Read more about the article March 13 Board of Public Works Meeting: Here’s What Counties Need to Know
Board of Public Works / Economic Development / Parks and Recreation / School Construction and Capital Budgets
March 13 Board of Public Works Meeting: Here’s What Counties Need to Know

The Board of Public Works (BPW) — a three-member panel including Governor Wes Moore, Comptroller Brooke Lierman, and State Treasurer Dereck Davis — reviews projects, contracts, and expenditure plans for state agencies, many of which affect county governments. The BPW considered and approved the following requests and recommendations at its meeting on March 13, 2024: Allegany County A request from the Secretary of Natural Resources to approve naming the Perimeter Trail at Dan’s Mountain State…

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March 13, 2024
Read more about the article County Leaders Embrace More Visible Education Budgeting
County Budgets / Education / MACo Testimony / Public Information and Ethics
County Leaders Embrace More Visible Education Budgeting

On March 6, 2024, Associate Policy Director Brianna January testified before the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee in support of SB 1026- County Boards of Education - Budgets - Notice (Transparency in Education Spending Act). The following day, Brianna testified in support of the crossfile, HB 1115. This bill is one of MACo's four 2024 legislative initiatives. The implementation of The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, coupled with an influx of federal relief and…

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March 8, 2024
Read more about the article MACo to General Assembly: Provider Hubs Are Additional Tool in Expanding Pre-K Services
Education / Labor / MACo Testimony
MACo to General Assembly: Provider Hubs Are Additional Tool in Expanding Pre-K Services

On March 6, 2024, Associate Policy Director Brianna January submitted written testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee in support of HB 1455 - Public Prekindergarten and Child Care Providers - Waiver Action Plan and Assistance Hubs. This bill requires the Maryland State Department of Education and the Blueprint Accountability and Implementation Board to create a network of child care provider hubs across the state. Counties have worked creatively with local school systems to…

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March 7, 2024
Read more about the article MACo Supports New Tool to Address Early Childhood Education Workforce Shortage
Education / Labor / MACo Testimony
MACo Supports New Tool to Address Early Childhood Education Workforce Shortage

On March 6, 2024, Associate Policy Director Brianna January submitted written testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee in support of HB 1385 - Early Childhood Education - Prekindergarten Providers - Resident and Conditional Teaching Certificates. This creates resident early and conditional early teacher certificates for prospective teachers to allow them to work in pre-K facilities while pursing their full certification. Counties see this as an additional tool to address the need for more…

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March 7, 2024
Read more about the article Counties Caution Against Legislating Benefits for Vague Medical Diagnoses
Employee Benefits and Relations / Human Resources / MACo Testimony
Counties Caution Against Legislating Benefits for Vague Medical Diagnoses

On March 5, 2024, Associate Policy Director Brianna January testified before the Senate Finance Committee in opposition to SB 0431 - Workers' Compensation - Occupational Disease Presumption - Long COVID (Home of the Brave Act of 2024). This bill places long COVID as a new statutory presumption under workers' compensation for certain public sector employees. The bill applies to employees who, because of the nature of their roles, were unable to work from home during…

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March 6, 2024
Read more about the article Counties: Maintain Existing, Fair Workers’ Comp Rules for Concurrent Employment
County News / Employee Benefits and Relations / Human Resources / MACo Testimony
Counties: Maintain Existing, Fair Workers’ Comp Rules for Concurrent Employment

On March 5, 2024, Associate Policy Director Brianna January testified before the Senate Finance Committee in opposition to SB 845- Workers' Compensation- Temporary or Partial Disability- Concurrent Employment. This bill would require employers to effectively pay temporary total disability instead of the current practice of temporary partial disability for workers' compensation claims in which the claimant has and continues to work in a second job. Today, there are two kinds of worker comp disability levels:…

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March 6, 2024
Read more about the article Due Soon: Non-Recurring School Cost Entries Are Due March 31
County Budgets / Education / Feature
Due Soon: Non-Recurring School Cost Entries Are Due March 31

A method in state law for identifying one-time school costs ensures that long-term funding mandates remain unaffected by short-term budget bumps, but approval for nonrecurring costs requires application to the State Department of Education, by March 31, 2023.  Maryland’s “maintenance of effort” (MOE) school funding law, enacted by the General Assembly, requires that counties maintain the same amount of funding for education per pupil each year. The maintenance of effort name derives from the concept…

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March 1, 2024
Read more about the article MACo Opposes Limiting PBM Price Negotiating Tools
Employee Benefits and Relations / Health and Human Services / Human Resources / MACo Testimony
MACo Opposes Limiting PBM Price Negotiating Tools

On February 28, 2024, Associate Policy Director Brianna January submitted written testimony to the Senate Finance Committee in opposition to SB 626- Pharmacy Benefits Managers- Definition of Purchaser and Alteration of Application of Law. This bill alters the definition of "purchaser" to limit the tools Pharmacy Benefits Managers (PBMs) can use to negotiate pharmaceutical prices on behalf of their clients, including county governments. Counties are concerned with the bill's impact on employer and employee costs.…

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February 29, 2024
Read more about the article Counties Seek Second Chance to Consider One-Time School Expenses
Education / MACo Testimony
Counties Seek Second Chance to Consider One-Time School Expenses

On February 28, 2024, Executive Director Michael Sanderson testified before the House Appropriations Committee in support of HB 909- Education- Local Share of Major Education Aid- Nonrecurring Costs Exclusion. This bill adds a second, later deadline for county governments and school systems to agree to spend one-time, nonrecurring funds. That second deadline would better align with the county government budget cycle. Currently, in order for school systems to receive a waiver for one-time investments and…

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February 29, 2024
Read more about the article MACo to Legislature: Consider the Consequences of Establishing Presumptions for Workers’ Compensation
Employee Benefits and Relations / Human Resources / MACo Testimony
MACo to Legislature: Consider the Consequences of Establishing Presumptions for Workers’ Compensation

On February 28, 2024, Associate Policy Director Brianna January submitted a Letter of Information to the House Economic Matters Committee on HB 1145- Workers' Compensation- Occupational Disease Presumptions- Hypertension. This bill would greatly alter existing workers’ compensation benefits for volunteer and paid firefighters experiencing hypertension by expanding eligibility and minimizing current requirements. This year's version of the bill has additional testing and prescription requirements before a hypertension diagnosis is eligible for compensation. However, counties continue…

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February 29, 2024
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