Read more about the article Training Tomorrow’s First Responders Today
County News / Education / Emergency Management / News You Can Use
Training Tomorrow’s First Responders Today

Counties across the country are struggling to recruit the next generation of firefighters, dispatchers, and law enforcement officers. One Florida county is taking a different approach, building that pipeline before students even graduate high school. In Okeechobee County, public safety career programs are giving students hands-on training and early exposure to careers in fire rescue, 911 dispatch, and law enforcement. The programs are embedded directly into the school day through career and technical education (CTE)…

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March 24, 2026
Read more about the article State Takes Increased Share of School Construction Costs via Regulation Change
County Budgets / Education / School Construction and Capital Budgets
State Takes Increased Share of School Construction Costs via Regulation Change

In a meeting last Thursday, the Interagency Commission on School Construction (IAC) adopted new regulations, effectively increasing the state share of costs for qualifying school construction projects in nine of the most resource scarce counties.  During a regularly scheduled meeting of the IAC, Executive Director Alex Donahue proposed a change in the existing regulations that set forth the state-local cost share for qualifying school construction projects in smaller jurisdictions with limited tax capacity. The proposed…

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March 16, 2026
Read more about the article Streamlining Employee Heat Protection Standards To Ensure Practical Implementation
Employee Benefits and Relations / MACo Testimony
Streamlining Employee Heat Protection Standards To Ensure Practical Implementation

On March 11, Associate Policy Director Karrington Anderson submitted written testimony to the Finance Committee in support of SB 804 – Labor and Employment - Occupational Safety and Health - Revisions to Heat Stress Standards with amendments.  This bill codifies and clarifies requirements governing workplace heat stress protections that were previously adopted through Maryland Occupational Safety and Health regulations. SB 804 requires employers, including counties, to develop heat stress prevention plans, acclimatization plans, high-heat procedures,…

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March 16, 2026
Read more about the article Exclusive Remedy Rule Is a Fundamental Principle of the Workers’ Compensation System
Employee Benefits and Relations / MACo Testimony
Exclusive Remedy Rule Is a Fundamental Principle of the Workers’ Compensation System

On March 11, Associate Policy Director Karrington Anderson testified before the Economic Matters Committee in opposition to HB 366 – Workers' Compensation - Exemption From Exclusivity of Remedy - Action for Wrongful Death by Nondependent Child.  This bill would allow non-dependent children of an employee, including adult children, to bring a wrongful death lawsuit against an employer in court outside of the workers’ compensation system. As such, it would allow claims for damages not available…

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March 16, 2026
Read more about the article MACo Resists Adjustments to Workers’ Compensation “Gap Period”
Employee Benefits and Relations / MACo Testimony
MACo Resists Adjustments to Workers’ Compensation “Gap Period”

On March 11, Associate Policy Director Karrington Anderson testified before the Economic Matters Committee in opposition to HB 346 – Workers' Compensation - Vocational Rehabilitation Services - Retroactive Compensation.  This bill requires an employer or insurer to continue paying temporary total disability (TTD) benefits for up to 60 days after an injured worker reaches maximum medical improvement (MMI) if there is a delay before vocational rehabilitation services begin. Known as the “gap period,” this timeframe…

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March 16, 2026
Read more about the article Important Considerations for Sustainable Volunteer Firefighter Cancer Screening Implementation
Employee Benefits and Relations / MACo Testimony
Important Considerations for Sustainable Volunteer Firefighter Cancer Screening Implementation

On March 10, Associate Policy Director Karrington Anderson submitted a letter of information to the Finance Committee on SB 579 – Counties - No-Cost Preventive Cancer Screenings for Volunteer Firefighters. This bill mandates that counties provide no-cost preventive cancer screenings to each firefighter who volunteers with a volunteer fire company. Screenings must align with the latest guidelines issued by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). Counties may satisfy this requirement by either providing a…

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March 13, 2026
Read more about the article Counties Raise Fiscal, Liability Concerns Over Workers’ Compensation Expansion
Employee Benefits and Relations / Human Resources / MACo Testimony
Counties Raise Fiscal, Liability Concerns Over Workers’ Compensation Expansion

On March 10, Associate Policy Director Karrington Anderson submitted written testimony to the Finance Committee in opposition to SB 90 – Workers' Compensation - Occupational Disease Presumptions - Hypertension.  This bill would significantly expand existing workers’ compensation presumptions for paid firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics diagnosed with hypertension. Specifically, the legislation would presume not only that the condition is work-related, but also that it results in disablement, eliminating the need to demonstrate an inability to perform…

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March 13, 2026
Read more about the article Due Soon: Non-Recurring School Cost Entries Are Due March 31
County Budgets / Education
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 non-recurring costs requires application to the State Department of Education, by March 31, 2026.  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 12, 2026
Read more about the article MACo to MSDE: Private Pre-K Details Weeks Overdue as County Budget Deadlines Approach
County Budgets / Education / Feature
MACo to MSDE: Private Pre-K Details Weeks Overdue as County Budget Deadlines Approach

Below is the full text of a letter sent Tuesday, March 10, 2026, from the Maryland Association of Counties to the Maryland State Department of Education, the Maryland State Board of Education, and the Blueprint for Maryland's Future Accountability and Implementation Board regarding the local share of funding for private prekindergarten expansion in Maryland. The Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) writes on behalf of Maryland’s 24 county governments regarding the continued delay in issuing invoices…

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March 11, 2026
Read more about the article Counties Raise Legal, Operational Concerns Over Proposed Limits on Public Employer Authority
Employee Benefits and Relations / Human Resources / MACo Testimony
Counties Raise Legal, Operational Concerns Over Proposed Limits on Public Employer Authority

On March 5, Associate Policy Director testified before the Government, Labor, and Elections Committee in opposition to HB 1356 - Labor and Employment - Civic and Related Activities - Protection (Maryland Employee Civic Activity and Lawful Expression Protection Act).  This bill imposes unreasonable restrictions on counties as employers by prohibiting adverse action against any employee who engages in broadly defined “political activity,” “civic activity,” or “lawful expression.” While counties support employees’ constitutional rights to free…

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March 11, 2026
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