On February 28, 2024, Executive Director Michael Sanderson testified before the House Appropriations Committee in opposition to HB 900- Employment Standards- Firefighters- Payment of Overtime and Payroll Information. This bill would remove an issue that is currently subject to local bargaining and instead establish a statewide mandate for a uniform schedule and overtime policy for all professional firefighters statewide.
Counties are concerned not only with the fiscal impact of HB 900, which is estimated to be substantial but also with the workforce and service impact. Counties would need to hire a significant number of firefighters to cover shifts impacted by the bill's new standards. This would come at a time when the firefighting workforce is in crisis, and local governments are struggling to recruit and retain firefighters.
From MACo Testimony:
HB 900's one-size-fits-all policy would detrimentally impact local firefighting capacity and emergency services for Marylanders and would also pose an unreasonable and untenable funding mandate for county governments.
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