Bill > HB1483

This bill establishes new requirements for local school systems regarding high school sports officiating services, with the primary goal of ensuring pay equity for sports officials across boys' and girls' sports. The Maryland Department of Education, in consultation with the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association, will develop and update every three years a list of similar high school sports for boys and girls, considering factors like season, rules, number of officials, and competition time. County boards will be required to ensure that high school sports officials receive the same pay when they are performing similar officiating roles for sports categorized as similar. Local school systems must reject bids or proposals that would result in different pay rates for officials in similar sports, and they must solicit bids for similar sports within a reasonable timeframe. The bill clarifies that these requirements only apply to pay parity within a single county and do not extend between different counties. Local school systems that have existing procurement contracts for sports officiating services may extend their current contracts to align timelines for similar boys' and girls' sports, but these extensions cannot go beyond July 1, 2029. The provisions of the bill will take effect on July 1, 2025, and will only apply prospectively to future contracts.

Budget and Finance

https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB1483?ys=2025RS