Legislative | Mid Atlantic State Pipe Trades

2020 Maryland Legislative Session

House of Delegates

Built to Learn Act 2020 – HB 1 – Speaker
Requiring or authorizing, under certain circumstances, the Maryland Stadium Authority to contract for, manage, and oversee certain public school facility projects; authorizing the Prince George's County government and Board of Education to enter into a certain public-private partnership to enhance the delivery of public school construction projects in the county; requiring the Governor, beginning in fiscal year 2020, to include in the annual budget certain supplemental funding to be used for certain educational purposes; etc.

  • $2.2 Billion in School Construction funding. 
  • This bill includes a Prevailing Wage requirement.

Passed House 128-6, Passed Senate 45-0, Sent to Governor’s Desk

Procurement – Prevailing Wage – Applicability – HB 582 – Valderramma
Repealing a certain limitation on the applicability of the Prevailing Wage Law to the construction of a public work by revising a certain definition.

  • Removes 50% of state money requirement for prevailing wage to apply to a general construction project.
  • Stopped in Committee because of early adjournment.

Labor and Employment – Labor Organizations – Right to Work - HB 163 – Miller
Would make Maryland a right to work state.  Has no counterpart in Senate.

  • Economic Matter Committee voted down this legislation.  Died in Committee.

Public Utilities – Investor Owned Utilities – Prevailing Wage - HB 1048 – Charkordian
Would require investor owned utilities such as BG&E, Columbia Gas, and Washington Gas to pay prevailing wage on their projects.

  • Stopped in Committee because of early adjournment.

State Fire Marshal – Sprinkler Systems Enforcement – HB 823 – Stein
Would require the State Fire Marshal to enforce any requirements relating to the installation of automatic sprinkler systems in new one and two-family dwellings.
Passed House 106-27, Passed Senate 45-0, Sent to Governor’s Desk.

Electric Generation – Transition from Fossil Fuels – Carbon Dioxide Emissions Rate and Transition Account – HB 1545 – Barve
Prohibiting the carbon dioxide emissions rate for certain affected electric generating units from exceeding a certain amount; establishing the Fossil Fuel Community Transition Account to provide grants to certain individuals and communities; requiring the Department of Commerce to establish certain policies and procedures for the administration of the Account; requiring the Maryland Energy Administration to use the Maryland Strategic Energy Investment Fund to provide funding for the Account; etc.  This bill would close within 10 years the remaining coal power plants.

  • Stopped in Committee because of early adjournment.

Labor and Employment – Occupational Safety and Health – Heat Stress Standards – HB 722 – Charkordian
Requiring the Commissioner of Labor and Industry to adopt regulations, on or before October 1, 2022, that include a certain standard establishing certain heat stress levels and to ensure that all employers comply with certain requirements with respect to occupational exposure to excessive heat; requiring certain employers to develop, implement, and maintain a certain excessive heat-related illness prevention plan for employees; etc.
Passed House 96-37, Passed Senate 46-0, Sent to Governor’s Desk.

Baltimore City Community College – Procurement Authority – HB 207 – Wells
Exempting Baltimore City Community College from certain provisions of the State procurement law; requiring the Board of Trustees of the College, subject to review and approval by the Board of Public Works and the Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review, to develop certain policies and procedures governing procurement; requiring the Board of Trustees to develop an information technology plan that meets certain requirements; etc.

  • This bill has the side effect of making this BCCC exempt from Prevailing Wage.
    - Amendments are being filed to fix this.
    - Sponsors did not realize when they signed on to the bill.
  • Stopped in Committee because of early adjournment.

2026 FIFA World Cup – Protection of Human Rights – HJ 7 – Pena-Melnyk
Supporting the fundamental requirements for United 2026 as laid out in FIFA's "Proposal for a United Human Rights Strategy"; and encouraging all host stadiums, cities, ports of entry, and fan zones to provide certain atmospheres, experiences, and policies for fans, spectators, players, officials, and volunteers at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Maryland State and DC AFL-CIO voted to support this in a resolution at its convention last year.

