MACo supported SB 26, the Davis Martinez Public Employee Safety and Health Act, with amendments. As amended, MACo submitted a letter of information on SB 26’s cross-file, HB 176, Labor and Employment—Occupational Safety and Health—Revisions (Davis Martinez Public Employee Safety and Health Act).

The Maryland General Assembly passed SB 26/HB 176 – Davis Martinez Public Employee Safety and Health Act, a bill MACo supported with amendments to ensure it is operable for local governments. This legislation establishes the Public Employees’ Safety and Health Unit within the Division of Labor and Industry. The new Unit will oversee occupational safety and health standards for public employees—including those working for counties. This legislation is in honor of Davis Martinez, the Maryland Probation and Parole Agent, who was tragically killed while on duty.

MACo’s advocacy efforts focused on several key concerns:

• Overly prescriptive requirements around safety communication and procedures were revised.
• Flexibility was introduced so local governments can continue to tailor how they share workplace safety information with employees, supporting compliance while maintaining practical operations.
• Excessive penalty provisions that could have disproportionately impacted local governments were removed.

From the outset, MACo supported the bill’s intent: safeguarding the health and safety of Maryland’s public workforce. However, as introduced, the legislation included overly prescriptive and duplicative mandates that would have created unnecessary burdens for county governments, potentially redirecting valuable resources away from actual safety efforts. The bill was initially amended to remedy county concerns by providing flexibility in how local governments communicate workplace safety information to employees and removing the provision that mandates public employers to submit quarterly workplace safety reports to the Commissioner. Existing federal and state regulations under OSHA and MOSH already require public bodies to maintain accurate records of workplace safety information, making the additional reporting requirement under HB 176 redundant. As originally proposed, the mandate would have created administrative inefficiencies and increased costs for local governments without offering any added value to workplace safety.

The bill was later amended to add unrelated provisions that require the Correctional Training Commission to adopt regulations for the training, issuance, and use of body-worn cameras. This bill extends the current requirements for body-worn camera programs to a local detention center in the event they adopt a body-worn camera program. Importantly, it clarifies that local correctional facilities are not required to adopt body-worn cameras. The final House amendments that the Senate concurred on were to remove excessive penalty sections for non-compliance from the bill.

The final version of the bill reflects a collaborative effort between lawmakers, MACo, MML, and labor unions to craft a law that upholds the shared goal of employee safety—without sidelining the operational realities of local governments. With the changes made during session deliberations, the bill is now a positive step toward safer workplaces for public employees—without imposing undue strain on county operations. With the passage of HB 176, counties will engage with the newly established Unit and continue prioritizing the health and safety of public workers. MACo remains committed to supporting workplace safety in a way that reflects both state priorities and county capabilities.

Click here to view the passed enrolled version of SB 26 / HB 176.

MACo’s initial testimony before amended.

MACo’s letter of information on HB 176 as amended.