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HB0141 • 2026

State Personnel - Collective Bargaining - Graduate Assistants

State Personnel - Collective Bargaining - Graduate Assistants

Education
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Delegate Foley
Last action
2026-05-26
Official status
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 774
Effective date
2028-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

State Personnel - Collective Bargaining - Graduate Assistants

Providing collective bargaining rights to certain graduate assistants at certain public institutions of higher education; defining "graduate assistant" as a graduate student at the University of Maryland, College Park or the University of Maryland, Baltimore County who is a teaching, administrative, or research assistant or in a comparable position, a fellow, or a postdoctoral intern; and establishing a separate collective bargaining unit for the graduate assistants.

What This Bill Does

  • Providing collective bargaining rights to certain graduate assistants at certain public institutions of higher education; defining "graduate assistant" as a graduate student at the University of Maryland, College Park or the University of Maryland, Baltimore County who is a teaching, administrative, or research assistant or in a comparable position, a fellow, or a postdoctoral intern; and establishing a separate collective bargaining unit for the graduate assistants.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

153822/1

None

Conference Committee Report { 153822/1 Adopted

Plain English: HB0141/153822/1 CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT BILL NO.: HB 141 SPONSOR: Delegate Foley SUBJECT: State Personnel - Collective Bargaining - Graduate Assistants THIRD READING CALENDAR HOUSE NO.

  • HB0141/153822/1 CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT BILL NO.: HB 141 SPONSOR: Delegate Foley SUBJECT: State Personnel - Collective Bargaining - Graduate Assistants THIRD READING CALENDAR HOUSE NO.
  • 52 SENATE NO.
  • 47 Hon.
  • William C.
433922/1

None

Favorable with Amendments { 433922/1 Adopted

Plain English: AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 141 (Third Reading File Bill) On page 3, strike beginning with the second “ A” in line 18 down through “MARYLAND” in line 20 and substitute “THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK OR THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE COUNTY”.

  • AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 141 (Third Reading File Bill) On page 3, strike beginning with the second “ A” in line 18 down through “MARYLAND” in line 20 and substitute “THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK OR THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE COUNTY”.
  • On page 4, in line 19, strike the brackets; in the same line, strike “ AN UNDERGRADUATE”; in line 20, strike the bracket and substitute “ , EXCEPT FOR A GRADUATE ASSISTANT”; in line 24, strike the second comma; and in line 25, strike “EXCEPT FOR A GRADUATE ASSISTANT”.
  • On page 5, in line 9, strike “2026” and substitute “2028”.
  • HB0141/433922/1 BY: Finance Committee

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-26 Post Passage

    Approved by the Governor - Chapter 774

  2. 2026-04-09 Senate

    Favorable with Amendments Report by Finance

  3. 2026-04-02 House

    Conference Committee Report { 153822/1 Adopted

  4. 2026-04-02 House

    Third Reading Passed (95-35)

  5. 2026-04-02 House

    Passed Enrolled

  6. 2026-04-01 House

    Senate Refuses Recede

  7. 2026-04-01 House

    Senate Conference Committee Appointed (Senators Kramer, Beidle and Hershey)

  8. 2026-03-27 House

    House Refuses Concur Senate Amendments

  9. 2026-03-27 House

    House Requests Senate Recede

  10. 2026-03-27 House

    House Conference Committee Appointed (Delegates Wells, Barnes and Solomon)

  11. 2026-03-27 Senate

    Conference Committee Report { 153822/1 Adopted

  12. 2026-03-27 Senate

    Third Reading Passed (32-11)

  13. 2026-03-26 Senate

    House Refuses Concur Senate Amendments

  14. 2026-03-26 Senate

    House Requests Senate Recede

  15. 2026-03-26 Senate

    House Conference Committee Appointed (Delegates Wells, Barnes and Solomon)

  16. 2026-03-26 Senate

    Senate Refuses Recede

  17. 2026-03-26 Senate

    Senate Conference Committee Appointed (Senators Kramer, Beidle and Hershey)

