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.
*hb0388*
HOUSE BILL 388
F3 6lr1869
HB 1071/25 – APP CF SB 253
By: Delegates Forbes, Allen, Bhandari, Cardin, Ebersole, Guyton, McCaskill,
Pasteur, Phillips, Ross, Ruth, Stein, and White Holland
Introduced and read first time: January 21, 2026
Assigned to: Government, Labor, and Elections
Committee Report: Favorable
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 3, 2026
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Baltimore County Public Library – Collective Bargaining – Supervisory 2
Employees 3
FOR the purpose of authorizing supervisory employees of the Baltimore County Public 4
Library to form, join, and participate in an employee organization and engage in 5
certain othe r activities related to collective bargaining; authorizing certain 6
bargaining units for the employees of the Baltimore County Public Library; altering 7
certain provisions to provide that an employee may be deemed a certain management 8
employee, rather than a supervisory employee, under certain circumstances; and 9
generally relating to collective bargaining for supervisory employees of the Baltimore 10
County Public Library. 11
BY renumbering 12
Article – Education 13
Section 23–802 through 23–812 14
to be Section 23–803 through 23–813, respectively 15
Annotated Code of Maryland 16
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 17
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 18
Article – Education 19
Section 23–801(a), (k), and (l) 20
Annotated Code of Maryland 21
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 22
2 HOUSE BILL 388
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 1
Article – Education 2
Section 23–801(h) 3
Annotated Code of Maryland 4
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 5
BY adding to 6
Article – Education 7
Section 23–802 8
Annotated Code of Maryland 9
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 10
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 11
Article – Education 12
Section 23–803 and 23–810(a) 13
Annotated Code of Maryland 14
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 15
(As enacted by Section 1 of this Act) 16
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 17
That Section(s) 23 –802 through 23 –812 of Article – Education of the Annotated Code of 18
Maryland be renumbered to be Section(s) 23–803 through 23–813, respectively. 19
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the Laws of Maryland read 20
as follows: 21
Article – Education 22
23–801. 23
(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 24
(h) (1) “Employee” means a full–time or part–time employee of the library. 25
(2) “Employee” does not include a confidential employee [,] OR 26
management employee[, or supervisory employee]. 27
(k) “Management employee” means an employee who generally has authority and 28
who: 29
(1) Formulates policy that is applicable throughout a bargaining unit; 30
(2) Has a significant role in personnel administration, employee relations, 31
or the preparation and administration of budgets for the employer; or 32
(3) May reasonably be required to: 33
HOUSE BILL 388 3
(i) Assist directly in the preparation for and conduct of collective 1
bargaining negotiations on behalf of the employer; or 2
(ii) Have a major role in the administration of resulting collective 3
bargaining agreements. 4
(l) “Supervisory employee” means an employee who is authorized to: 5
(1) Hire, transfer, suspend, lay off, recall, promote, discharge, assign, 6
reward, or discipline employees; 7
(2) Responsibly direct employees for more than 50% of the employee’s 8
working hours; or 9
(3) Address and resolve the grievances of employees. 10
23–802. 11
(A) THERE MAY NOT BE MORE THAN TWO BARGAINING UNITS ESTABLISHED 12
UNDER THIS SUBTITLE, INCLUDING: 13
(1) ONE BARGAINING UNIT F OR EMPLOYEES WHO ARE NOT 14
SUPERVISORY EMPLOYEES; AND 15
(2) ONE BARGAINING UNIT FOR SUPERVISORY EMPLOYEES. 16
(B) THIS SUBTITLE MAY NOT BE CONSTRUED TO MODIFY OR TERMINATE: 17
(1) A BARGAINING UNIT THAT WAS RECOGNIZED OR IN EXISTENCE ON 18
OR BEFORE JUNE 30, 2026; OR 19
(2) A COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT ENTERED INTO ON OR 20
BEFORE JUNE 30, 2026. 21
23–803. 22
(a) An employee who may effectively recommend an action listed in [§ 23–801(l)] 23
§ 23–801(K) of this subtitle may be deemed a [supervisory] MANAGEMENT employee if 24
the employee’s exercise of the authority requires the exercise of independent judgment and 25
is not merely of a routine or clerical nature. 26
(b) The exercise of any single function listed in [§ 23–801(l)] § 23–801(K) of this 27
subtitle may not necessarily require the conclusion that the individual exercising that 28
4 HOUSE BILL 388
function is in fact a [supervisory] MANAGEMENT employee within the meaning of the 1
definition. 2
(c) In differentiating a [supervisory] MANAGEMENT employee from a 3
[nonsupervisory] NONMANAGEMENT employee: 4
(1) A class title alone may not be the basis for determination; and 5
(2) The nature of the [supervisory] MANAGEMENT employee’s work, 6
including whether or not a significant portion of the [supervisory] MANAGEMENT 7
employee’s working time is spent as part of a team that includes [nonsupervisory] 8
NONMANAGEMENT employees shall be considered. 9
23–810. 10
(a) The Board shall submit a term of a collective bargaining agreement or 11
memorandum of understanding entered into under [§§ 23 –807 and 23 –808] §§ 23–808 12
AND 23–809 of this subtitle to the County Executive with the Board’s recommendation 13
regarding whether the agreement or the mediator’s decision requires an appropriation of 14
additional funds. 15
SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 16
1, 2026. 17
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.