  • Senate version on legislation was used to pass this bill (SJ 1).  It was sent to the Governor’s Desk.

State Senate

Built to Learn Act 2020 – SB 1 – President
Requiring or authorizing, under certain circumstances, the Maryland Stadium Authority to contract for, manage, and oversee certain public school facility projects; authorizing the Prince George's County government and Board of Education to enter into a certain public-private partnership to enhance the delivery of public school construction projects in the county; requiring the Governor, beginning in fiscal year 2020, to include in the annual budget certain supplemental funding to be used for certain educational purposes; etc.

  • $2.2 Billion in School Construction funding. 
  • This bill includes a Prevailing Wage requirement.
  • House Counterpart (HB 1) was used to pass this legislation, which was sent to the Governor’s Desk.

Procurement – Prevailing Wage – Applicability – SB 232 – Benson
Repealing a certain limitation on the applicability of the Prevailing Wage Law to the construction of a public work by revising a certain definition.

  • Removes 50% of state money threshold for prevailing wage to apply to a general construction project.
  • Stopped in Committee because of early adjournment.

Public Utilities – Investor Owned Utilities – Prevailing Wage - SB 1011 – Kramer
Would require investor owned utilities such as BG&E, Columbia Gas, and Washington Gas to pay prevailing wage on their projects.

  • Only made it to second read in the Senate as of Sine Die.

State Fire Marshal – Sprinkler Systems Enforcement – SB 746 – Beidel
Would require the State Fire Marshal to enforce any requirements relating to the installation of automatic sprinkler systems in new one and two-family dwellings.

  • Passed Senate 43-1, Passed House 102-30, Sent to Governor’s Desk.

Electric Generation – Transition from Fossil Fuels – Carbon Dioxide Emissions Rate and Transition Account – SB 887 – West
Prohibiting the carbon dioxide emissions rate for certain affected electric generating units from exceeding a certain amount; establishing the Fossil Fuel Community Transition Account to provide grants to certain individuals and communities; requiring the Department of Commerce to establish certain policies and procedures for the administration of the Account; requiring the Maryland Energy Administration to use the Maryland Strategic Energy Investment Fund to provide funding for the Account; etc.  This bill would close within 10 years the remaining coal power plants.

  • Stopped in Committee because of early adjournment.

Labor and Employment – Occupational Safety and Health – Heat Stress Standards – SB 434 – McCray
Requiring the Commissioner of Labor and Industry to adopt regulations, on or before October 1, 2022, that include a certain standard establishing certain heat stress levels and to ensure that all employers comply with certain requirements with respect to occupational exposure to excessive heat; requiring certain employers to develop, implement, and maintain a certain excessive heat-related illness prevention plan for employees; etc.

  • House Counterpart HB 722 was used to pass this legislation.  It was sent to the Governor’s Desk.

Baltimore City Community College – Procurement Authority – SB 159 – Hayes
Exempting Baltimore City Community College from certain provisions of the State procurement law; requiring the Board of Trustees of the College, subject to review and approval by the Board of Public Works and the Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review, to develop certain policies and procedures governing procurement; requiring the Board of Trustees to develop an information technology plan that meets certain requirements; etc.

  • This bill has the side effect of making this BCCC exempt from Prevailing Wage.
    - Amendments are being filed to fix this.
    - Sponsors did not realize when they signed on to the bill.
    - Passed Senate 39-7, Had First read in the House.

2026 FIFA World Cup – Protection of Human Rights – SJ 1 – McCray
Supporting the fundamental requirements for United 2026 as laid out in FIFA's "Proposal for a United Human Rights Strategy"; and encouraging all host stadiums, cities, ports of entry, and fan zones to provide certain atmospheres, experiences, and policies for fans, spectators, players, officials, and volunteers at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Maryland State and DC AFL-CIO voted to support this in a resolution at its convention last year.

  • Passed the Senate 32-14, Passed House 109-22, Sent to Governor’s Desk.