  18. 2026-03-22 Senate

    Third Reading Passed (29-11)

  19. 2026-03-21 Senate

    Favorable with Amendments { 433922/1 Adopted

  20. 2026-03-21 Senate

    Second Reading Passed with Amendments

  21. 2026-03-16 House

    Favorable Report by Government, Labor, and Elections

  22. 2026-03-05 House

    Third Reading Passed (98-34)

  23. 2026-03-03 House

    Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed

  24. 2026-03-03 Senate

    Referred Finance

  25. 2026-01-28 House

    Hearing 2/10 at 1:00 p.m. (Government, Labor, and Elections)

  26. 2026-01-14 House

    First Reading Government, Labor, and Elections and Appropriations

  27. 2025-07-23 House

    Pre-filed

  28. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - First - State Personnel - Collective Bargaining - Graduate Assistants

  29. Maryland General Assembly

    Vote - House - Committee - Government, Labor, and Elections

  30. Maryland General Assembly

    Vote - House - Committee - Appropriations

  31. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - Third - State Personnel - Collective Bargaining - Graduate Assistants

  32. Maryland General Assembly

    Vote - Senate - Committee - Finance

  33. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - Enrolled - State Personnel - Collective Bargaining - Graduate Assistants

Official Summary Text

Providing collective bargaining rights to certain graduate assistants at certain public institutions of higher education; defining "graduate assistant" as a graduate student at the University of Maryland, College Park or the University of Maryland, Baltimore County who is a teaching, administrative, or research assistant or in a comparable position, a fellow, or a postdoctoral intern; and establishing a separate collective bargaining unit for the graduate assistants.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
Italics indicate opposite chamber/conference committee amendments.
*hb0141*

HOUSE BILL 141
P4, F5 (6lr0645)
ENROLLED BILL
— Government, Labor, and Elections and Appropriations/Finance —
Introduced by Delegate Foley

Read and Examined by Proofreaders:

_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.

Sealed with the Great Seal and presented to the Governor, for his approval this

_______ day of _______________ at __ ______________________ o’clock, ________M.

______________________________________________
Speaker.

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

State Personnel – Collective Bargaining – Graduate Assistants 2

FOR the purpose of providing collective bargaining rights to certain graduate assistants at 3
certain public institutions of higher education; establishing a separate collective 4
bargaining unit for the graduate assistants; and generally relating to collective 5
bargaining for graduate assistants at public institutions of higher education. 6

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 7
Article – State Personnel and Pensions 8
Section 3–101 and 3–102(b)(9) and (d)(2) 9
Annotated Code of Maryland 10
(2024 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 11

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13
2 HOUSE BILL 141

Article – State Personnel and Pensions 1

3–101. 2

(a) In this title the following words have the meanings indicated. 3

(b) “Board” means the Public Employee Relations Board. 4

(c) “Chancellor” has the meaning stated in § 12–101 of the Education Article. 5

(d) “Collective bargaining” means: 6

(1) good faith negotiations by authorized representatives of employees and 7
their employer with the intention of: 8

(i) 1. reaching an agreement about wages, hours, and other 9
terms and conditions of employment; and 10

2. incorporating the terms of the agreement in a written 11
memorandum of understanding or other written understanding; or 12

(ii) clarifying terms and conditions of employment; 13

(2) administration of terms and conditions of employment; or 14

(3) the voluntary adjustment of a dispute or disagreement between 15
authorized representatives of employees and their employer that arises under a 16
memorandum of understanding or other written understanding. 17

(e) “Employee organization” has the meaning stated in § 22 –101 of the State 18
Government Article. 19

(f) “Exclusive representative” has the meaning stated in § 22 –101 of the State 20
Government Article. 21

(g) (1) “Faculty at the Mar yland School for the Deaf” means employees who 22
have been granted the following status by the Board of Trustees of the Maryland School for 23
the Deaf: 24

