Legislative

For the first time since the Civil War, the Maryland Legislative Session ended early due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, legislators were able to pass an emergency bill to provide funds to deal with the healthcare crisis before Sine Die.

The early adjournment was only one of the reasons the 2020 session was historical. The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (SB 1000/HB 1300), a comprehensive bill to adopt the recommendations of the Kirwan Commission, passed and awaits the governor’s signature. The Blueprint, over three years in the making, will establish a world class education system in

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (SB 1000 / HB 1300) is the Kirwan Commission recommendations in legislation. The bill passed, and now waits on Governor Hogan’s desk for him to sign, veto, or take no action, which will make it go into law by default.

The bill is the first major economic plan for Maryland in probably decades. As our economy changes so must the education and training of its citizens. Maryland is one of the first states to recognize this need and has spent a great deal of time and research to catch-up to other countries in order to compete with them economically on a global

The efforts to #flattenthecurve of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, meant that the General Assembly suspended the Maryland legislative session in mid-March and this has increased the speed at which the legislature has worked to pass their most important bills. The Blueprint bill, commonly referred to as Kirwan, passed both chambers of the General Assembly and now waits on Governor Hogan’s desk for his signature. This landmark bill overhauls Maryland’s education system first by demanding greater state and local spending on education. BTU executive board member Corey

With a little over three weeks left in the legislative session, and the looming challenges of interpersonal interaction posed by the discovery of more COVID-19 cases, the AFT-Maryland March Legislative Committee meeting took on a heightened sense of importance. Several AFT-Maryland locals including BTU, BCFPE, CUB, and BCFPHN were represented. AFT-Maryland Legislative Director Denise Riley led the meeting and gave a thorough accounting of the important legislation that each local intended to pay attention to, while also noting the numerous revenue sharing bills that would affect the

The union’s legislative arm is strongest when members are the advocates lobbying for themselves. Legislators listen with a closer ear and a more compassionate heart when public employees share their experiences from their worksites. Members of AFT Healthcare-Maryland did just that when they took to Annapolis to lobby their legislators on important legislation that would positively affect the pay of a number of state health care professionals.

One piece of legislation is for Pay Rates and Staffing Requirements (HB1474/SB693). The union is grateful that state Sen. Guy Guzzone, who is the

Implementing the Kirwan Commission recommendations is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to make significant changes to the way Maryland students are educated. These changes will have particular effects on Baltimore City Public School students as well as students from Prince George’s county. Those two districts stand out because they are two of the only three school districts in Maryland where a majority of the student population is Black. In that vein, members from the Baltimore Teachers Union (BTU) and the Prince George’s County Education Association (PGCEA) united for a first of its kind

While many members enjoyed the Presidents Day holiday with a day off of work, AFT-Maryland was in Annapolis for a marathon Kirwan Commission hearing. The joint session included the House Ways and Means Committee and Appropriations Committee as well as the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and Education, Health and Environmental Affair Committee. Each of those committees will have some role in crafting the Kirwan legislation. They will either be responsible for implementing the educational policy or finding funding and revenue sources.

The Baltimore Teachers Union was on hand as

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

A hot topic among many working professionals is student loan debt. This is also true for members of the unions of AFT-Maryland. We know how pressing an issue student loan debt is because of the huge response to the student loan debt clinics that the state federation has provided to members. In Annapolis, AFT-Maryland is supporting legislation sponsored by Sen. Paul Pinsky that seeks to control costs of predatory private colleges that are unfortunately taking advantage of attendees. 

AFT-Maryland has been taking the lead among unions in Annapolis on providing relief for Marylanders wrestling

AFT-Maryland is a proud member of the Fair Funding Coalition (FFC). This coalition is a collection of organizations that seek to ensure that Maryland public schools are fairly funded for every student throughout the state. The coalition is a cross section of justice organizations, advocacy groups, labor unions, and more. It uses its combined power to lobby for fair and full funding of the Kirwan Commission’s recommendations to improve Maryland public schools and make them more equitable for Maryland students, including those in Baltimore city and the surrounding counties where our members