MD HB509

Establishes the Maryland Inventory of Cemeteries and Burial Sites Workgroup to study the creation and maintenance of a statewide cemetery inventory system

Workgroup membership includes representatives from the Maryland Historical Trust, Office of Cemetery Oversight, Commission on African American History and Culture, Preservation Maryland, State Archives, local governments, genealogical organizations, descendant communities, and religious cemeteries

Workgroup must evaluate cemetery documentation practices across Maryland and other states, recommend standardized definitions for "cemetery" and "burial site," and identify data collection categories and system functions including public search capability

Workgroup must determine costs and recommend funding sources for implementing the inventory system and a potential grant program for cemetery identification, both beginning in fiscal year 2027

Report due to the Governor and General Assembly by December 1, 2025; the Act takes effect July 1, 2025 and automatically expires June 30, 2026