(i) after–school program counselors; 25

(ii) American Sign Language specialists; 26

(iii) athletic trainers; 27

(iv) behavior specialists; 28
HOUSE BILL 141 3

(v) clerical aides; 1

(vi) dorm counselors; 2

(vii) employment specialists; 3

(viii) instructional technology resource specialists; 4

(ix) librarians; 5

(x) literacy and reading specialists; 6

(xi) occupational therapists; 7

(xii) orientation and mobility specialists; 8

(xiii) physical therapists; 9

(xiv) school counselors; 10

(xv) school IEP coordinators; 11

(xvi) school nurses; 12

(xvii) school social workers; 13

(xviii) speech–language pathologists; 14

(xix) student support specialists; 15

(xx) teachers; 16

(xxi) teacher aides; 17

(xxii) transition coordinators; and 18

(xxiii) work–to–learn specialists. 19

(2) “Faculty at the Maryland School for the Deaf” does not include officers 20
or supervisory employees at the Maryland School for the Deaf. 21

(H) “GRADUATE ASSISTANT” MEANS A GRADUATE STU DENT AT A SYSTEM 22
INSTITUTION, MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, OR ST. MARY’S COLLEGE OF 23
MARYLAND THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK OR THE UNIVERSITY 24
OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE COUNTY WHO IS A TEACHING , ADMINISTRATIVE, OR 25
4 HOUSE BILL 141

RESEARCH ASSISTANT O R IN A COMPARABLE PO SITION, A FELLOW , OR A 1
POSTDOCTORAL INTERN. 2

[(h)] (I) “President” means: 3

(1) with regard to a constituent institution, as defined in § 12 –101 of the 4
Education Article, the president of the constituent institution; 5

(2) with regard to a center or institute, as those terms are defined in § 6
12–101 of the Education Article, the president of the center or institute; 7

(3) with regard to the University System of Maryland Office, the 8
Chancellor of the University System of Maryland; and 9

(4) with regard to Morgan State University, St. Mary’s College of 10
Maryland, and Baltimore City Community College, the president of the institution. 11

[(i)] (J) “System institution” means: 12

(1) a constituent institution, as defined in § 12 –101 of the Education 13
Article; 14

(2) a center or institute, as those terms are defined in § 12 –101 of the 15
Education Article; and 16

(3) the University System of Maryland Office. 17

3–102. 18

(b) This title does not apply to: 19

(9) an employee of the University System of Maryland, Morgan State 20
University, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, or Baltimore City Community College who is: 21

(i) a chief administrator or in a comparable position; 22

(ii) a deputy, associate, or assistant administrator or in a 23
comparable position; 24

(iii) a member of the faculty, including a faculty librarian; 25

(iv) [a] AN UNDERGRADUATE student employee [, including a 26
teaching assistant or a comparable position, fellow, or post doctoral intern ], EXCEPT FOR 27
A GRADUATE ASSISTANT; 28

HOUSE BILL 141 5

(v) a contingent, contractual, temporary, or emergency employee , 1
EXCEPT FOR A GRADUATE ASSISTANT; 2

(vi) a contingent, contractual, or temporary employee whose position 3
is funded through a research or service grant or contract, or through clinical revenues , 4
EXCEPT FOR A GRADUATE ASSISTANT; or 5

(vii) an employee whose regular place of employment is outside the 6
State of Maryland; 7

(d) (2) (i) Each system institution, Morg an State University, St. Mary’s 8
College of Maryland, and Baltimore City Community College shall have separate 9
bargaining units. 10

(ii) Appropriate bargaining units shall consist of: 11

1. all eligible nonexempt employees, as described in the 12
federal Fair Labor Standards Act, except eligible sworn police officers; 13

2. all eligible exempt employees, as described in the federal 14
Fair Labor Standards Act; [and] 15

3. all eligible sworn police officers; AND 16

4. ALL ELIGIBLE GRADUATE ASSISTANTS. 17

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 18
1, 2026 2028. 19

Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.