[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6651614,"mediaKeyId","2499249-a723d42001a6efd643f3fc71e8b925db","parentId",2499249,"title","Supporters urge Maryland to create public databases to track prevailing-wage payrolls and registered apprenticeships","audioSeconds",611,"startMs",12395000,"endMs",13006000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2499249-a723d42001a6efd643f3fc71e8b925db&start=12395&end=13006","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2499249-a723d42001a6efd643f3fc71e8b925db/thumbnail_12395000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6651614/Maryland/Supporters-urge-Maryland-to-create-public-databases-to-track-prevailing-wage-payrolls-and-registered-apprenticeships","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6651614-1133e09d5f7acaea123a4dba4c6ee22e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771156220&Signature=exJS9SEf6NqYTQlGhnvflyE8sn407i4bZS-6EJvY1kijKBEIlBm0~wFKMyktZ40PNdCBtWthBYhWu4Ka2ja-63tcOb-N30wz2Mf~Gywob39MPkY5jTnROCTBKoLjK230vymZ5gWuHSCEb1yihZHeN-U4lOj1eFEg2f8Pc7HW3NkMiVeWn32kQMjbAUBvEemNbm5O0LbMWsqXFG64DvGcbPoKZMnIthjKsUiPgawuX2iDjgzvj8YpzvgbX7ugpW4iz77e0atkadUvw~rwcGsFbOyOiYP~1T~RZv8GUs6i~NSS6sqslLeCZnrKBn5A8DbSQV1T5g-7z2u5V8UcQbnZ6w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Maryland General Assembly - Health and Government Operations","date","2025-03-05T01:05:03.193Z","article","Witnesses urged the Health & Government Operations Committee to support the Maryland Apprenticeship and Prevailing Wage Transparency Act (House Bill 850), which would require contractors on public-works projects to submit weekly payroll and workforce data to the Department of Labor and would direct the department to publish a public dashboard showing workers and wages on ongoing public works contracts.

Organizers and labor representatives testified that states with similar systems have seen measurable improvements: New York’s prevailing-wage/payroll transparency and Nevada’s apprenticeship tracking have been cited as increasing registered apprenticeship program completion, reducing misclassification and recovering unpaid wages and payroll taxes. Roger Manno and leaders of the Mid-Atlantic Pipe Trades described cases of misclassification, wage theft and unpaid payroll liabilities they said persist in the region; they urged stronger transparency and enforcement tools. Union witnesses emphasized that a public certified-apprenticeship registry would let the state and contractors verify whether a worker is enrolled in a registered apprenticeship, not merely holding a card or credential.

Department of Labor staff had told the committee in a letter that the agency currently lacks the technological platform to implement the weekly-reporting and public dashboard as written and that building a production-ready system could require a multi-million-dollar IT project. Proponents said they are exploring ways to use an existing or planned statewide data platform to limit new costs; they urged the committee to consider ways to finance the build without undermining the bill’s goals.

