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Maryland Public Service Commission fields questions on vacancies, arrearages and new supplier rules
Summary
At a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing, the Maryland Public Service Commission defended FY26 budget increases while answering lawmakers' questions about long-term staffing shortages, rising residential utility arrearages and implementation of last year’s SB 1 for third‑party retail electric suppliers.
The Maryland Public Service Commission told the House Appropriations Committee Transportation and Environment Subcommittee on Friday that its fiscal 2026 operating allowance would rise by about $1.6 million, driven largely by personnel and support for outside subject-matter experts.
The budget analyst from the Department of Legislative Services told the subcommittee the PSC’s FY26 allowance totals about $30.2 million, with personnel accounting for roughly 79% of the agency’s spending. The analyst also recommended committee narrative asking the commission to report updated data on residential terminations and arrearages.
Fred Hoover, chair of the Maryland Public Service Commission, said the agency is struggling to fill technical positions because it competes with the private sector, federal agencies and local utilities for specialized staff. "A lot of the people that we're trying to hire are in highly technical and highly competitive positions, and we're competing with the private sector,…
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