MD HB1509

Establishes collective bargaining rights for county and municipal government employees by applying the Maryland Public Employee Relations Act to local governments, effective July 1, 2025

Creates binding arbitration procedures for impasse resolution, requiring arbitrators to consider comparable wages in surrounding jurisdictions and the employer's ability to pay when issuing final awards within 30 days

Requires the Public Employee Relations Board to appoint a deputy director for local government relations and publish all collective bargaining agreements on its website

Prohibits bargaining units from including both supervisory and nonsupervisory employees, while preserving existing bargaining units and agreements in effect before June 30, 2025

Allows counties and municipalities to adopt local labor relations laws and petition the Board for exemption if their local laws comply with state requirements, with exempt jurisdictions required to establish impasse procedures that either allow strikes or binding arbitration