Public Safety - Police Employees and Deputy State Fire Marshals - Repeal of Pay Rate Restriction on Promotion

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.
*hb0234*

HOUSE BILL 234
E4 6lr0002
(PRE–FILED) CF SB 74
By: Chair, Appropriations Committee (By Request – Departmental – State Police)
Requested: September 24, 2025
Introduced and read first time: January 14, 2026
Assigned to: Appropriations
Committee Report: Favorable
House action: Adopted
Read second time: February 26, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Public Safety – Police Employees and Deputy State Fire Marshals – Repeal of 2
Pay Rate Restriction on Promotion 3

FOR the purpose of repealing a requirement that a certain police employee or deputy State 4
fire marshal is entitled to a certain pay rate on promotion to a higher rank if a certain 5
other police employee or deputy State fire marshal in the same rank is at a lower 6
pay rate; and generally relating to the pay rates of police employees and deputy State 7
fire marshals. 8

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 9
Article – Public Safety 10
Section 2–405 11
Annotated Code of Maryland 12
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 13

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 14
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 15

Article – Public Safety 16

2–405. 17

2 HOUSE BILL 234

(a) (1) The Secretary shall develop a pay plan for police employees, State 1
Police communications operators, and State Police communications supervisors that 2
includes the ranks and the grades within ranks that the Secretary considers appropriate. 3

(2) The pay plan under this subsection: 4

(i) is subject to approval by the Secretary of Budget and 5
Management; and 6

(ii) is effective on approval by the Governor only to the extent that 7
sufficient money is included in the State budget. 8

(b) Each police employee, State Police communications operator, and State Police 9
communications supervisor is entitled to receive the pay rate, including any increment 10
based on length of service, set forth in the pay plan established under subsection (a) of this 11
section. 12

(c) (1) Each police employee is entitled to the pay rate for the next highest step 13
within the police employee’s rank on: 14

(i) each July 1, if the police employee was a police employee on July 15
1, 1967; or 16

(ii) each anniversary of the date of employment, for all other police 17
employees. 18

(2) [(i) Except as provided in subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph, on ] 19
ON promotion a police employee or a deputy State fire marshal is entitled to the pay 20
specified for the new rank in the same step that the police employee or deputy State fire 21
marshal occupied before promotion. 22

[(ii) If the step that the police employee or deputy State fire marshal 23
occupied before promotion is higher than that held by a police employee or deputy State 24
fire marshal who is already in the rank and has equal or higher total service time, on 25
promotion the police employee or deputy State fire ma rshal is entitled only to the pay 26
specified for the new rank in the next lower step than the police employee or deputy State 27
fire marshal occupied before promotion.] 28

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 29
1, 2026. 30