Welcome to this week’s Maryland State and DC AFL-CIO Legislative Update!
The start of our weekly lobbying meetings were postponed thanks to the Winter Storm Fern, but we are excited to begin this coming Monday, February 2. These meetings are the backbone of our legislative strategy. In-person attendance is strongly encouraged (there will be food). If you truly can’t make it in person, you’re welcome to reach out for a Zoom link. Email Elizabeth Bobo at ebobo@mddclabor.org to get a link. Please note: Zoom attendance is pretty much listen-only and allows limited participation in the discussion.
Below are what’s coming up—and where labor may need to focus.
Big Bills for Next Week:
SB 281 – Metro Funding Modification Act of 2026 🗓 Tuesday, February 3 🕑 2:00 PM 🏛 Committee: Senate Budget and Taxation
SB 281 addresses long-term funding modifications for Metro, with major implications for transit reliability, public investment, and the workers who keep the system running. Stable, dedicated funding is critical to protecting transit jobs and ensuring safe, dependable service for the region’s riders.
SB 6 expands collective bargaining rights for nontenure track faculty employed by the state. This bill is a critical step toward fairness, job security, and a real voice on the job for educators who have long been excluded from full bargaining protections.
Bills we're watching next week . . .
🗓 Tuesday, February 3
HB 18 – Transportation Network Companies: Minimum Payments for Passenger Trips 🕑 2:00 PM 🏛 Committee: Environment and Transportation
HB 18 focuses on minimum payments for transportation network operators, raising important questions about fair compensation and standards for gig and app-based workers.
This bill addresses revisions to earned wage access programs—an increasingly common issue affecting workers’ pay timing, fees, and protections. Labor is closely monitoring how these changes may impact workers’ financial security.
SB 271 – Income Tax: Subtraction Modification – Retirement Income of Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services Personnel – Eligibility 🕑 2:00 PM 🏛 Committee: Senate Budget and Taxation
SB 271 expands eligibility for retirement income tax subtraction for fire, rescue, and emergency services personnel—recognizing the service, risk, and long-term commitment of public safety workers.
🗓 Wednesday, February 4
HB 242 – Unemployment Insurance: Confidentiality of Information 🕐 1:00 PM 🏛 Committee: Economic Matters
This legislation concerns protections around unemployment insurance data and confidentiality—an issue with significant implications for worker privacy and program integrity.
HB 314 – Automation Technology Deployment Assessment and Displaced Employee Retraining Fund Established 🕐 1:00 PM 🏛 Committee: House Economic Matters
HB 314 requires an assessment of automation technology deployment and establishes a fund to support retraining for displaced workers—putting worker protections and transition support front and center as technology reshapes the workplace.
SB 156 – Railroads: Required Crew for Movement of Freight 🕐 1:00 PM 🏛 Committee: Senate Finance
SB 156 establishes minimum crew requirements for freight rail operations, strengthening safety standards and protecting railroad workers and the communities rail lines run through.
🗓 Thursday, February 5
HB 168 – Housing and Community Development: Affordable Housing – Educator Workforce Housing and Municipal Corporations 🕐 1:00 PM 🏛 Committee: House Economic Matters
HB 168 supports the development of affordable workforce housing for educators, helping school systems recruit and retain staff by addressing one of the biggest barriers to staying in the profession: housing costs.
HB 203 – Labor and Employment: Training Repayment Agreements 🗓 Thursday, February 5 🕐 1:00 PM 🏛 Committee: House Government, Labor, and Elections
HB 203 addresses so-called “training repayment” agreements that can trap workers in jobs or saddle them with debt if they leave—strengthening worker mobility and fairness in employment practices.
SB 136 extends collective bargaining rights to police officers at the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis Commission, ensuring these workers have a voice on wages, working conditions, and job protections.
🛎 Reminder: Testimony sign-up and written submissions are handled exclusively through the MyMGA portal, with strict deadlines and no late entries. Check committee schedules early and often.
Have you submitted your own testimony yet? Upload your written testimony through the MyMGA portal so your voice is counted—every member story matters.
Share your testimony with us too, and we’ll highlight it on our website to show the power of working people standing together. Send your testimony to testimonymddclabor@gmail.com. We're compiling our submitted testimony on our website. If you are out lobbying, we'd love photos of that too. Include your photos in your emails too! View what we've submitted so far here: https://mddclabor.org/2026-testimony.
This is NOT a comprehensive list of bills that we're watching. Come to our Monday lobbying meetings if you want more information about what's happening in Annapolis.
📝 HOW TO SUBMIT TESTIMONY (READ THIS BEFORE THE PORTAL CLOSES)
Planning to testify on upcoming legislation? Great. To ensure that your testimony counts, follow the rules and use the tools available.
All testimony submissions (oral sign-up and written testimony) must be completed through the MyMGA portal.
Testimony opens up 2 business days before the hearing date (i.e. if your bill is heard on a Tuesday, testimony is due by Friday). Testimony is open from 8:00am to 6:00pm.
The bill orders are usually posted on the website by noon on the day of the hearing.
All testimony will be public record and searchable online.
No late submissions. Miss the deadline or try to switch from in-person to virtual after it closes, and you’re out.
Need help? You don’t have to figure this out alone. If you have questions or run into issues submitting testimony, reach out to Elizabeth Bobo atebobo@mddclabor.org.
Upcoming Events
Labor Legislative Lobbying Meeting 🗓 Monday, February 2 🕔 5:00 PM 📍 Maryland State & DC AFL-CIO 7 School Street, Annapolis, MD 21401
Union Night in Annapolis 🗓 Monday, March 9 📍 Maryland State House All affiliates are strongly encouraged to attend and bring as many members as possible. Union Night is about visibility, solidarity, and reminding state decision-makers exactly who working people are—and how many of us there are.
Legislative Hearings & Key Dates 🗓 Ongoing throughout the session Stay up to date with hearings, deadlines, and important legislative moments by checking our online calendar: 👉 https://mddclabor.org/maryland-state-legislative-calendar-0
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