On March 3, Associate Policy Director Karrington Anderson submitted written testimony to the Health Committee in support of HB 1109 – Public Health Reform Act with amendments.

This bill advances key recommendations from the Commission on Public Health’s final report and continues the efforts to strengthen Maryland’s public health infrastructure.

From granting greater hiring flexibility to establishing a Public Health Workforce Development Fund and improving coordination on electronic health record systems, the bill represents meaningful progress toward a more responsive and resilient public health infrastructure. Counties’ proposed amendments aim to ensure that local health departments have a clearly defined role in implementation updates, reinforcing the collaborative partnership necessary to fully realize the Commission’s vision.

From MACo Testimony: 

Counties support continuation of the Commission’s oversight role in monitoring implementation of its recommendations. The bill requires the Maryland Department of Health to provide quarterly updates to the Commission. Because implementation of the recommendations is shared among the Department, local health departments, and other partners, counties recommend clarifying that local health departments have a defined role in contributing to those updates.

More on MACo’s Advocacy: 

• Follow MACo’s advocacy efforts during the 2026 legislative session on MACo’s Legislative Tracking Database
• Learn more about MACo’s 2026 Legislative Initiatives
• Read more General Assembly News on MACo’s Conduit Street blog