org/Economic_Matters_Committee,_Maryland_House_of_Delegates.. It operates through specialized subcommittees like Banking, Consumer Protection, and Business Regulation ^[3][3] Maryland Manual On-Line. "House Economic Matters Committee - Origin & Functions." Maryland.gov, 2026, https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/06hse/html/com/03eco.html.. The committee reviews more than 2,000 bills during each annual legislative session ^[6][6] Wikipedia. "Maryland General Assembly." Wikipedia, 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryland_General_Assembly..

Historical Background

The Economic Matters Committee traces its origins to the Committee on Accounts formed in 1692 ^[3][3] Maryland Manual On-Line. "House Economic Matters Committee - Origin & Functions." Maryland.gov, 2026, https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/06hse/html/com/03eco.html.. In the 1770s, it became the Committee on Claims before reforming as its current version in 1968 ^[1][1] Ballotpedia. "Economic Matters Committee, Maryland House of Delegates." Ballotpedia, 2026, https://ballotpedia.org/Economic_Matters_Committee,_Maryland_House_of_Delegates.. The committee transferred its budgetary duties to the Appropriations Committee in 1971 to focus on commerce ^[3][3] Maryland Manual On-Line. "House Economic Matters Committee - Origin & Functions." Maryland.gov, 2026, https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/06hse/html/com/03eco.html.. It originally handled a wider array of fiscal matters before this legislative reorganization ^[1][1] Ballotpedia. "Economic Matters Committee, Maryland House of Delegates." Ballotpedia, 2026, https://ballotpedia.org/Economic_Matters_Committee,_Maryland_House_of_Delegates.. Over the decades, it added subcommittees for housing, real property, and unemployment insurance to address growing state needs ^[3][3] Maryland Manual On-Line. "House Economic Matters Committee - Origin & Functions." Maryland.gov, 2026, https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/06hse/html/com/03eco.html.. In January 2026, the House Speaker created the Land Use and Zoning Subcommittee to manage utility regulation ^[3][3] Maryland Manual On-Line. "House Economic Matters Committee - Origin & Functions." Maryland.gov, 2026, https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/06hse/html/com/03eco.html.. This change reflects a continuous shift toward specialized oversight of Maryland’s complex economic environment ^[1][1] Ballotpedia. "Economic Matters Committee, Maryland House of Delegates." Ballotpedia, 2026, https://ballotpedia.org/Economic_Matters_Committee,_Maryland_House_of_Delegates..

Current Events

The Economic Matters Committee is currently active in the 2026 legislative session, which began on January 14 ^[7][7] Ballotpedia. "2026 Maryland legislative session." Ballotpedia, 2026, https://ballotpedia.org/Maryland_State_Legislature.. Delegate Kriselda Valderrama serves as the Chair, and Delegate Lorig Charkoudian serves as the Vice Chair ^[2][2] Maryland General Assembly. "Economic Matters Committee - Maryland." Maryland.gov, 24 Mar. 2026, https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Committees/Details?cmte=ecm.. In March 2026, the committee held hearings for several high-profile bills, including the Rural Readiness Program and housing discrimination prevention ^[8][8] Maryland State Education Association. "Bills to Fund Education, Support Educators, on Track after Crossover Deadline." MarylandEducators.org, 27 Mar. 2026, https://www.marylandeducators.org/.. On March 19, 2026, the committee issued a favorable with amendments report for House Bill 893 ^[9][9] Maryland General Assembly. "Committee Vote Economic Matters for House Bill 893." Maryland.gov, 19 Mar. 2026, https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/votes_comm/hb0893_ecm.pdf.. Lawmakers are also debating the Starter and Silver Homes Act to address affordable housing shortages ^[10][10] Southern Maryland Chronicle. "Crossover day is here: Like your March Madness brackets, but for legislation." Southern Maryland Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2026, https://southernmarylandchronicle.com/.. As of March 28, 2026, the committee continues to process bills before the session adjourns in mid-April ^[7][7] Ballotpedia. "2026 Maryland legislative session." Ballotpedia, 2026, https://ballotpedia.org/Maryland_State_Legislature.. The committee's work remains focused on state affordability and infrastructure investment ^[11][11] WYPR. "Maryland Senate gives initial approval to $1.8B capital budget for statewide infrastructure projects." WYPR, 24 Mar. 2026, https://www.wypr.org/..