County Employees Could Be Required To Get The COVID-19 Vaccine Under A Bill In Council

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — County Councilors proposed a bill Tuesday that if passed would require all employees on the county's payroll to get the COVID-19 vaccine or face losing their jobs.

Employees with a doctor's note would be able to apply for an exemption, but if denied they would be required to provide proof they've received one dose of the vaccine within 7 days of the denial, and proof of full vaccination within 40 days. Anyone who does not comply would be subject to firing from their position.

“Montgomery County leads the nation in vaccination rates for large counties; however, to stay ahead of this terrible virus and prevent further spread, it is imperative that all county employees are vaccinated as well," said Councilmember Will Jawando, who proposed the bill, in a statement. "We must ensure the health and safety of our workforce and of the residents they interact with on a daily basis."

Councilmember Hans Riemer proposed the bill with Jawando. Some union leaders have already spoken out against the proposal.

“The Council is overstepping its authority with this bill in an attempt to direct the workforce. By County Code, the Council is only allowed to direct funding or not funding county budgets, not to set standards of employment,” said a statement from UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO, Fraternal Order of Police Local 35, and the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1664, according to DCist.

As of this week, 78 percent of the county workforce was vaccinated against COVID-19, County Executive Marc Elrich said in a statement. The County Executive said a few weeks ago that, in theory, he would want to require everyone employed by the county to be vaccinated, but in practice it could prove detrimental.

“I think it could be seriously problematic,” said Elrich of a mandate in a meeting with reporters on Sept. 15.

He cited the example of what would happen if firefighters, police officers, or corrections staff who have not been vaccinated decide to leave their jobs rather than get the shot.

“The consequences to public safety could be severe,” he said. “And we’ve got to weigh that.”

Elrich has long pushed county residents to get vaccinated, and said that he understands the impulse to require it for all county employees.

“I get it. I'd like to do it,” he said. “But I don't want to do something that actually produces a worse outcome than the problem we’re trying to fix.”

He posted a statement ahead of the County Council's meeting on Tuesday, saying the plan would disrupt the collaborative approach the county had already been working on.

"The recently proposed legislation to mandate vaccinations or be terminated is unneeded. This brinkmanship legislation is not smart policy," he said in the statement. "It will lead to staffing shortages, diminished public safety, additional financial costs to our taxpayers, and time-consuming legal entanglements – all outcomes I have successfully worked with our employees to avoid since the beginning of the pandemic."

If this bill were to pass, it would become law the day it is signed. A public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 19.

Montgomery County Public Schools has already required its staff to provide proof of a first vaccine dose by the end of September. (The decision for MCPS vaccinations is made by the school district, not the county.)