Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission - Personnel Management - Appeals of Disciplinary Suspensions PG/MC 104-26

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.
*hb1185*

HOUSE BILL 1185
L5, P4 6lr1057

By: Prince George’s County Delegation and Montgomery County Delegation
Introduced and read first time: February 11, 2026
Assigned to: Environment and Transportation
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 6, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission – Personnel Management – 2
Disciplinary Actions Appeals of Disciplinary Suspensions 3

PG/MC 104–26 4

FOR the purpose of requiring the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission to take 5
certain actions before suspending or removing an employee of the Commission; 6
providing that the Commission may take any disciplinary action not later than 7
within a certain number of days after the Commission acquires knowledge of the 8
misconduct for which the disciplinary action is imposed; authorizing an employee of 9
the Washington Suburban Sanitary C ommission who is suspended for disciplinary 10
purposes to appeal to the Office of Administrative Hearings; requiring the Office to 11
dispose of a case or conduct a hearing and issue a final decision in an appeal under 12
this Act; and generally relating to the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. 13

BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 14
Article – Public Utilities 15
Section 16–101(a) and (b) and 18–123 16
Annotated Code of Maryland 17
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 18

BY adding to 19
Article – Public Utilities 20
Section 18–120.1 21
Annotated Code of Maryland 22
2 HOUSE BILL 1185

(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 1

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 2
Article – Public Utilities 3
Section 18–121 4
Annotated Code of Maryland 5
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 6

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 7
Article – State Personnel and Pensions 8
Section 4–401 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

Article – Public Utilities 14

16–101. 15

(a) In this division the following words have the meanings indicated. 16

(b) “Commission” means the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. 17

18–120.1. 18

(A) BEFORE TAKING ANY DIS CIPLINARY ACTION UND ER § 18–121 OR § 19
18–123 OF THIS SUBTITLE, THE COMMISSION SHALL: 20

(1) INVESTIGATE THE ALLEGED MISCONDUCT; 21

(2) MEET WITH THE EMPLOYEE; 22

(3) CONSIDER ANY MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES; 23

(4) DETERMINE THE APPROPRIATE DISCIPLINARY ACTION, IF ANY, TO 24
BE IMPOSED; AND 25

(5) GIVE THE EMPLOYEE A WRITTEN NOTICE OF TH E DISCIPLINARY 26
ACTION TO BE TAKEN AND THE EMPLOYEE’S APPEAL RIGHTS. 27

(B) EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SUBSECTION (C) OF THIS SECTION , THE 28
COMMISSION MAY IMPOSE ANY DISCIPLINARY ACTION NOT LATER THAN 30 DAYS 29
HOUSE BILL 1185 3

AFTER THE COMMISSION ACQUIRES KNOWLEDGE OF THE MISCONDUCT FOR WHICH 1
THE DISCIPLINARY ACTION IS IMPOSED. 2

(C) (1) THE COMMISSION MAY SUSPEN D AN EMPLOYEE WITHOU T PAY 3
NOT LATER THAN 5 WORKDAYS FOLLOWING THE CLOSE OF THE EMPLOYEE’S NEXT 4
SHIFT AFTER THE COMMISSION ACQUIRES KNOWLEDGE OF THE MISC ONDUCT FOR 5
WHICH THE SUSPENSION IS IMPOSED. 6

(2) SATURDAYS, SUNDAYS, LEGAL HOLIDAYS, AND EMPLOYEE LEAVE 7
DAYS ARE EXCLUDED IN CALCULATING THE 5–WORKDAY PERIOD UNDER THIS 8
SUBSECTION. 9

18–121. 10

(a) (1) The Commission may suspend an employee for disciplinary purposes 11
for up to 30 days. 12

[(b)] (2) Each suspension shall be without pay. 13

[(c)] (3) An employee may not be suspended for disciplinary purposes for more 14
than 30 days in a calendar year. 15

(B) AN EMPLOYEE WHO IS SU SPENDED FOR DISCIPLINARY PURPOSES MAY 16
APPEAL TO THE OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS IN ACCORDANC E WITH § 17
4–401 OF THE STATE PERSONNEL AND PENSIONS ARTICLE. 18

18–123. 19

(a) An employee may not be permanently remov ed except for cause and after an 20
opportunity to be heard. 21

(b) An employee who is permanently removed may appeal to the Office of 22
Administrative Hearings in accordance with § 4 –401 of the State Personnel and Pensions 23
Article. 24

(c) An employee may not be permanently removed from the merit system because 25
of religious or political opinions or affiliations. 26

Article – State Personnel and Pensions 27

4–401. 28

The Office of Administrative Hearings shall dispose of a case or conduct a hearing 29
and issue a final decision in: 30

(1) a Whistleblower Law hearing under § 5–310 of this article; 31
4 HOUSE BILL 1185

(2) an appeal under Title 11 of this article of a disciplinary action; 1

(3) a grievance under § 12–205 of this article; 2

(4) AN APPEAL UNDER § 18–121 OF THE PUBLIC UTILITIES ARTICLE 3
FOR THE SUSPENSION O F AN EMPLOYEE OF THE WASHINGTON SUBURBAN 4
SANITARY COMMISSION; and 5

[(4)] (5) an appeal under § 18 –123 of the Public Utilities Article for the 6
removal of an employee of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. 7

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 8
October 1, 2026. 9

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