EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb1443*
HOUSE BILL 1443
L1, L3 5lr2621
CF SB 872
By: Delegates Griffith, Rogers, Allen, Buckel, A. Johnson, S. Johnson, Korman,
Pippy, and Wilson
Introduced and read first time: February 7, 2025
Assigned to: Environment and Transportation
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Local Government – Hiring and Promotion Preferences for Veterans and 2
Spouses of Service Members and Veterans 3
(Families Serve Act) 4
FOR the purpose of authorizing counties and municipalities to grant, by local law, a 5
preference in the hiring and promotion to eligible veterans, spouses of eligible service 6
members, spouses of certain eligible veterans and eligible service members, and 7
surviving spouses of deceased eligible veterans; authorizing counties and 8
municipalities to adopt a local law that allows for the application of a certain credit 9
on a selection test for eligible spouses, eligible veterans, spouses of certain eligible 10
veterans, and surviving spouses of deceased eligible veterans; and generally relating 11
to hiring and promotion preferences for veterans and spouses of service members 12
and veterans. 13
BY renumbering 14
Article – Local Government 15
Section 1–204 through 1–206 16
to be Section 1–205 through 1–207, respectively 17
Annotated Code of Maryland 18
(2013 Volume and 2024 Supplement) 19
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 20
Article – Labor and Employment 21
Section 3–714 22
Annotated Code of Maryland 23
(2016 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 24
BY adding to 25
Article – Local Government 26
Section 1–204 27 2 HOUSE BILL 1443
Annotated Code of Maryland 1
(2013 Volume and 2024 Supplement) 2
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 3
Article – Local Government 4
Section 12–109(a)(2) 5
Annotated Code of Maryland 6
(2013 Volume and 2024 Supplement) 7
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 8
Article – State Personnel and Pensions 9
Section 7–207(c)(1) 10
Annotated Code of Maryland 11
(2024 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 12
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 13
That Section(s) 1–204 through 1–206 of Article – Local Government of the Annotated Code 14
of Maryland be renumbered to be Section(s) 1–205 through 1–207, respectively. 15
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTH ER ENACTED, That the Laws of Maryland read 16
as follows: 17
Article – Labor and Employment 18
3–714. 19
(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 20
(2) “Eligible service member” means a full–time active duty member of any 21
branch of the uniformed services of the United States. 22
(3) “Eligible veteran” means a veteran of any branch of the uniformed 23
services of the United States who has received an honorable discharge or a certificate of 24
satisfactory completion of service, including: 25
(i) the National Guard; 26
(ii) the military reserves; 27
(iii) the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service; and 28
(iv) the Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and 29
Atmospheric Administration. 30
(4) “EMPLOYER” INCLUDES A COUNTY OR MUNICIPAL CORPORATION . 31
HOUSE BILL 1443 3
(b) [An] SUBJECT TO SUBSECTION (D) OF THIS SECTION , AN employer may 1
grant a preference in hiring and promotion to: 2
(1) an eligible veteran; 3
(2) the spouse of an eligible veteran who has a service–connected disability; 4
(3) the spouse of an eligible service member; or 5
(4) the surviving spouse of a deceased eligible veteran. 6
(c) Granting a preference under subsection (b) of this section does not violate any 7
State or local equal employment opportunity law. 8
(D) FOR AN EMPLOYER WHO IS A COUNTY OR MUNICIPAL CORPORATION , 9
THE COUNTY OR MUNICI PAL CORPORATION SHALL ADOPT A LOCAL LAW THAT 10
PROVIDES FOR THE HIR ING AND PROMOTION PR EFERENCE AUTHORIZED UNDER 11
SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION BEFORE IMPLEMENTING THE PREFERENCE . 12
Article – Local Government 13
1–204. 14
(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 15
INDICATED. 16
(2) “ELIGIBLE SPOUSE” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 7–207 OF THE 17
STATE PERSONNEL AND PENSIONS ARTICLE. 18
(3) “ELIGIBLE VETERAN ” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 7–207 OF 19
THE STATE PERSONNEL AND PENSIONS ARTICLE. 20
(B) (1) IF A COUNTY OR MUNICIPA LITY USES A SELECTION TEST FOR THE 21
HIRING OR APPOINTMEN T OF EMPLOYEES , THE COUNTY OR MUNICIPALITY MAY 22
ADOPT A LOCAL LAW TH AT ALLOWS FOR THE APPLICATION OF A CREDIT OF 10 23
POINTS, OR ITS EQUIVALENT , ON A SELECTION TEST FOR: 24
(I) AN ELIGIBLE SPOUSE; 25
(II) AN ELIGIBLE VETERAN ; 26
(III) THE SPOUSE OF AN ELI GIBLE VETERAN WHO HA S A 27
SERVICE–CONNECTED DISABILITY ; OR 28
4 HOUSE BILL 1443
(IV) THE SURVIVING SPOUSE OF A DECEASED ELIGIBLE 1
VETERAN. 2
(2) A LOCAL LAW ADOPTED UN DER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS 3
SUBSECTION: 4
(I) MAY ALLOW FOR THE APPLICATION OF A CREDIT OF TWO 5
ADDITIONAL POINTS , OR ITS EQUIVALENT , ON ANY SELECTION TES T FOR A FORMER 6
PRISONER OF WAR ; AND 7
(II) IF NECESSARY, SHALL CLARIFY THE APPLICAT ION OF ANY 8
SPECIAL CREDIT APPLI ED UNDER § 1–205 OF THIS SUBTITLE. 9
(C) THE FOLLOWING APPLICA NTS ARE INELIGIBLE F OR A CREDIT UNDER 10
THIS SUBSECTION : 11
(1) A CURRENT EMPLOYEE OF A COUNTY OR MUNICIPALI TY; AND 12
(2) AN ELIGIBLE VETERAN WHO IS CONVICTED OF A CR IME AFTER 13
BEING DISCHARGED FRO M OR COMPLETING MILI TARY SERVICE. 14
12–109. 15
(a) Frederick County may: 16
(2) require a county employee, as a condition of employment, to elect to 17
receive the payment of wages by debit card or, subject to [§ 1–205(b)] § 1–206(B) and (c) of 18
this article, by direct deposit. 19
Article – State Personnel and Pensions 20
7–207. 21
(c) (1) (i) In this subsection the following words have the meanings 22
indicated. 23
(ii) “Eligible spouse” means an individual who is married to a 24
full–time active duty member of any branch of the uniformed services of the United States. 25
(iii) “Eligible veteran” means a veteran of any branch of the 26
uniformed services of the United States who has received an honorable discharge or a 27
certificate of satisfactory completion of service, including the National Guard and the 28
military reserves. 29
HOUSE BILL 1443 5
SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 1
October 1, 2025. 2