The hearing featured testimony from construction contractors, trade unions and the state AFL-CIO, which emphasized the workforce-development benefits of visibility into apprenticeship and payroll data. No committee vote was taken; sponsors and proponents said they will continue discussions with Department of Labor IT staff about possible technical approaches and cost-sharing options.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","HGO Committee Session, 3/4/2025 #1","oneSentenceSummary","Labor and contractor witnesses urged the House Health & Government Operations Committee to approve legislation requiring weekly contractor payroll reports and a public dashboard of prevailing-wage and registered-apprenticeship data to curb wage theft and improve apprenticeship completion.","taxTitle","Health and Government Operations Committee, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Maryland","taxId",15061,"location","Maryland","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6651619,"Comptroller tells committee bill to modernize unclaimed-property rules adds cryptocurrencies, seeks IT funding from fund",892,2448000,3340000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2499249-a723d42001a6efd643f3fc71e8b925db&start=2448&end=3340","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2499249-a723d42001a6efd643f3fc71e8b925db/thumbnail_2448000.jpg","/articles/6651619/Maryland/Comptroller-tells-committee-bill-to-modernize-unclaimed-property-rules-adds-cryptocurrencies-seeks-IT-funding-from-fund","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6651619-d4b6bed1312a99e8411c1f7be38ba27e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771156220&Signature=DUpPlSD1iJ9kOLJVX9z6ZAjMpOdzs4tfl2WAYMlfbJdToPKU6~v217OhK1JoGoB-H4nlQ-5bo2LJO3Znk1i-l8Xf7tQGFzl-DDKajhLlLre2cjATv4Ae77Sxlf6tKpAhTAWJTkDa5fIJEZ2tUe~yA0q6PboiAGm1qtOg~S5tOuaZdiYp3558v3DXwtPrjXDlg82xItBSA2ef9TtC32NkzUAgoRlfA47-hdCNaT2M4qlK2vmQnZVsApmy-hJ33ABFKr5g0JNZWwoCPy8~z5T7Z9OcY-lrXINOgR9oqfWFKBl2eC6Dsv4y7hAuzEndMR06S7uTkvdwyrdW9pbWxEIVgA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The committee heard House Bill 761, sponsored by Comptroller Brooke Lierman, to modernize Maryland’s Unclaimed Property Act. The comptroller told the committee the bill would update reporting procedures, add virtual currencies to the list of reportable/unclaimed property, streamline claims for small amounts and clarify rules for establishing death of an insured person or annuitant so beneficiaries can receive life-insurance proceeds and annuities more quickly.

Comptroller Lierman said the bill also would allow the unclaimed-property fund to pay up to $5 million per year for ongoing IT costs tied to the unclaimed-property system, cybersecurity, and customer-relations needs across the agency. Testimony explained much of the state’s unclaimed-property infrastructure is aging; the comptroller said Maryland recently adopted software used by about 40 other states and needs annual maintenance funds for systems such as a new CRM (customer relationship management) tool that the agency expects will improve constituent service.

Committee members probed how the fund’s existing designated uses interact with the proposed authority. Lierman said the proposal does not change the special fund’s other statutory uses — including allocations to eviction access-to-counsel, tax clinics for low-income Marylanders and other purposes — and said the $5 million cap would not be spent in full every year. Members asked how large the unclaimed-property fund is; the comptroller said current accounting systems are opaque but that the new statewide system will make totals and flows far more transparent. Lierman said her office would follow up by email with clearer historic balance and flow figures for the committee.

Questions about the addition of virtual currency to the statute centered on custody and disposition. The comptroller said the bill only requires holders to remit unclaimed virtual-currency assets to the state when appropriate; the state would hold such assets for rightful owners or return them if claimed. If claimants never surface, the money remains in the unclaimed-property fund like other unclaimed assets.

