Read more about the article 2026 Session: Recap and Wrap-Ups
Business Affairs / County Budgets / County News / Courts / Economic Development / Education / Elections / Emergency Management / Employee Benefits and Relations / Energy / Environment / Feature / Finance and Procurement / General Assembly News / Government Liability and Courts / Health and Human Services / Housing and Community Development / Human Resources / Information Technology / Intergovernmental Relations / MACo Testimony / Parks and Recreation / Pensions & Public Funds / Planning and Zoning / Public Information and Ethics / Public Safety and Corrections / School Construction and Capital Budgets / State Budget and Fiscal Issues / Taxes and Revenues / Tourism / Transportation and Public Works
2026 Session: Recap and Wrap-Ups

Catch up on all of the latest outcomes of the 2026 Maryland General Assembly session with wrap-ups on important county-related bills in each policy area. Maryland’s 448th legislative session unfolded under significant fiscal pressure. Lawmakers closed the fiscal 2027 gap, preserved reserves, and fully funded principal commitments, such as the Blueprint, but did not resolve the larger structural deficits projected for the years ahead. That budget pressure shaped debates across nearly every policy area, from…

Comments Off on 2026 Session: Recap and Wrap-Ups
April 17, 2026
Read more about the article 2026 End of Session Wrap-Up: Employee Benefits & Relations
Employee Benefits and Relations / Human Resources / MACo Testimony
2026 End of Session Wrap-Up: Employee Benefits & Relations

The segments below provide a brief overview of MACo’s work on employee benefits and relations policy in the 2026 General Assembly session. County governments are major public employers, responsible for managing a diverse workforce that delivers critical public services. To this extent, MACo advocates to ensure that state employment laws are fair, balanced, and workable for public sector employers, particularly when proposals uniquely or disproportionately affect government operations or essential personnel. During Maryland's 448th legislative…

Comments Off on 2026 End of Session Wrap-Up: Employee Benefits & Relations
April 14, 2026
Read more about the article FAMLI Regulations Finalized, Marking Major Step Toward Launch
Employee Benefits and Relations / Human Resources / Labor
FAMLI Regulations Finalized, Marking Major Step Toward Launch

Maryland’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program continues to take shape with final regulations that include several key updates for employers and stakeholders. Chapters 1–5 of FAMLI’s regulations are now officially in effect and published in the Code of Maryland Regulations. Click here to read the regulations. The application window for public and private employers interested in offering a private plan will run from September 1 through November 15, 2026. Employers choosing this option…

Comments Off on FAMLI Regulations Finalized, Marking Major Step Toward Launch
April 3, 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,…

Comments Off on Streamlining Employee Heat Protection Standards To Ensure Practical Implementation
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…

Comments Off on Exclusive Remedy Rule Is a Fundamental Principle of the Workers’ Compensation System
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…

Comments Off on MACo Resists Adjustments to Workers’ Compensation “Gap Period”
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…

Comments Off on Important Considerations for Sustainable Volunteer Firefighter Cancer Screening Implementation
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…

Comments Off on Counties Raise Fiscal, Liability Concerns Over Workers’ Compensation Expansion
March 13, 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…

Comments Off on Counties Raise Legal, Operational Concerns Over Proposed Limits on Public Employer Authority
March 11, 2026
Read more about the article Session Updates on Housing, Budget Pressure, and the Road to Crossover
Bill Hearing / County Budgets / County News / Education / Employee Benefits and Relations / General Assembly News / Housing and Community Development / Pensions & Public Funds / Planning and Zoning / School Construction and Capital Budgets
Session Updates on Housing, Budget Pressure, and the Road to Crossover

This week on the Conduit Street Podcast, we check in on the 2026 Maryland General Assembly session as lawmakers approach the critical crossover deadline.   Tune in to the Conduit Street Podcast weekly, wherever you get your podcasts! Subscribe to the Conduit Street Blog and stay in the know!

Comments Off on Session Updates on Housing, Budget Pressure, and the Road to Crossover
March 6, 2026
Older Posts