June 2026 Meeting Minutes - Real Estate Commission (MREC)

DATE: June 17, 2026

TIME: 10:30 A.M.

LOCATION: 100 S. Charles Street
Tower 1
Baltimore, MD 21201
(Teleconference via Google Meet)

MEMBERS PRESENT: Demetria Scott, Commissioner, Chair
Sandy Olson, Commissioner
Joe Wilson, Commissioner
Jackie Alexander, Commissioner
Hope Mims, Commissioner
Kambon Williams, Commissioner

MEMBERS ABSENT: Roxanne Alston, Commissioner
Nea Maloo, Commissioner

STAFF PRESENT: Robert Pambianco, Assistant Attorney General
Scott Lederer, Executive Director
Tenensia Matthews, Administrative Assistant
Christopher Morton, Paralegal
Aajah Harris, Policy Director
Allison Simpson, Education Assistant
Nathan Jackson, Investigator
Andrew Friel, Director of Government Affairs

PUBLIC PRESENT: Christine Olfus
Deb Hutson
Dyana Quinzi
Lisa May
Marie Lagos
Brenda Kasuva
and others

Roll Call/Quorum Announced and Meeting Called to Order

Chair Scott called the meeting to order at 10:35 a.m. Executive Director Lederer conducted a roll call, conﬁrming that a quorum was present.
The meeting was recorded and transcribed to ensure the accuracy of these minutes.

Approval of Report of Complaints/Administrative Dismissals for April

Motion (made by Commissioner Wilson, seconded by Commissioner Mims) to approve the Administrative Dismissals for June 2026, excluding case number 300-RE-2026, which will be removed from the administrative dismissal list and separately reviewed by a panel as a walk-on panel case.
No discussion.
Motion carried.

Approval of Minutes

Motion (made by Commissioner Wilson, seconded by Commissioner Alexander) to approve the May 20, 2026, Business Meeting minutes with an amendment clarifying that the discussion regarding team names pertained speciﬁcally to team name reviews and not broader approval authority.

Chair Scott noted to amend the last bullet under New Business: Team Names from “The matter concluded with general support for the Executive Director’s continued application of existing statutory and regulatory guidance when addressing similar questions in the future” to The matter concluded with general support for the continued application for the existing statutory and regulatory guidance to team name review, including whether a proposed or selected team name could reasonably cause the public to misconstrue the team as an independent brokerage.

Motion carried.

Committee Reports

Education - Commissioner Mims, Chair

Commissioner Mims reviewed the PSI examination pass-rate data.
The Committee discussed concerns regarding low statewide pass rates, school accountability, and agreed to:
- Track historical pass-rate trends
- Research neighboring states’ performance standards
- Coordinate with the Maryland Higher Education Commission.
- Continue monitoring CE course evaluations.
The next education meeting is scheduled for June 23rd.

Legislative – Commissioner Alexander, Chair

Commissioner Alexander reported the completion of the draft concept sheet for ﬁngerprinting and background check requirements for licensees.

Motion (made by Commissioner Alexander, seconded by Commissioner Wilson) to approve the current 2027 Maryland Labor Legislative concept sheet related to ﬁngerprinting and background check licensing requirements for submission.
No discussion.
Motion carried.

The Committee continues work on the concept sheet to restore the Broker Supervision course requirement from 1.5 hours to 3 hours.

Application Committee – Commissioner Williams, Chair

The Application Committee discussed timelines for reviewing special-case applications. There was no statutory deadline identiﬁed.
The Committee will meet quarterly to review applications requiring special consideration.

Comments from Executive Director Lederer

Mr. Lederer reported the license count for February as follows:

Brokers: 3,851
Associate Brokers: 2,961
Salespersons: 36,826

There are approximately 272 open complaints.
The Guaranty Fund balance as of April 30, 2026, is $1,194,295.16.
The Education Department processed 79 qualiﬁcation letters for out-of-state licensees in May.
This past month, Mr. Lederer has been to the following outreach events:
- Long & Foster Instructor Training
- Howard County Association of Realtors
- Prince George’s County Association of Realtors

Comments from Counsel Robert Pambianco

Counsel presented a proposed COMAR amendment creating and codifying the position of Vice Chair.

