EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*hb1443*
HOUSE BILL 1443
L1, L3 5lr2621
CF SB 872
By: Delegates Griffith, Rogers, Allen, Buckel, A. Johnson, S. Johnson, Korman,
Pippy, and Wilson Wilson, and Guyton
Introduced and read first time: February 7, 2025
Assigned to: Environment and Transportation
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 5, 2025
CHAPTER ______
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 2 HOUSE BILL 1443
Annotated Code of Maryland 1
(2016 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 2
BY adding to 3
Article – Local Government 4
Section 1–204 5
Annotated Code of Maryland 6
(2013 Volume and 2024 Supplement) 7
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 8
Article – Local Government 9
Section 12–109(a)(2) 10
Annotated Code of Maryland 11
(2013 Volume and 2024 Supplement) 12
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 13
Article – State Personnel and Pensions 14
Section 7–207(c)(1) 15
Annotated Code of Maryland 16
(2024 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 17
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 18
That Section(s) 1–204 through 1–206 of Article – Local Government of the Annotated Code 19
of Maryland be renumbered to be Section(s) 1–205 through 1–207, respectively. 20
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the Laws of Maryland read 21
as follows: 22
Article – Labor and Employment 23
3–714. 24
(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 25
(2) “Eligible service member” means a full–time active duty member of any 26
branch of the uniformed services of the United States. 27
(3) “Eligible veteran” means a veteran of any branch of the uniformed 28
services of the United States who has received an honorable discharge or a certificate of 29
satisfactory completion of service, including: 30
(i) the National Guard; 31
(ii) the military reserves; 32
(iii) the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service; and 33
HOUSE BILL 1443 3
(iv) the Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and 1
Atmospheric Administration. 2
(4) “EMPLOYER” INCLUDES A COUNTY OR MUNICIPAL CORPORATIO N. 3
(b) [An] SUBJECT TO SUBSECTION (D) OF THIS SECTION , AN employer may 4
grant a preference in hiring and promotion to: 5
(1) an eligible veteran; 6
(2) the spouse of an eligible veteran who has a service–connected disability; 7
(3) the spouse of an eligible service member; or 8
(4) the surviving spouse of a deceased eligible veteran. 9
(c) Granting a preference under subsection (b) of this section does not violate any 10
State or local equal employment opportunity law. 11
(D) FOR IF AN EMPLOYER WHO THAT IS A COUNTY OR MUNIC IPAL 12
CORPORATION CHOOSES TO GRANT A P REFERENCE UNDER SUBS ECTION (B) OF THIS 13
SECTION, THE COUNTY OR MUNICI PAL CORPORATION SHALL MAY ADOPT A LOCAL 14
LAW THAT PROVIDES FO R THE HIRING AND PRO MOTION PREFERENCE AUTHORIZED 15
UNDER SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION BEFORE IMPLEMENTING THE 16
PREFERENCE . 17
Article – Local Government 18
1–204. 19
(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 20
INDICATED. 21
(2) “ELIGIBLE SPOUSE” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 7–207 OF THE 22
STATE PERSONNEL AND PENSIONS ARTICLE. 23
(3) “ELIGIBLE VETERAN ” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 7–207 OF 24
THE STATE PERSONNEL AND PENSIONS ARTICLE. 25
(B) (1) IF A COUNTY OR MUNICI PALITY USES A SELECT ION TEST FOR THE 26
HIRING OR APPOINTMEN T OF EMPLOYEES , THE COUNTY OR MUNICI PALITY MAY 27
ADOPT A LOCAL LAW TH AT ALLOWS FOR THE AP PLICATION OF A CREDI T OF 10 28
POINTS, OR ITS EQUIVALENT , ON A SELECTION TEST FOR : 29
(I) AN ELIGIBLE SPOUSE ; 30 4 HOUSE BILL 1443
(II) AN ELIGIBLE VETERAN ; 1
(III) THE SPOUSE OF AN ELI GIBLE VETERAN WHO HA S A 2
SERVICE–CONNECTED DISABILITY ; OR 3
(IV) THE SURVIVING SPOUSE OF A DECEASED ELIGIB LE 4
VETERAN. 5
(2) A LOCAL LAW ADOPTED UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS 6
SUBSECTION: 7
(I) MAY ALLOW FOR THE AP PLICATION OF A CREDI T OF TWO 8
ADDITIONAL POINTS , OR ITS EQUIVALENT , ON ANY SELECTION TES T FOR A FORMER 9
PRISONER OF WAR ; AND 10
(II) IF NECESSARY, SHALL CLARIFY THE AP PLICATION OF ANY 11
SPECIAL CREDIT APPLIED UN DER § 1–205 OF THIS SUBTITLE. 12
(C) THE FOLLOWING APPLICA NTS ARE INELIGIBLE F OR A CREDIT UNDER 13
THIS SUBSECTION : 14
(1) A CURRENT EMPLOYEE O F A COUNTY OR MUNICI PALITY; AND 15
(2) AN ELIGIBLE VETERAN WHO IS CONVICTED OF A CRIME AFTER 16
BEING DISCHARGED FRO M OR COMPLETING MILI TARY SERVICE. 17
12–109. 18
(a) Frederick County may: 19
(2) require a county employee, as a condition of employment, to elect to 20
receive the payment of wages by debit card or, subject to [§ 1–205(b)] § 1–206(B) and (c) of 21
this article, by direct deposit. 22
Article – State Personnel and Pensions 23
7–207. 24
(c) (1) (i) In this subsection the following words have the meanings 25
indicated. 26
(ii) “Eligible spouse” means an individual who is married to a 27
full–time active duty member of any branch of the uniformed services of the United States. 28
HOUSE BILL 1443 5
(iii) “Eligible veteran” means a veteran of any branch of the 1
uniformed services of the United States who has received an honorable discharge or a 2
certificate of satisfactory completion of service, including the National Guard and the 3
military reserves. 4
SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 5
October 1, 2025. 6
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.