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Council approves minimum-wage indexing with provisions to protect direct support professionals
Summary
Prince George's County enacted a measure indexing the county minimum wage to the consumer price index and included funding mechanisms to mitigate impacts on direct support professionals, following testimony from disability-service providers and families.
On Nov. 17 the Prince George's County Council enacted legislation to index the county minimum wage to the consumer price index and address anticipated effects on direct support professionals (DSPs), following multiple public comments from advocacy groups and family members.
Rob Malone, CEO of The Arc Prince George's County, told the council that continuity among DSPs is a “lifeline” for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and warned that wage changes without supports would drive turnover and destabilize services. "Their consistency is not a luxury, it's a lifeline," Malone said.
April Garrett Getz, executive director of the Prince George's Provider Council, said the local provider network includes about 2,500 DSPs serving roughly 2,000 clients in the county and urged funding to keep wages competitive. Parents and guardians described the real-world consequences of staff turnover for people with disabilities and asked council members to preserve continuity of care.
Council members acknowledged the tradeoffs between raising wages and creating budgetary pressure on providers and said the enacted measure contains provisions intended to stabilize provider funding. After public testimony the council moved to enact; the motion carried on the recorded roll 9-0. Council members noted the budget office will need to review the implementation and that related funding decisions will surface in the next budget cycle.
