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Maryland Commission on Civil Rights seeks staff additions to cut case backlog as complaints rise
Summary
The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights told the House appropriations subcommittee it needs 11 permanent positions, one contractual conversion and three additional contractual staff in the governor’s fiscal 2026 allowance to address a growing complaint caseload and a backlog that averaged more than a year for many case types.
The subcommittee heard Jan. 29 that the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights (MCCR) plans to use the governor’s fiscal 2026 allowance to add staff aimed at reducing an escalating backlog of discrimination complaints and expanding statewide outreach.
Cleveland Horton, acting executive director of the commission, said the agency currently has about 39 employees to cover statewide work and is seeking additional staff because the existing workforce cannot resolve complaints within statutory benchmarks. “With this governor's allowance we will be able to fight through that backlog and be able to respond to complaints of discrimination in a much more timely fashion,” Horton said, noting the commission’s internal benchmark is about 180 days but typical cases were taking “about a year and a half to two years.”
DLS analyst Natalie Andrade told the subcommittee the fiscal 2026 allowance would increase the commission’s overall budget to about $7,000,000, a 16.1% rise driven primarily by salary and fringe for new positions. DLS reported that inquiries and complaints rose in fiscal 2024 to 2,297 inquiries and 966 complaints; active and pending caseloads in fiscal 2024 included 363 employment cases and 212 housing cases. Exhibit data in the analysis showed 392 cases had been open for more than one year, including 319 employment cases.
Horton and staff outlined how the governor’s allowance would break down: 11 new permanent positions, one contractual conversion (bringing the total permanent positions to 12), and funding for three contractual positions that had been unfunded in fiscal 2025, for 15 new personnel paid or budgeted in the allowance. The agency said the package would add five civil-rights/investigative officers, one converted investigator, two assistant general counsels, and three education-and-outreach staff (the commission’s testimony described three new E&O hires while DLS noted five E&O roles in its appendix; commission staff clarified the allowance funds three new E&O employees while additional resources support broader capacity building).
The commission said the new hires aim to reduce intake and investigative backlogs, expand proactive education and technical assistance for employers and landlords, and increase legal capacity to litigate cases more promptly. Horton emphasized the agency’s education work is intended both to inform individuals of their rights and to provide preventive training for landlords and employers so that fewer complaints arise.
Members questioned the commission on backlog projections and sources of federal funding; staff said the agency has seen an increase in transfers from the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and expects that trend to continue if federal enforcement staffing changes. Commission staff also described steps to strengthen financial controls after an Office of Legislative Auditor audit identified weaknesses; Horton said the commission has implemented corrective actions.
The subcommittee did not take formal action during the hearing; DLS recommended committee narrative requesting a report on the effect of the new positions on case assignment and backlog management, and commissioners and staff agreed to provide requested salary/fringe breakdowns and other follow-up.
