Labor & Employment (Retirement Benefits)

HB 1139 clarifies that local governments (such as counties, cities, and special agencies) must have all their employees join specific state pension systems - Employees’, Law Enforcement Officers’, or Correctional Officers’ - rather than allowing partial participation. It requires governments seeking to join these systems to submit properly completed election forms showing employee consent and ensures local retirement plans match state contribution rates or eliminate employer-paid contributions. The bill affects over 25 types of Maryland governmental units currently operating pension systems, including fire departments, transit authorities, and community action agencies. These changes aim to standardize participation requirements across the State Retirement and Pension System.

HB 678 clarifies membership requirements for the Correctional Officers' Retirement System, specifically affecting correctional officers and security staff at certain Maryland Department of Health facilities (including Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center). The bill amends retirement system rules to ensure that employees transferred between pension systems automatically join the Correctional Officers’ Retirement System as a condition of employment. Key provisions establish how unused sick leave credit is calculated for retirement benefits when employees move between systems, requiring proportional inclusion based on service in each system. This affects current and future employees in designated correctional roles at participating facilities, ensuring consistent retirement benefit calculations.