On February 27, Associate Policy Director Karrington Anderson testified before the Senate Finance Committee in opposition to SB 976 – Collective Bargaining – Local Government Employees and Public Employee Relations Act.  This bill mandates collective bargaining rights for local government employees statewide, imposing binding arbitration requirements, and significantly altering local government labor relations MACo supports fair and competitive employment policies, which Maryland jurisdictions have pursued through the years both locally and through State-level authorizing legislation.…

On February 25, Associate Policy Director Karrington Anderson submitted a letter of information to the Finance Committee on SB 173 – Workers' Compensation – Occupational Disease Presumptions – Hypertension.  This bill would significantly modify existing workers’ compensation benefits for volunteer and paid firefighters diagnosed with hypertension by expanding eligibility and reducing current requirements. If enacted, SB 173 would likely result in a surge of claims from volunteer and professional firefighters seeking workers’ compensation benefits for…

On February 20, Associate Policy Director Karrington Anderson submitted written testimony before the Finance Committee in support of SB 652 – Local Government – Local Personnel – Leave With Pay with amendments. With the sponsor amendments, this bill provides counties with the flexibility to grant disaster service leave to employees while ensuring that local governments retain discretion over its implementation. To maintain flexibility, MACo suggests clarifying language to confirm that counties and municipalities have discretion…

On February 4, Associate Policy Director Karrington Anderson testified before the Finance Committee in support of SB 374 - Health Insurance - Cancer Screenings for Professional Firefighters - Required Coverage (James "Jimmy" Malone Act) with amendments. This bill requires counties that employ career firefighters to provide coverage for preventive cancer screenings with no cost-sharing requirements such as copayments, coinsurance, or deductibles.. Many counties already provide firefighter cancer screenings, often relying on grant programs due to…

On January 28, Associate Director of Policy Karrington Anderson testified before the Appropriations Committee in opposition to HB 37 - Declaration of Rights - Right to Organize. This starkly-worded proposed constitutional amendment would establish a fundamental right for all employees in the state to organize and bargain collectively concerning compensation, hours, and other conditions of employment. Counties vary greatly in size, workforce composition, and budgetary capacity, and the current system enables counties to determine whether…

On January 28, Associate Director of Policy Karrington Anderson testified before the Appropriations Committee in opposition to HB 205 Employment Standards - Firefighters - Payment of Wages and Payroll Information. This bill would eliminate local bargaining authority over firefighter schedules and overtime policies and instead establish a statewide mandate for uniform schedules and overtime policies. By mandating uniform policies across the state, HB 205 would negate existing collective bargaining agreements to the detriment of county…

On January 16, Associate Policy Director Karrington Anderson testified before the Finance Committee in opposition to SB 124 - Employment Standards - Firefighters - Payment of Wages and Payroll Information. This bill would negate local bargaining authority to negotiate firefighter schedules and overtime policies, replacing it with a statewide mandate for uniform schedules and overtime policies. SB 124 would cost some counties millions, either by requiring significant new hires or through exorbitant overtime expenses, while…