Committee advances ordinance to set minimum compensation standards for Baltimore City security guards

The Labor and Workforce Committee voted to recommend Bill 25-0116, an ordinance intended to require specified minimum compensation for security guards, after approving a package of nine amendments and a roll-call favorable recommendation.

Chair Jermaine Jones (12th District), who sponsored the legislation, told the committee the bill was introduced on 11/11/2025 and said the measure is intended to "give the workers, the security officers in Baltimore, the type of support that they deserve." He told members the session would focus on amendments already distributed to the committee and that there would be no public testimony at this hearing.

The amendment package makes several substantive changes to the draft ordinance. Amendment 1 standardizes terminology by replacing instances of "security officer" and "security worker" with "security guard." Amendment 2 removes a requirement for a local wage determination in the first implementation year, instructing the city to use a service contract rate for that initial period because the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) advised the committee of timeline constraints. Amendment 3 narrows and clarifies definitions of who is covered under the ordinance; Amendment 4 specifies which employer-provided benefits do not count toward the minimum compensation obligation.

Amendment 5 clarifies the division of responsibilities between the Wage Commission and the Office of Equity and Civil Rights (OECR). Amendment 6 removes a 350,000-square-foot threshold from the local-wage study so that all local security guards are included in the analysis rather than only those working in very large buildings. Amendment 7 adds a posting requirement for employers consistent with the existing Living Wage Ordinance. Amendment 8 requires annual reporting from the Wage Commission and OECR to the mayor and council between 2027 and 2031 on local wage and benefits determinations and their impacts, even in years when a higher federal rate applies. Amendment 9 delays the local-determination requirement until 07/01/2027, sets the ordinance to take effect on 01/01/2028, and provides that the local-determination requirement will sunset after 12/31/2031.

After the amendments were presented, the committee voted on the amendments by voice and then moved to a roll-call vote on the motion to forward the bill favorably as amended. The motion was recorded as moved by Councilwoman Felicia Porter. The transcript records affirmative votes from Councilman Ryan Dorsey, Councilwoman Felicia Porter and Chair Jermaine Jones; the transcript also records a 'yes' from a councilmember whose name appears in the record inconsistently (listed as "Danielle McCrack" earlier and later as "Diane McCray"). The chair declared the motion passed.

The committee did not take public comment or receive reports during this session. The ordinance as amended will proceed to the next stage of the council process for further consideration, with OECR and the Wage Commission required to provide the scheduled reports on implementation and impact between 2027 and 2031.

Authorities and specific implementation dates referenced in the ordinance as amended include the Living Wage Ordinance (posting requirement) and the cited schedule for local determinations and sunset provisions. The official text of Bill 25-0116 and any future committee reports will provide the final legal language and dates for publication and enactment.

The committee adjourned following the vote.