No committee vote was taken at the hearing. Lierman said three sponsor amendments prepared for the bill clarify definitions of gift cards and make technical changes requested by the Maryland Insurance Administration. The comptroller urged a favorable report and agreed to provide follow-up financial detail requested by members.","Comptroller Brooke Lierman asked the House Health & Government Operations Committee to update Maryland’s Unclaimed Property Act to add digital assets, clarify insurance rules and allow up to $5 million per year from the fund for IT and cybersecurity.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6651610,"Panel splits as committee hears bill to let licensed naturopathic doctors prescribe wider drug classes",1559,16125000,17684000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2499249-a723d42001a6efd643f3fc71e8b925db&start=16125&end=17684","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2499249-a723d42001a6efd643f3fc71e8b925db/thumbnail_16125000.jpg","/articles/6651610/Maryland/Panel-splits-as-committee-hears-bill-to-let-licensed-naturopathic-doctors-prescribe-wider-drug-classes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6651610-ac44ce24e381cedf66ade3d4b00accdc/orig.mp4?Expires=1771156221&Signature=EoRoa-0jcsFrEv40eg96PP~KyWYJcIASRwe7dIi2sXEb0SfqfKJ-mROWtf0PGM9LhnATMVedT7Y~Me5rFHu2--xJ8uxhq7jDWtfFE3cSTcq8agVIH0~uoNvlKhsEn~LYtKbQ7x9CpyQZOzWGCY7mNZIqDBvaaDD0iv4KvDgils6tbroMmwfjOYQxb3hrgxXweG65NM~3StxrdeqMiNzrDPLv9RaHxW~gxGXnB1TqeFL7ZL80UL78rmvKgH8Lffj5yzMP2LVjjc~4hbSboDsPMKMzo23huE710G5W1X1MAm-dEfE7zDWCTaN7jtDEBAIUpMsfnQq9oAwxVGgTZHGEjg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Health & Government Operations Committee heard extended testimony on House Bill 867 to expand prescriptive authority for Maryland-licensed naturopathic doctors (NDs). The measure would remove statutory limits that largely bar NDs from prescribing common pharmaceuticals and would authorize NDs to prescribe certain non–Schedule II controlled substances and other prescription medications subject to board rules.

Supporters — patient advocates, naturopathic doctors and some conventionally trained physicians — told the panel that licensed NDs complete four‑year graduate medical programs with extensive pharmacology coursework and clinical rotations and are trained to treat complex primary‑care patients. Clinicians said the current law forces NDs to diagnose patients but then refer them elsewhere for commonly needed medications, delaying care and adding administrative friction. Supporters pointed to long wait times for some primary‑care appointments and to other states’ regulatory models: proponents said 14 states permit broader prescriptive authority for licensed naturopathic doctors and that disciplinary records in states with authority show low complaint rates.

Patients testified with personal stories in support. One witness described delays in accessing progesterone after miscarriages; another described a cancer diagnosis and ongoing coordinated care with an ND and oncologists.

Opponents included the Maryland Medical Society and hospital-based physicians, who said physician residency training and thousands more hours of clinical exposure distinguish MD/DO training and reduce risk in prescribing. Physician witnesses stressed that residents’ hospital-based experience gives them regular exposure to rare but dangerous medication side effects. Opponents also reminded the committee that many other authorized prescribers (physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants) already care for the same populations, and that adding prescriptive authority to NDs in statute would create potential patient-safety concerns if the ND workforce remains small and concentrated in areas already served by primary-care providers.

The panel discussed specific categories of drugs. Supporters reiterated that the bill excludes Schedule II controlled substances and that naturopathic curricula include pharmacology and supervised clinical prescribing in accredited training programs. Opponents warned that ketamine and some other Schedule III agents are used in monitored settings and argued that prescriptive authority for those drugs should be restricted. Some committee members asked for comparative curriculum and testing materials so the committee could compare ND training and board exams to other prescribers’ credentials.

