Tag: Mac Middleton
Committee gets a dose of drug overdose treatment
The Senate Finance Committee is considering HB 516, a bill that will expand a program that allows ordinary people to learn how to administer Naloxone, an emergency drug administered to reduce fatalities from overdose. The Overdose Response Program has been in place for a year but doctors are hesitant to prescribe the drug, worried they could be sued if something goes wrong. Meanwhile, deaths from overdoses of heroin and fentanyl are growing.
Read More$10.10 minimum wage passes Senate committee
The Senate Finance Committee approved a $10.10 minimum wage for most Maryland workers, but extended the increases over the next four years, rather than three as the House of Delegates had done. The bill also ties the minimum wage to increased state reimbursement for disability support workers, who currently average $9.82 per hour.
Read MoreMinimum wage hike could be spread over 5 years, tied to raise for disability workers
In a compromise that could possibly move a stalled minimum wage hike out of committee, Senate Finance Chair Thomas Mac Middleton said he has been working on a potential agreement with the governor to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 over the next five years instead of three. This would also make it easier for the state to increase compensation for disability workers above the new minimum.
Read MoreRascovar: Is a higher minimum wage counter-productive?
Democratic politicians in Annapolis are eager to pass an increase in the minimum wage. But recent studies found that even jump in the minimum wage by 10% — much lower than proposed here — will have a significant negative impact on future job hiring.
Read MoreHigher wages for state-funded construction pass Senate, House
Workers on many local school construction projects would be paid at a higher rate under a prevailing wage bill approved Tuesday by the Maryland Senate. The bill would increase overall construction costs by as much as 5%, estimates the state Department of Legislative Services.
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Senior citizens in charge at the State House
With the two longest serving presiding officers in Maryland history, the state Senate and House of Delegates, and a majority of their committees, are headed up by people in their 60s and 70s.
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