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.
*sb1040*
SENATE BILL 1040
P4 EMERGENCY BILL 5lr3618
By: Senator Hester Senators Hester, Benson, Ferguson, Guzzone, Hettleman,
M. Jackson, King, Lewis Young, McCray, Rosapepe, and Zucker, Attar,
Augustine, Beidle, Brooks, Charles, Ellis, Feldman, Gile, Hayes, Henson,
C. Jackson, James, Kagan, Kramer, Lam, Love, Muse, Smith, Sy dnor,
Waldstreicher, A. Washington, M. Washington, and Watson
Introduced and read first time: February 14, 2025
Assigned to: Rules
Re–referred to: Budget and Taxation, March 11, 2025
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
Senate action: Adopted with floor amendments
Read second time: March 20, 2025
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Department of Budget and Management – Expedited Hiring Program 2
(FEDERAL Jobs Act of 2025) 3
FOR the purpose of establishing the Expedited Hiring Program in the Department of 4
Budget and Management; authorizing an appointing authority to recruit for certain 5
vacant positions in State government under certain circumstances; authorizing the 6
Secretary of Budget and Management to contract with a certain entity for a certain 7
purpose; and generally relating to the Expedited Hiring Program and the 8
Department of Budget and Management. 9
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 10
Article – State Personnel and Pensions 11
Section 1–101(a), (b), (f), (j), (k), (m), and (p) 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2024 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 14
BY adding to 15
Article – State Personnel and Pensions 16
Section 7–201.1 17
Annotated Code of Maryland 18 2 SENATE BILL 1040
(2024 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 1
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 2
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 3
Article – State Personnel and Pensions 4
1–101. 5
(a) In this Division I of this article the following words have the meanings 6
indicated. 7
(b) “Appointing authority” means an individual or a unit of government that has 8
the power to make appointments and terminate employment. 9
(f) Unless expressly provided otherwise, “Department” means the Department of 10
Budget and Management. 11
(j) “Position” means an employment assignment of duties and responsibilities 12
that requires the full–time employment of one individual or less than full–time employment 13
of one or more individuals. 14
(k) “Principal unit” means: 15
(1) a principal department or other principal independent unit of State 16
government; or 17
(2) for an employee of a county board of elections whose employees are 18
covered by this article, the county board of elections. 19
(m) “Secretary” means the Secretary of Budget and Management. 20
(p) “State Personnel Management System” means the personn el system 21
established under § 6–101 of this article. 22
7–201.1. 23
(A) IN THIS SECTION , “PROGRAM” MEANS THE EXPEDITED HIRING 24
PROGRAM IN THE DEPARTMENT . 25
(B) (1) THERE IS AN EXPEDITED HIRING PROGRAM IN THE 26
DEPARTMENT FOR THE PU RPOSE OF HIRING ELIG IBLE APPLICANTS FOR VACAN T 27
POSITIONS IN THE STATE PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM SUBJECT TO THE 28
REQUIREMENTS OF THIS SECTION. 29
SENATE BILL 1040 3
(2) SUBJECT TO THE AVAILA BILITY OF FUNDS, THE SECRETARY MAY 1
CONTRACT WITH ANOTHE R ENTITY TO ASSIST W ITH THE IMPLEMENTATI ON OF THE 2
PROGRAM. 3
(C) NOTWITHSTANDING ANY O THER PROVISION OF TH IS SUBTITLE, AN 4
APPOINTING AUTHORITY : 5
(1) MAY RECRUIT FOR A VA CANT POSITION IN ACC ORDANCE WITH 6
THIS SECTION; AND 7
(2) SHALL AIM TO COMPLETE THE RECRUIT MENT AND APPOINTMENT 8
FOR THE POSITION WIT HIN 40 DAYS. 9
(D) AN ELIGIBLE APPLICANT FOR THE PROGRAM SHALL BE AN I NDIVIDUAL 10
APPLYING FOR A VACAN T POSITION IN STATE GOVERNMENT WHO : 11
(1) SELF–CERTIFIES AND, ON REQUEST, PROVIDES DOCUMENTATI ON 12
THAT THE INDIVIDUAL : 13
(I) WAS PREVIOUSLY EMPLO YED BY HAS SERVED IN THE 14
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR AT LEAST 1 YEAR IN ANY CAPACITY , INCLUDING 15
DURING A PROBATIONAR Y PERIOD; AND 16
(2) (II) LEFT FEDERAL SERVICE AFTER JANUARY 15, 2025; AND 17
(3) (2) HAS RELEVANT FEDERAL EXPERTISE OR EXPERIE NCE TO 18
MEET THE REQUIREMENT S, BASED ON THE POSITION DESC RIPTION, FOR THE 19
VACANT STATE POSITION. 20
(E) THE PROGRAM SHALL : 21
(1) ALTER DEVELOP GUIDANCE FOR APPOINTING AUTHORITI ES ON 22
ALIGNING JOB TITLES AND POSIT ION DESCRIPTIONS FOR THE PURPOSE OF MAKING 23
THE POSITIONS APPEAL ING TO FORMER FEDE RAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES WITH 24
THE FEDERAL EQUIVALE NT POSITIONS WITHOUT REQUIRING SUBSTANTIV E 25
CHANGES TO THE DESCR IPTIONS OR CLASSIFIC ATIONS OF THE POSITI ONS; 26
(2) CONDUCT MARKETING AN D RECRUITMENT ACTIVI TIES TO 27
RECRUIT ELIGIBLE APP LICANTS FOR VACANT P OSITIONS; 28
(3) RATE THE QUALIFICATI ONS OF EACH APPLICAN T WHILE A VACANT 29
POSITION IS OPEN; 30
4 SENATE BILL 1040
(4) COMMUNICATE WITH APP LICANTS THROUGHOUT T HE HIRING 1
PROCESS TO MAINTAIN THE APPLICANTS ’ INTEREST IN THE POSI TION; AND 2
(5) DEVELOP A PROCESS TO REFER APPLICANTS TO OTHER VACANT 3
POSITIONS IN STATE GOVERNMENT ; AND 4
(6) EXPLORE OPPORTUNITIE S TO EXPAND THE PROGRAM TO 5
SUPPORT HIRING BY IN TERESTED COUNTY GOVE RNMENTS. 6
(F) THE SECRETARY SHALL : 7
(1) IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM IN PHASES , WITH INITIAL FOCUS O N 8
CRITICAL AND HARD –TO–FILL POSITIONS, AS DETERMINED BY THE SECRETARY; 9
(2) ESTABLISH REASONABLE TIMELINES F OR EACH PHASE OF 10
IMPLEMENTATION ; AND 11
(3) ADOPT REGULATIONS TO : 12
(I) IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM; AND 13
(II) REVISE THE CONDITION S FOR ELIGIBILITY UN DER 14
SUBSECTION (D) OF THIS SECTION TO I NCLUDE REVIEW OF APP LICATIONS FROM 15
FORMER FEDERAL CONTR ACTORS. 16
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act is an emergency 17
measure, is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public health or safety, has 18
been passed by a yea and nay vote supported by three–fifths of all the members elected to 19
each of the two Houses of the General Assembly, and shall take effect from the date it is 20
enacted. It shall remain effective through April 30, 2026, and, at the end of April 30, 2026, 21
this Act, with no further action required by the General Assembly, shall be abrogated and 22
of no further force and effect. 23
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.