Public Safety - Police Employees and Deputy State Fire Marshals - Repeal of Pay Rate Restriction on Promotion

SB 74 would remove a rule that sometimes required promoted police officers and deputy state fire marshals to accept a lower pay step than their previous position if others in the new rank had equal or more seniority. Currently, if a promoted employee’s prior step was higher than peers with equal or greater experience in the new rank, they were automatically placed in a lower step. The bill repeals this restriction, ensuring promoted employees retain their previous step’s pay rate upon advancement. This change applies to all future promotions starting July 1, 2026, directly affecting Maryland police and fire marshal personnel.