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Read. Follow. Verify.Maryland Senate Bill 84 Grants Collective Bargaining Rights to Graduate Assistants
Last action · March 26, 2026: Hearing 4/07 at 1:00 p.m. (Government, Labor, and Elections)Sponsors: Ben Kramer and 1 other
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What This Bill Would Do
Senate Bill 84 grants rights to certain graduate assistants at public higher education institutions in Maryland, establishing a separate collective bargaining unit for them effective July 1, 2028.
Graduate assistants at covered Maryland institutions gain the legal right to organize and negotiate employment terms collectively, establishing a formal labor structure that did not previously apply to them.
- Graduate assistants at public universities have frequently sought formal collective bargaining rights to negotiate stipends, health benefits, and working conditions. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Graduate assistants
Graduate assistants gain collective bargaining rights and eligibility for a separate bargaining unit.
Public institutions of higher education in Maryland
Institutions must accommodate collective bargaining negotiations and separate bargaining units for eligible graduate assistants.
Key Facts
- Senate Bill 84 extends collective bargaining rights to specific graduate assistants at public institutions of higher education in Maryland.
- A 'graduate assistant' is defined as a graduate student at a system institution, Morgan State University, or St. Mary’s College of Maryland who serves as a teaching, administrative, or research assistant, fellow, or postdoctoral intern.
- The legislation establishes a separate collective bargaining unit specifically for eligible graduate assistants.
- The law removes the prior statutory exclusion that barred graduate assistants from collective bargaining participation.
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- The Act takes effect on July 1, 2028.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who qualifies as a graduate assistant under this bill?
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed chamber. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
12 actions- Mar 26, 2026HouseHearing 4/07 at 1:00 p.m. (Government, Labor, and Elections)
- Mar 24, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred Government, Labor, and Elections Appropriations
- Mar 23, 2026SenateFloorThird Reading Passed (30-11)
- Mar 23, 2026SenateFloorSecond Reading Passed with Amendments
- Mar 23, 2026SenateFloor Amendment { 963528/1 (Senator Corderman) Rejected
- Mar 23, 2026SenateFavorable with Amendments { 893924/1 Adopted
Show 6 earlier actions
- Mar 23, 2026SenateFloorMotion Laid Over (Senator Corderman) Adopted
- Mar 23, 2026SenateFavorable with Amendments { 893924/1
- Mar 23, 2026SenateCommitteeFavorable with Amendments Report by Finance
- Jan 20, 2026SenateHearing 1/29 at 3:00 p.m.
- Jan 14, 2026SenateIntroducedFirst Reading Finance
- Oct 10, 2025SenateIntroducedPre-filed
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Inclusion of Graduate Assistants in Collective Bargaining
The legislation removes prior statutory exclusions, allowing graduate assistants at covered institutions to form a distinct collective bargaining unit.
Connected Entities
Sources
mgaleg.maryland.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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