No vote was held. Committee members requested follow-up materials: audited disciplinary data from multi‑state regulators, comparative curricula and board-exam descriptions, and more detailed fiscal and implementation information from the medical board and other licensing bodies. Supporters offered to provide the committee with data and other documentation on pharmacology hours, clinical training, and disciplinary histories from jurisdictions with broader ND prescriptive authority.","The Health & Government Operations Committee heard conflicting testimony on House Bill 867, which would expand drug-prescribing authority for Maryland-licensed naturopathic doctors; supporters said it would reduce care delays, opponents cited residency-driven clinical experience and patient-safety concerns.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6651623,"Maryland committee hears bill to require state-funded contractors to prioritize Maryland workers",746,256000,1002000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2499249-a723d42001a6efd643f3fc71e8b925db&start=256&end=1002","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2499249-a723d42001a6efd643f3fc71e8b925db/thumbnail_256000.jpg","/articles/6651623/Maryland/Maryland-committee-hears-bill-to-require-state-funded-contractors-to-prioritize-Maryland-workers","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6651623-f695e6ecb19e54c7d8ec3d7e84503d60/orig.mp4?Expires=1771156221&Signature=B2m-nZy8agIPDcsObdgEpxfBj4bG0EjBo0qW6lDfyS3GfotPghcnpXA~SEA2Jfxl9BeJIN1hVHJ9hphrP-6R3R9iGFRokY-jr7tJ-rbU~43S7Fu7wRRWZzp9CV6019EYTJSZv11cdMu7Wjvj-Y-djdK2B9oHEDbR4o3P9j9dA-U4NTJgsHLrVACr7UBbqXWylSRUIfBJJCglcAykCO53C6KaBp9cOHoJt6hC~XlxVPjWps1AluBDSZUlnw2u8cLRgs3oXAfbGBr79WvuCSLhSPYqoCv6~uFG9i4p~rrvDlzo7vsB6ZhW-4TI2ppYyc1anGFCpfE0n-VNUmm2M5rydw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","House Health and Government Operations Committee members heard testimony on House Bill 957, a bill proposing worker residency requirements and apprenticeship-hour targets for state-funded construction and infrastructure contracts. The sponsor’s representative said the bill would require contractors on state contracts of at least $500,000 to prioritize Maryland residents for a substantial share of work hours and apprenticeship hours, and to pay into a state apprenticeship training fund if they cannot meet the target.

Gabriel Tuckhorn, testifying for sponsor Delegate C.T. Wilson, said the bill is intended to “make sure contracted work done in the state for the state should be done by the state,” and described mechanisms that let contractors substitute contributions to a registered apprenticeship program instead of meeting the residency or apprenticeship thresholds. He also described penalties for noncompliance that would be deposited into the state apprenticeship training fund.

Opponents and neutral witnesses expressed practical concerns. Kevin O’Keefe of Independent Electrical Contractors Chesapeake and other contractor groups said the region’s cross-border workforce mobility (Virginia, D.C., Delaware, Pennsylvania) makes strict residency requirements difficult in practice and urged more flexibility. He also pointed to a proposed five-year debarment after two violations in a 10-year period as an unusually severe sanction. The Maryland Department of Transportation submitted a letter of information saying the requirement could narrow an already limited contractor pool and could affect federal funding for projects; the sponsor offered during questions to consider excluding MDOT projects if the department cannot comply.

Supporters included trade and apprenticeship groups. Sean Malone of the Associated Builders and Contractors and Ray Baker of the Baltimore-DC Building Trades testified the bill dovetails with apprenticeship expansion efforts and that increasing registered apprenticeships would develop Maryland’s capacity. Witnesses said similar approaches in other jurisdictions had increased apprenticeship participation and helped retain payroll dollars locally.

Committee members pressed witnesses about whether the state has data on the current share of Maryland workers on state projects, how the bill would affect small businesses, and whether the state should gather baseline workforce data first. Supporters noted portions of the administration’s budget and other bills would improve data transparency; sponsor representatives said the bill targets projects between about $500,000 and $5,000,000 as a place to start and that exceptions and percentage targets could be refined with stakeholder work groups.

No formal action or vote was recorded in the hearing. Committee members asked the sponsor to solicit further information from D.C.’s program administrators and to continue talks with transportation and contractor groups to narrow practical concerns.","Supporters told the Health & Government Operations Committee that House Bill 957 would require state contractors on projects of $500,000 or more to prioritize Maryland residents for work hours and apprenticeship hours; opponents cited concerns over contractor pools, federal funding impacts and debarment penalties.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Supporters urge Maryland to create public databases to track prevailing-wage payrolls and registered apprenticeships

Comptroller tells committee bill to modernize unclaimed-property rules adds cryptocurrencies, seeks IT funding from fund

Panel splits as committee hears bill to let licensed naturopathic doctors prescribe wider drug classes

Maryland committee hears bill to require state-funded contractors to prioritize Maryland workers