EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
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*hb0618*
HOUSE BILL 618
E4 4lr2939
HB 308/23 – APP CF SB 380
By: Delegates Munoz and Toles
Introduced and read first time: January 25, 2024
Assigned to: Appropriations
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 20, 2024
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Police Recruitment and Retention Workgroup 2
FOR the purpose of establishing the Police Recruitment and Retention Workgroup to study 3
issues and factors potentially contributing to the decline in police retention 4
statewide; and generally relating to the Police Recruitment and Retention 5
Workgroup. 6
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASS EMBLY OF MARYLAND, 7
That: 8
(a) There is a Police Recruitment and Retention Workgroup. 9
(b) The Workgroup consists of the following members: 10
(1) one member of the Senate of Maryland, appointed by the Chair of the 11
Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee; 12
(2) one member of the House of Delegates, appointed by the Chair of the 13
House Judiciary Committee; 14
(3) the Secretary of the Department of State Police, or the Secretary’s 15
designee; 16
(4) the Public Defender, or the Public Defender’s designee; 17
2 HOUSE BILL 618
(5) the Attorney General, or the Attorney General’s designee; 1
(6) the President of the Maryland State’s Attorneys’ Association, or the 2
President’s designee; 3
(7) the President of the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association, or the 4
President’s designee; 5
(8) one member with expertise in the field of effective policing, designated 6
by the President of the Fraternal Order of Police; 7
(9) the Executive Director of the Maryland Commission on Criminal 8
Sentencing Policy, or the Executive Director’s designee; 9
(10) the President of the Maryland chapter of the National Organization of 10
Black Law Enforcement Executives, or the President’s designee; 11
(11) the President of the Hispanic American Law Enforcement Association, 12
or the President’s designee; 13
(10) (12) the following members, appointed by the Governor: 14
(i) one representative of the Fraternal Order of Police; 15
(ii) one representative from the National Association for the 16
Advancement of Colored People; and 17
(iii) one representative with expertise in human resources; 18
(iv) one representative with expertise in police practices; 19
(v) one representative with expertise in police retention and 20
recruitment; and 21
(vi) one two citizen representative representatives; 22
(11) (13) the following members, appointed by the Maryland Association 23
of Counties: 24
(i) one representative of a police department for an urban county; 25
and 26
(ii) one representative of a sheriff’s office for a rural county; and 27
(12) (14) the following members, appointed by the Maryland Municipal 28
League: 29
HOUSE BILL 618 3
(i) one representative of a police department for an urban 1
municipality; and 2
(ii) one representative of a police department for a rural 3
municipality. 4
(c) The Governor shall designate the chair of the Workgroup. 5
(d) The Department of State Police shall provide staff for the Workgroup. 6
(e) A member of the Workgroup: 7
(1) may not receive compensation as a member of the Workgroup; but 8
(2) is entitled to reimbursement for expenses under the Standard State 9
Travel Regulations, as provided in the State budget. 10
(f) A member of the Workgroup serves at the pleasure of the person who 11
appointed the member to the Workgroup. 12
(g) At the first meeting of the Workgroup, the Workgroup shall vote to adopt a 13
code of conduct providing for the acceptable conduct of Workgroup members. 14
(h) The Workgroup shall identify and examine issues and factors potentially 15
contributing to recruitment challenges and the decline in police officer retention statewide, 16
including: 17
(1) the number of police officers retiring annually; 18
(2) the number of cadets completing police academy training annually; 19
(3) training hour requirements for police officers; 20
(4) police training academy acceptance requirements; 21
(5) recruitment techniques; 22
(6) requirements for advancement within police departments; 23
(7) the impact of current State and local laws on policing and police 24
departments; 25
(8) current salary ranges, health benefits, and retirement benefits for 26
police officers statewide; 27
(9) to the extent that information is available: 28
4 HOUSE BILL 618
(i) the migration of police officers between departments; 1
(ii) the attrition rates of newly certified police officers; 2
(iii) the average length of active service for police officers; and 3
(iv) the number of actively employed police officers who have retired 4
from another police department in State or local government; and 5
(10) perceptions of the occupation among potential recruits. 6
(g) (i) The Workgroup shall: 7
(1) explore recruitment and retention strategies used successfully in other 8
states and countries; 9
(2) design a statewide joint apprenticeship and training council including 10
multiple departments and unions to operate a police–registered apprenticeship beginning 11
in high school; and 12
(3) provide recommendations for reviewing the decline in police retention 13
statewide. 14
(h) (j) On or before December 30, 2025, the Workgroup shall report its findings and 15
recommendations to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State 16
Government Article, the General Assembly. 17
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 18
1, 2024. It shall remain effective for a period of 2 years and, at the end of June 30, 2026, 19
this Act, with no further action required by the General Assembly, shall be abrogated and 20
of no further force and effect. 21
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.