The state federation represents correctional officers in Baltimore County through the Baltimore County Federation of Public Employees (BCFPE) and has been working with legislators to pass the Hometown Heroes act. This act would lower the age from 55 to 50 for a tax break for certain retired public safety professionals. This tax break would be a benefit to retired Baltimore county correctional officers.
BCFPE President John Ripley and AFT-Maryland Legislative Director Denise Riley have been aggressively lobbying senators on the Budget and Taxation committee to pass the bill. BCFPE and AFT-Maryland have been working on varying iterations of this bill for several sessions. The state federation first took an interest in the bill when BCFPE sought to add correctional officers to the list. With the addition of correctional officers, the union is also working to get 911 call center operators added to the list of personnel who receive benefits under the Hometown Heroes Act.
This bi-partisan legislation has been well received by politicians as AFT-Maryland lobbies for it. The bill has been cross-filed in the House of Delegates and had the most recent hearing on Valentine’s Day this year. The state federation will continue to monitor this legislation and work to get this much needed tax break for our retired Baltimore county correction officers.
2020-02-18
Member testimony is vital to the work AFT-Maryland does in Annapolis on behalf of its locals. If you would like to submit written testimony or come to Annapolis to provide oral testimony on behalf of your union, please contact Todd Reynolds, AFT-Maryland Political Coordiantor at treynolds@aftmd.org.