SB 136 Maryland Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Collective Bargaining - Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis Commission - Police Officers

SB 136 extends collective bargaining rights under Maryland's state employee laws to police officers employed by the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis Commission (ATCC) who are authorized to make arrests. It amends state law to explicitly include these officers under Section 3-102(a)(4) of the State Personnel and Pensions article, placing them in the same category as other covered state employees. This change applies to all full-time ATCC police officers at the rank of first sergeant and below, excluding supervisory or confidential roles as defined by regulations. The bill takes effect on October 1, 2026.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Oct 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Apr 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Oct 28, 2025 Signed Apr 14, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

First - Collective Bargaining - Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis Commission - Police Officers Third - Collective Bargaining - Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis Commission - Police Officers · 3 edits
MINOR
The bill was amended to reflect its successful passage by the Senate, adding status markers and a signature block. The effective date was changed from October 1, 2026, to July 1, 2026, bringing the law into force earlier. Additionally, the bill text was reorganized to align with the existing State Personnel and Pensions Article, ensuring the new provisions regarding the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis Commission police officers are properly integrated into the statutory structure.
Scope change
The bill's scope regarding the specific inclusion of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis Commission police officers in collective bargaining remains unchanged, but the effective date for these provisions was moved up by three months.
TIMELINE

The effective date of the Act was changed from October 1, 2026, to July 1, 2026.

TECHNICAL

Added Senate action status, committee report, and signature lines to indicate the bill has been adopted and is ready for executive approval.

Reorganized the bill text to match the formatting of existing Maryland laws, including updating the Article title and renumbering subsections.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 14, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 21, 2026

How they voted

430
Passed · 6 other
Total votes 49
Feb 14, 2026
D Democratic36
32 Yea 4
88% Yea
R Republican13
11 Yea 2
84% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
16
Key actions
10
Committee
6
Apr 14, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 65
executive
Apr 8, 2026
Upper · Passed
Returned Passed
upper
Apr 8, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third Reading Passed
lower
Apr 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
lower
Apr 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable Report by Government, Labor, and Elections
lower
Mar 21, 2026
House Of Delegates · Passed
House of Delegates Vote: pass (100-33-9)
house of delegates
Feb 20, 2026
Committee
Referred Government, Labor, and Elections
lower
Feb 19, 2026
Upper · Passed
Third Reading Passed
upper
Feb 17, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable with Amendments {
upper
Feb 16, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable with Amendments Report by Finance
upper
Feb 14, 2026
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (43-0-6)
senate
Jan 14, 2026
Committee
First Reading Finance
upper
Oct 28, 2025
Introduced
Pre-filed
upper
2 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors