Legislative Update - Week of Feb. 2
Welcome to this week’s Maryland State and DC AFL-CIO Legislative Update!
The start of our weekly lobbying meetings was postponed thanks to 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 – State Personnel: Collective Bargaining – Nontenure Track Faculty 🗓 Thursday, February 5 🕐 1:00 PM 🏛 Committee: Senate Finance 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.
HB 237 – Commercial Law: Earned Wage Access – Revisions 🕐 2:00 PM | 🏛 Committee: Economic Matters 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 🕐 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 – Collective Bargaining: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis Commission – Police Officers 🕐 1:00 PM | 🏛 Committee: Senate Finance 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. 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
👉 Step-by-step instructions: https://mddclabor.org/how-testify-maryland-general-assembly-step-step-guide
- MyMGA portal: All submissions must be done here.
- Deadlines: Testimony opens 2 business days before the hearing (8:00 AM – 6:00 PM).
- Public Record: All testimony is searchable online.
- No Late Entries: Deadlines are strictly enforced.
Upcoming Events
Labor Legislative Lobbying Meeting 🗓 Monday, February 2 | 🕔 5:00 PM 📍 Maryland State & DC AFL-CIO, 7 School Street, Annapolis, MD 21401 RSVP via email to attend in person.
Union Night in Annapolis 🗓 Monday, March 9 📍 Maryland State House