Washington County Salary Study Commission - Membership - Alterations

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.
*sb0498*

SENATE BILL 498
L2 6lr1769
CF HB 934
By: Washington County Senators
Introduced and read first time: February 2, 2026
Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
Committee Report: Favorable
Senate action: Adopted
Read second time: February 20, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Washington County Salary Study Commission – Membership – Alterations 2

FOR the purpose of altering the membership of the Washington County Salary Study 3
Commission; and generally relating to the membership of the Washington County 4
Salary Study Commission. 5

BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 6
Article – Local Government 7
Section 28–202 8
Annotated Code of Maryland 9
(2013 Volume and 2025 Supplement) 10

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 11
Article – Local Government 12
Section 28–203 13
Annotated Code of Maryland 14
(2013 Volume and 2025 Supplement) 15

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBL Y OF MARYLAND, 16
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 17

Article – Local Government 18

28–202. 19

2 SENATE BILL 498

There is a Washington County Salary Study Commission. 1

28–203. 2

(a) Subject to subsections (b) and (d) of this section, the Commission consists of 3
the following members: 4

(1) one member from the Democratic Central Committee of Washington 5
County; 6

(2) one member from the Republican Central Committee of Washington 7
County; 8

(3) one member from the Washington County Chamber of Commerce; 9

(4) one member from the Washington County Farm Bureau; 10

(5) one member from the League of Women Voters of Washington County; 11

(6) one member from the Western Maryland Central Labor Council; 12

(7) one member from the [Cumberland Valley Associated Builders and 13
Contractors, Inc.] WASHINGTON COUNTY HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION, INC.; 14

(8) one member from the Joint Veterans Council of Washington County; 15
and 16

(9) one at –large member who is a resident selected by the County 17
Commissioners of Washington County. 18

(b) Each member shall be a registered voter of Washington County who in the 19
previous 4 years has voted in at least two elections, at least one of which was in the 20
gubernatorial election year. 21

(c) On or before March 31, 2016, and on or before March 31 each fourth year 22
thereafter, the County Commissioners of Washington County shall request that each 23
organization listed in subsection (a) of this section recommend an appointee to the county 24
commissioners on or before the following May 15. 25

(d) (1) The County Commiss ioners of Washington County shall appoint the 26
individual recommended by each organization listed in subsection (a) of this section. 27

(2) If an organization fails to make a recommendation to the county 28
commissioners on or before June 1, the members who ha ve been appointed to the 29
Commission shall meet, solicit prospective members from the public, and select by majority 30
vote a qualified substitute public member to the Commission to serve through the following 31
December 1. 32
SENATE BILL 498 3

(3) A member of the Commission may not be an elected official or an 1
employee of an official whose salary the Commission studies. 2

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 3
October 1, 2026. 4

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