Maryland Senate budget committee to trim disabilities services agency by $126 million

Katharine Wilson, The Baltimore Sun on Mar 13, 2026

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BALTIMORE — The Maryland Senate budget committee announced Friday plans to cut $126 million from the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration, $24 million less of a slash than what Gov. Wes Moore proposed in January.

The 11-member group added that it aims to move $23 million to the agency from the general fund. The state Senate’s Budget and Taxation Committee is set to pass its version of the budget today, potentially moving it to a full Senate vote next week. “I can tell you that this was probably one [of the] more challenging issues that we’ve ever undertaken,” Sen. Guy Guzzone, the committee chair and a Howard County Democrat, said.

Under Moore’s proposal, the DDA could lose $150 million that advocates say is essential for care costs. The proposed cuts are part of efforts to address the state’s projected $1.4 billion budget shortfall.

Advocates have previously said a lofty funding slash could limit how much the DDA can use to fund individual support plans, and it would also reduce wages for some staff who work with people receiving services. The sentiment was similar when the governor proposed more than $200 million in DDA funding cuts last year. Most of that was also restored by the Maryland General Assembly.

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