The Overview

When you call for help in Maryland, the officers who show up now have to be issued qualifying body armor before they ever hit the street. Maryland's HB 904, "Law Enforcement - Protective Body Armor - Requirements and Reporting," is now state law, signed by Gov. Wes Moore on May 12, 2026, as Chapter 462. The law requires agencies to issue qualifying body armor before assigning officers to nonadministrative duties, set replacement standards, report annually on purchases and funding, and create a Protective Body Armor Fund. Law-enforcement agencies must report annually on their body-armor purchases and funding under HB 904, according to Maryland General Assembly materials.

The National Institute of Justice reports that body armor can degrade through use and environmental exposure, and a national survey reviewed by the Office of Justice Programs concluded that many departments needed stronger replacement strategies. Ohio investigators and supervisors raised concerns about more than 50 vests that had passed the five-year expiration period set by the National Institute of Justice, and a BAE Systems unit agreed to pay $30 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly manufactured and sold defective bullet-resistant vests to police and emergency workers.

The Debate

The International Association of Chiefs of Police said in a resolution on expired soft armor that studies of fatal police shootings over sixteen years indicate 42 percent of those officer deaths were preventable if the officers had been wearing body armor. The Maryland Chiefs of Police Association and Maryland Sheriffs' Association submitted written testimony supporting HB 904, though their support came with amendments.

The Maryland House passed HB 904 on third reading with 132 yes votes and zero no votes. The bill history records that House Bill 904 passed the Senate on third reading on April 13, 2026, and was returned passed.

What's Next

The Protective Body Armor Fund created by the law will help determine how quickly agencies can meet the new procurement and replacement requirements. House Bill 904 has a companion bill, Senate Bill 516, listed in the 2026 session. No specific implementation deadlines or funding approval timelines beyond the enacted law were found in the available material.

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