2024 Legislative Priorities

Our 2024 Care Agenda

In 2024, we celebrated several legislative victories that will support care workers and caregivers.  We also hosted the Care Can’t Wait Summit to bring together state leaders, care workers, care recipients, and advocates to celebrate legislative wins and discuss the coming year’s care policy agenda.

Legislation that passed:

  • Home Care Worker’s Rights Act of 2024 (HB 39), Sponsors: Delegate Robbyn Lewis and Senator Arthur Ellis - Ensures that personal care aides (also known as home care workers) who work for home care agencies under certain Medicaid programs are properly classified as employees and not illegally misclassified as independent contractors.

  • Home Care Workers Employment Act of 2024 (HB 189), Sponsors: Delegate Robbyn Lewis and Senator Clarence Lam  - Addresses the shortage of basic data on Maryland’s home care workforce by requiring that certain Medicaid-funded home care workers’ wage rates be reported. This will lay the groundwork to solve the workforce crisis by increasing workers’ wages.

  • Caregiver Expense Grant Program (SB 202), Sponsors: Delegate Andrea Fletcher Harrison and Senator Joanne Benson - Establishes the Caregiver Expense Grant Program in the Department of Aging. This Program provides grants to caregivers covering up to 30% of qualified expenses exceeding $2,000 paid or incurred while performing caregiving duties. It also authorizes the governor to include in the annual budget bill an appropriation of up to $5,000,000 for the program.

Did not pass:

  • SB 328: Nursing Home Staffing Crisis Funding Act of 2024, Sponsors: Delegate Ashanti Martinez and Senator Jim Rosapepe - While the original bill did not pass, we did succeed in passing budget language that mandates the Department of Health to provide transparency on nursing home cost reports. Original Language: Stipulates that 75% of the Medicaid Provider Reimbursement rate increase for skilled nursing facilities will be allocated towards direct care worker wages and benefits beginning FY2026.

    Expand Authority of Prescription Drug Affordability Board, Sponsors: Delegate Bonnie Cullison and Senator Dawn Gile - Authorizes the Prescription Drug Affordability Board to evaluate drug prices and set upper limits for non-government entities, including individual prescription drug buyers in Maryland.