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In Maryland, there are dog owners and there are pit bull owners. And due to a failure to act on a bill that would have changed it, the distinction will remain for another year.

During yesterday’s closing day of the annual legislative session, Maryland legislators were unable to reach an agreement on a bill that would have reversed an April 2012 court ruling that found pit bulls to be “inherently dangerous” and increased the liability not only for their owners, but even landlords who choose to rent to pit bull owners.

Though the Senate passed a bill that would have set the same standard regardless of breed—any dog bite of a child under the age of 12 would leave the owner responsible, a bite of anyone over 13 would allow the owner to argue that their dog isn’t prone to biting—the House of Delegates wasn’t able to reciprocate, leaving the state’s pit bull owners to wait until next year’s session for a legislative fix.

“It is disappointing that lawmakers could not put their differences aside to provide relief to dog owners and certainty to animal shelters, landlords and other small businesses,” said Tami Santelli, Maryland state director for The Humane Society of the United States.

“The need for legislation addressing the ruling’s impacts is clear, and tonight’s stalemate between the House and Senate is a detriment to thousands of Marylanders. The court ruling has already forced many people to make heartbreaking choices. Now that it will be allowed to stand for another year, these impacts can only be expected to multiply.”

With no bill in place to reverse the ruling, pit bull owners have to worry about higher liability standards and could be evicted by a landlord merely because they own one of the dogs. Last year one man faced eviction from public housing over his ownership of a pit bull.

Locally, Prince George’s County has maintained a ban on pit bulls since 1996. In 2001, the D.C. Council similarly tried to ban pit bulls and increase penalties on attacks involving them, but the measure never passed.