MD HB409

Repeals the provision that automatically excludes children ages 14 and older from juvenile court jurisdiction for crimes punishable by life imprisonment, allowing these cases to begin in juvenile court instead of adult court

Raises the age threshold for automatic adult court jurisdiction from 16 to 16 years old for most serious offenses, while narrowing the list of offenses that exclude juvenile court jurisdiction for 16-17 year olds

Removes several offenses from the list of crimes that automatically send 16-17 year olds to adult court, including abduction, kidnapping, robbery, first-degree assault, third-degree sexual offense, and various firearms violations

Retains automatic adult court jurisdiction for 16-17 year olds charged with crimes punishable by life imprisonment, second-degree murder, manslaughter (except involuntary), second-degree rape, carjacking/armed carjacking, and certain attempted crimes

Applies prospectively only to acts committed on or after October 1, 2026, with no retroactive effect on pending prosecutions or proceedings