Motion (made by Commissioner Olson, seconded by Commissioner Mims) to approve the new code for Vice Chair.
No discussion.
Motion carried.

It was suggested by Counsel that since the concept sheet for the Broker supervision course will be due before the next Commission meeting, the Commission vote to delegate the authority to approve the concept sheet to the Legislative Committee.

Motion (made by Commissioner Alexander, seconded by Commissioner Olson) to delegate authority for the Legislative Committee to actually approve the concept sheet on returning the Broker Supervision class to three hours.
No discussion.

Motion carried.

Comments from Chair Scott

Chair Scott reported on remarks delivered at the Prince George’s County Association of Realtors event regarding broker supervision. She emphasized that one of the Commission’s key considerations when reviewing complaints, regulatory violations, and consumer protection matters is whether brokers demonstrate meaningful involvement when notiﬁed of material issues affecting a transaction or client.
Chair Scott noted that when brokers are informed of signiﬁcant concerns, such as missed contractual deadlines, issues with earnest money deposits, or other transaction-related problems, the Commission expects evidence of engagement and appropriate oversight. A lack of response may create the impression that the matter was not reviewed or addressed, and may raise concerns about adequate supervision.
She further stated that brokers, branch ofﬁce managers, and team leaders are responsible for actively supervising transactions and responding to issues brought to their attention. Failure to do so may leave clients unprotected and create difﬁculties for other parties attempting to resolve transaction-related concerns.
Chair Scott stressed that meaningful communication and active oversight are important components of effective broker supervision and consumer protection.

Old Business

There was no old business

New Business

Chair Scott opened the nominations for the ofﬁce of Chair.
Nomination (made by Commissioner Alexander, seconded by Commissioner Wilson) for Commissioner Scott to continue in the role of Chair.
No other nominations.
Nominations are closed, and Commissioner Scott has been elected Chair for a second term by acclamation.
Chair Scott opened the nominations for the ofﬁce of Vice Chair.
Nomination (made by Commissioner Olson, seconded by Commissioner Alexander)
to nominate Commissioner Joe Wilson as Vice Chair.
No other nominations.
Nominations are closed, and Commissioner Wilson has been elected Vice Chair by acclamation.

Public Comment

Brenda Kasuva

Ms. Kasuva congratulated the newly elected Chair and Vice Chair and invited Commission representatives to attend MREEA's virtual meeting on July 28.
She raised questions regarding the Continuing Education (CE) instructor evaluation process. Ms. Simpson reported that evaluations have been received from some schools and that, at this time, no penalties have been implemented for schools that do not submit evaluations. Ms. Simpson also advised that a new online survey system is being developed to improve the collection of student feedback and will be made available to education providers in the future.
At Ms. Kasuva’s request, Mr. Lederer provided an overview of recent PSI examination statistics and discussed the Education Committee's ongoing efforts to analyze pass-rate trends and compare Maryland's performance with regional and national averages.
Ms. Kasuva raised questions about the implementation of House Bill 557 and its potential impact on future ﬁngerprinting and background-check requirements. Mr. Lederer advised that the Department of Labor is currently working to establish implementation procedures for occupational and professional licensing boards, and that additional guidance will be forthcoming.
She inquired whether the Commission's concept sheet for ﬁngerprinting and background checks would be available for public review. Counsel explained that the concept sheet is submitted to the Secretary's Ofﬁce as part of the legislative proposal process and that the Commission's action was limited to approving its submission.
Chair Scott requested that future invitations to MREEA meetings also be extended to the Education Committee Chair. Ms. Kasuva agreed and provided a brief overview of topics planned for its July meeting, including updates from local Realtor associations and fair housing discussions.

Lisa May

Ms. May, representing Maryland Realtors, reported that association membership was down approximately 1.5% compared to the same period in the previous year, representing a decrease of just under 400 members. She noted that Mr. Lederer is scheduled to attend the Maryland Realtors' Public Policy Committee meeting in August to discuss continuing education matters with broker members.
Chair Scott thanked Ms. May for her informative legislative update presentation recently and noted that several commissioners found the information helpful.

Adjournment

There being no further business.
Motion to adjourn the meeting (made by Commissioner Olson, seconded by Commissioner Maloo).
Motion carried.
Meeting adjourned at 11:27 a.m.
The next monthly business meeting is on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.