Calvert County - Length of Service Award Program - Benefits
Summary
HB1156 amends Calvert County’s local laws governing the Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP) for volunteer fire and rescue personnel. The bill increases the death benefit payable when a qualified volunteer with 25 years of certified service dies from up to $10,000 to up to $14,000, and it also increases the death or burial benefit for a volunteer already receiving LOSAP benefits from up to $336 per year of certified service to up to $560 per year of certified service.
The measure is a targeted local benefits adjustment rather than a statewide policy change. It revises Section 14-102(g) of the Public Local Laws of Maryland as applicable to Calvert County and applies only to eligible fire and rescue volunteers and their beneficiaries. The act takes effect July 1, 2026, giving the county and program administrators time to prepare for the higher benefit levels.
Impact
HB1156 changes Calvert County’s local LOSAP statute by increasing the amount of death and burial benefits available to qualifying volunteer fire and rescue members and their survivors. It affects the county’s volunteer emergency services benefit structure and may increase county program costs or required funding obligations, but it does not alter general statewide law outside Calvert County.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. All recorded floor votes were unanimous, with overwhelming yeas and no nays in both chambers, indicating strong bipartisan approval for increasing benefits for volunteer fire and rescue personnel. The absence of committee transcript discussion also suggests little public opposition or debate in the available record.
Contention
No significant contention is evident in the available materials. The only substantive policy question is the size of the benefit increase for volunteer fire and rescue members and whether the county should absorb the higher cost. Because the bill is limited to Calvert County and concerns benefits for public safety volunteers, any concern would likely center on fiscal impact rather than the underlying purpose of supporting volunteers.