| 1 | 1 | | |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW. |
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| 4 | 4 | | [Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law. |
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| 5 | 5 | | *sb0969* |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | SENATE BILL 969 |
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| 8 | 8 | | E4 5lr2752 |
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| 9 | 9 | | CF 5lr2755 |
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| 10 | 10 | | By: Howard County Senators |
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| 11 | 11 | | Introduced and read first time: January 28, 2025 |
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| 12 | 12 | | Assigned to: Finance |
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| 13 | 13 | | |
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| 14 | 14 | | A BILL ENTITLED |
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| 15 | 15 | | |
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| 16 | 16 | | AN ACT concerning 1 |
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| 17 | 17 | | |
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| 18 | 18 | | Howard County – Department of Fire and Rescue Services – Current and 2 |
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| 19 | 19 | | Prospective Employee Medical Cannabis Use 3 |
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| 20 | 20 | | |
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| 21 | 21 | | FOR the purpose of prohibiting the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue 4 |
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| 22 | 22 | | Services from taking certain adverse employment actions against an employee or 5 |
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| 23 | 23 | | prospective employee solely because of the employee’s or prospective employee’s 6 |
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| 24 | 24 | | authorized use of medical cannabis; authorizing the Department to prohibit an 7 |
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| 25 | 25 | | employee from working while impaired by cannabis or using cannabis at a certain 8 |
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| 26 | 26 | | time; and generally relating to the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue 9 |
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| 27 | 27 | | Services. 10 |
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| 28 | 28 | | |
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| 29 | 29 | | BY adding to 11 |
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| 30 | 30 | | Article – Public Safety 12 |
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| 31 | 31 | | Section 7–405 13 |
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| 32 | 32 | | Annotated Code of Maryland 14 |
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| 33 | 33 | | (2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 15 |
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| 34 | 34 | | |
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| 35 | 35 | | SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 16 |
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| 36 | 36 | | That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 17 |
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| 37 | 37 | | |
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| 38 | 38 | | Article – Public Safety 18 |
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| 39 | 39 | | |
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| 40 | 40 | | 7–405. 19 |
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| 41 | 41 | | |
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| 42 | 42 | | (A) IN THIS SECTION , “DEPARTMENT ” MEANS THE HOWARD COUNTY 20 |
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| 43 | 43 | | DEPARTMENT OF FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICES. 21 |
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| 44 | 44 | | |
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| 45 | 45 | | (B) THE DEPARTMENT MAY NOT FAIL OR REFUSE TO HI RE, DISCHARGE, OR 22 |
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| 46 | 46 | | OTHERWISE DISCRIMINA TE AGAINST AN INDIVI DUAL WITH RESPECT TO THE 23 2 SENATE BILL 969 |
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| 47 | 47 | | |
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| 48 | 48 | | |
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| 49 | 49 | | INDIVIDUAL’S COMPENSATION , TERMS, CONDITIONS, OR PRIVILEGES OF 1 |
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| 50 | 50 | | EMPLOYMENT SOLELY BECAUSE THE INDIVIDUAL IS: 2 |
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| 51 | 51 | | |
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| 52 | 52 | | (1) A QUALIFYING PATIENT UNDER TITLE 36, SUBTITLE 3 OF THE 3 |
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| 53 | 53 | | ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND CANNABIS ARTICLE; OR 4 |
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| 54 | 54 | | |
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| 55 | 55 | | (2) AUTHORIZED TO USE MEDICAL CANNABIS UNDER THE LAWS OF 5 |
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| 56 | 56 | | ANOTHER STATE . 6 |
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| 57 | 57 | | |
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| 58 | 58 | | (C) THE DEPARTMENT MAY PROHIBIT AN EMPLOYEE FROM: 7 |
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| 59 | 59 | | |
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| 60 | 60 | | (1) PERFORMING THE EMPLO YEE’S DUTIES WHILE IMPAI RED BY 8 |
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| 61 | 61 | | CANNABIS; OR 9 |
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| 62 | 62 | | |
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| 63 | 63 | | (2) USING CANNABIS WITHI N THE 12 HOURS IMMEDIATELY 10 |
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| 64 | 64 | | PRECEDING THE EMPLOYEE ’S SHIFT. 11 |
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| 65 | 65 | | |
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| 66 | 66 | | SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 12 |
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| 67 | 67 | | October 1, 2025. 13 |
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