Union members! Bookmark this page and visit periodically to receive updates on the elections, as well as information on legislative bills that affect you and your work.
Click the links below to learn more:
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The 2023 Maryland Legislative Session is over, and AFT-Maryland has a lot to report. We work with public employees from a number of sectors including K-12 education, healthcare, state and municipal civil service, and higher education to meet with elected officials to advocate for policy that would improve their work experiences. |
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Are you and everyone in your family registered to vote? |
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We're getting ready for the 2024 Primary Election! We have resources for our members and community members to make their plans to vote in the upcoming 2024 Election, including key dates for the Primary. Find information on Labor Endorsed candidates, deadlines to register to vote, where to vote, and how to plan your vote. |
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Members:Take the 2024 Political Priorities Survey The 2024 election season will soon be upon us, and as public employees and education workers, we must be sure that our issues are understood by candidates who are running for various offices that are up for election. In order to better understand the political priorities of our membership as we head into this election cycle, please take the time to complete this, short, 5-minute political priorities survey. Once completed, the union will begin compiling questions to ask the various candidates for the particular offices, and holding candidate forums to determine who will get the union's endorsement. |
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Volunteer to Help Get Out the Vote! Volunteer this election season with your co-workers to be sure Maryland elects pro-union candidates throughout the state! Sign up at aftmd.us/gotvsignup2024 |
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Need to know who represents you in Annapolis and in county/city government?
Click here to find your current state and local representatives. |
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Contribute to AFT-Maryland COPE (Union members only) AFT-Maryland COPE (Committee On Political Education) is a fund composed exclusively of voluntary contributions from union members that is used to help support pro-union candidates for elected office. https://aftmd.us/aftmdcope |
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The AFT-Maryland Endorsement Process. Click here to learn more. |
Archives
2023 Legislative Session
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, most of the session was viewable to the public through remote, web-based access. Details of the procedural rules and regulations can be seen below.
- Maryland Senate Reopening Guidelines
- Maryland House Reopening Guidelines
- Maryland General Assembly’s (MGA) webpage. Visit mgaleg.maryland.gov to find contact information for representatives, watch committee hearings, view specifics on any proposed bill, and review the state budget.
- Video: How to navigate the MGA webpage during Session. This includes how to search the MGALEG site for legislation of interest to you.
- Click here for a list of the most-searched subject codes on the site.
- Slide deck: How a Bill Becomes a Law
- Video: How the State Budget is Made.
- House and Senate Witness Guidelines: The House will be virtual all session and signups and testimony must be submitted 48 hours before a hearing. The Senate will be virtual until Feb. 14, and the same rules apply until that changes. Please contact AFT-Maryland Legislative Director Denise Riley for up to date information on procedures at driley@aftmd.org.
AFT-Maryland 2023 Legislative Session Report
2022 Legislative Session
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, most of the session was viewable to the public through remote, web-based access. Details of the procedural rules and regulations can be seen below.
- Maryland Senate Reopening Guidelines
- Maryland House Reopening Guidelines
- Maryland General Assembly’s (MGA) webpage. Visit mgaleg.maryland.gov to find contact information for representatives, watch committee hearings, view specifics on any proposed bill, and review the state budget.
- Video: How to navigate the MGA webpage during Session. This includes how to search the MGALEG site for legislation of interest to you.
- Click here for a list of the most-searched subject codes on the site.
- Slide deck: How a Bill Becomes a Law
- Video: How the State Budget is Made.
- House and Senate Witness Guidelines: The House will be virtual all session and signups and testimony must be submitted 48 hours before a hearing. The Senate will be virtual until Feb. 14, and the same rules apply until that changes. Please contact AFT-Maryland Legislative Director Denise Riley for up to date information on procedures at driley@aftmd.org.
AFT-Maryland 2022 Legislative Session Report
2021 Special Session
On December 6th, the Maryland State Legislature convened a special session to redraw our state’s congressional boundaries based on the 2020 U.S. Census data. They also considered overriding the vetoes on a number of important bills, as well as electing a new State Treasurer. The State Treasurer sits on the state employee and teacher pension board, and represents one vote on the three-member Board of Public Works, which deliberates on state procurement and budgetary items when the legislature is not in session.
Click here for more detailed information on the 2021 Special Session, and what it means for workers!
2021 Legislative Session
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, most of the session was viewable to the public through remote, web-based access. Details of the procedural rules and regulations can be seen below.
- Maryland Senate Reopening Guidelines
- Maryland House Reopening Guidelines
- Maryland General Assembly’s (MGA) webpage. Visit mgaleg.maryland.gov to find contact information for representatives, watch committee hearings, view specifics on any proposed bill, and review the state budget.
- Video: How to navigate the MGA webpage during Session. This includes how to search the MGALEG site for legislation of interest to you.
- Click here for a list of the most-searched subject codes on the site.
- Slide deck: How a Bill Becomes a Law
- Video: How the State Budget is Made.
- Senate Witness Guidelines for Maryland's 2021 Legislative Session
2020
- The 2020 Elections. Includes candidate questionnaires, the PlanYourVote tool, Candidate forums, Voting by mail instructions, etc.
- 2020 Legislative Priorities.
- The 2020 Legislative Report.
- The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (The Kirwan Commission)
2019
Read the 2019 Legislative Session Wrap-Up.
- Articles and Updates on AFT-Maryland's work in Annapolis: http://md.aft.org/political-action/
Get involved! To find out about how you can be a part of AFT-Maryland's Political and Legislative Committees, or if you have any questions, contact Todd Reynolds or Denise Riley:
Contact:
Todd Reynolds, AFT-Maryland Political Coordinator
(443) 320-4719 | treynolds@aftmd.org
Denise Riley, AFT-Maryland Director of Policy & Legislative Affairs
(443) 320-4713 | driley@aftmd.org