Many state procurement bills opposed by the Maryland Chamber have been defeated or withdrawn, largely due to the help of the House Health and Government Operations Committee and the House Economic Matters Committee.

Members of both committees were responsive to the concerns expressed by businesses regarding these bills.

• HB 106 (withdrawn) would have applied the $11.30 per hour “living wage” rate on state service contracts statewide.
• HB 28 and HB 290 (withdrawn) would have required state apparel procurements be made from domestic manufacturers.
• HB 970 (vote) and SB 958 (withdrawn) would have required prevailing wage rates on any construction contract of over $500,000 using state funds.
• HB 990 (vote) would have imposed additional standards for a “responsible bidder” on state contracts.
• HB 1282 (withdrawn) would have required contractors to provide health, dental and vision care on state construction projects.
• HB 1304 (vote) would have applied state MBE guidelines for any entity receiving a state grant or financial assistance.

The Maryland Chamber successfully opposed all of these bills as costly and unnecessary interference in the competitive bidding process.

Delegate Dan Morhaim’s (D-Dist. 11) HB 865 (floor vote), which would expand bidding opportunities for state contracts in eMaryland Marketplace, is supported by the MD Chamber and appears headed toward passage. Contact Ron Wineholt for further information at rwineholt@mdchamber.org .