HHS Committee Work Session Summary—Wednesday April 28th

All members of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee (Council members Trachtenberg, Leventhal, and Navarro) met today to discuss the several items within the FY11 Operating Budget Recommendations:

Following is a summary of actions:

A. Expedited Bill 12-10, Human Rights - Equal Employment Opportunity program
ACTION: Vote 3-0 to reject Bill 12-10

B. FY11 Operating Budget

(1) Human Rights Commission
ACTIONS:
(i) 3-0 vote not to shift funding and positions of HR EEO unit to OHR
(ii) Approved shifting funds [$44,200} to County Attorney Office
(iii) Had full consensus to reintroduce an Investigator III position via the Reconciliation List
(iv) Full consensus on discussing OHR Department’s performance measures

(2) Commission for Women
ACTIONS:
(i) 3-0 vote to approve the County Exec’s (CE) recommended cuts

(3) NDA: Historical Activities - Historical Society
ACTIONS:
(i) 3-0 vote to approve the County Exec’s recommended cuts with recommendation to seek private funding opportunities and to manage archiving activities

(4) DHHS: Children, Youth and Families
ACTIONS: 3-0 vote to accept the CE’s recommended reductions to the Crossroads contract

HHS Committee Meeting Worksession—Wednesday-April 28

The Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee, on which Councilmember Trachtenberg serves, will meet on Wednesday, April 28, at 9:30AM in the 3rd Floor Council Committee Room to discuss the following items within the FY11 Operating Budget:

• Expedited Bill 12-10, Human Rights - Equal Employment Opportunity program

• FY11 Operating Budget
-- Human Rights Commission
-- Commission for Women
-- NDA: Historical Activities - Historical Society
-- DHHS: Children, Youth and Families

The following individuals are expected to attend:

• Judith Vaughan-Prather, Director, Commission for Women
• Ruby Marcelo, Budget and Legislative Specialist, Commission for Women
• Pooja Bharadwaja, Office of Management and Budget
• Debbie Rankin, Executive Director, Montgomery County Historical Society
• Jennifer Bryant, Office of Management and Budget

Please contact Saschane Stephenson, Legislative Aide for Health and Human Services, at 240-777-7963 (direct dial) or saschane.stephenson@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions regarding this HHS Committee session.

Trachtenberg Supports Bill That Would Provide Equal Benefits to Same Sex Domestic Partners of Employees of County Contractors

I was proud to join Montgomery County District 4 Councilmember Nancy Navarro and other Council colleagues today to announce details of an “equal benefits” bill that Councilmember Navarro will be introducing before the Council that would extend to employees of many contractors and subcontractors performing work for the County the same benefits already granted to County employees. The bill will be officially introduced before the Council on Tuesday, November 3, 2009.

The County has a longstanding policy, in law and practice, against employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. Montgomery County already grants equal benefits to a same sex domestic partner of a County employee that are offered to an employee’s spouse, through Bill 29-99, effective March 3, 2000. Navarro’s bill would simply extend this law to many employees of County contractors and subcontractors.

Councilmember President Phil Andrews, Vice President Roger Berliner and Councilmembers Marc Elrich, Valerie Ervin, Nancy Floreen, George Leventhal and I are co-sponsors of the legislation. The equal benefits bill also has the support of County Executive Isiah Leggett.

The legislation would extend equal benefits to a same-sex domestic partner of a covered employee recognized under a marriage license, domestic partnership or civil union granted out of state or to a same-sex domestic partner as defined under Maryland law. The legislation would only cover employees who perform work for the County on a contract that is currently covered by either the County’s Wage Requirements Law or the recently enacted Prevailing Wage Law.

Benefits that may be extended under the legislation could include bereavement leave, family medical leave, sick leave, health benefits, dental benefits, disability insurance, life insurance and retirement benefits.