SB 626 changes the compensation structure for the Sheriff of Frederick County. For calendar year 2025, the sheriff’s annual salary is set equal to the salary of a Maryland Department of State Police lieutenant colonel at the highest available step under the state police pay plan in effect immediately before the sheriff begins a term of office. For calendar year 2026 and each year after, the sheriff’s salary is set at 82.5% of the annual salary of the Frederick County State’s Attorney, including any increments and salary adjustments authorized by law.
The bill also provides that any salary change affecting the State’s Attorney during the sheriff’s current term does not apply to the incumbent sheriff until the next term of office. It includes a constitutional limitation stating that the act may not be applied to increase or change compensation for a sheriff already serving a term that began before the act’s effective date, except for an appointee or elected replacement filling an unexpired term. The act takes effect October 1, 2025.
Impact
This bill amends Section 2-324 of the Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article, which governs the salary of the Frederick County Sheriff. It replaces the prior fixed salary with a formula tied first to a Department of State Police lieutenant colonel’s pay and then to a percentage of the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s salary, creating an ongoing linkage to other public-sector compensation levels. The practical effect is to increase and then index the sheriff’s pay over time, while limiting application to future terms of office as required by the Maryland Constitution.
Sentiment
The available voting record suggests the bill was generally supported, passing third reading in the Senate by a wide margin of 41 yeas to 2 nays. No committee transcript is available, so there is no recorded debate to indicate broader discussion, but the favorable committee report and strong floor vote point to overall approval of the salary adjustment. The bill’s structure suggests it was treated as a targeted compensation measure rather than a controversial policy change.
Contention
The main point of potential contention is the size and method of the salary increase, since the bill moves the sheriff’s pay from a fixed amount to a higher benchmark tied to state police leadership compensation and then to a percentage of the State’s Attorney’s salary. Any concern would likely center on whether the sheriff’s salary should be linked to other offices and whether the increase is justified. The bill also carefully addresses constitutional limits on mid-term compensation changes, indicating sensitivity to concerns about applying pay changes to an incumbent during an existing term.
Commending Frederick J. Stark, Jr. posthumously upon the occasion of his designation as recipient of a Liberty Medal, the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the New York State Senate