Maryland legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Maryland HB809: Walter Sondheim Jr. Public Service Internship Scholarship Program - Funding
Status: Signed into law, May 26, 2026
Specifying the intern fellowships that exist in the Walter Sondheim Jr. Public Service Internship Scholarship Program; increasing the maximum scholarship award amount under the Program from $5,000 to $6,000; and requiring the Governor, beginning in fiscal year 2028, to include in the annual budget bill an appropriation for the Program that is at least a 125% of the appropriation provided in fiscal year 2026.
What the bill says
An act concerning Walter Sondheim Jr. Public Service Internship Scholarship Program - Funding FOR the purpose of specifying the intern fellowships that exist in the Walter Sondheim Jr. Public Service Internship Scholarship Program; increasing the maximum scholarship award amount under the Program; requiring the Governor to include in the annual budget bill an appropriation for the Program that is at least a certain percentage of the appropriation provided in a prior fiscal year; and generally relating to the Walter Sondheim Jr. Public Service Internship Scholarship Program…
From the enrolled text, June 3, 2026:
AN ACT concerning Walter Sondheim Jr. Public Service Internship Scholarship Program - Funding FOR the purpose of specifying the intern fellowships that exist in the Walter Sondheim Jr. Public Service Internship Scholarship Program; increasing the maximum scholarship award amount under the Program; requiring the Governor to include in the annual budget bill an appropriation for the Program that is at least a certain percentage of the appropriation provided in a prior fiscal year; and generally relating to the Walter Sondheim Jr. Public Service Internship Scholarship Program. BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, Article - Education Section 18-1702 and 18-1704 Annotated Code of Maryland (2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) Preamble WHEREAS, Governor Wes Moore has made commitment to public service a preeminent issue of his administration by establishing the Maryland Department of Service and Civic Innovation, launching the service year option for high school graduates, and expanding on the promise of Maryland Corps; and WHEREAS, Governor Wes Moore has continued to build on his work by allocating over $50 million in both the fiscal year 2025 and fiscal year 2026 budget bills to provide public service in the State, including securing federal funding; and WHEREAS, This is vital work that the State must build on to ensure a new generation grows up to serve our State and its people; now, …