Bill Puts Baltimoreans First In Line For Jobs Funded By Taxpayer’s Dollars

By Christina Sturdivant Sani ● Economy ● August 19, 2021

Construction worker at St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church on North Charles Street in 2020. Photo by Elvert Barnes via Flickr.

What’s happening?

The Baltimore City Council unanimously passed a bill on August 16 that requires companies that bid on projects funded with at least $5 million in government dollars to include plans for recruiting local hires—including people considered to be socially or economically disadvantaged. According to the legislation, the hiring plans will hold 10% weight in deciding if the firm wins the contract.

Are there any downsides to this bill?

The city’s finance department would need five new employees to actually implement the measures, The Baltimore Sun reports. Additionally, the bill doesn’t include consequences for companies that do not comply with the hiring requirements.

Anything else I should know?

This new legislation builds on another local hiring law enacted in 2013.

You can read more about the new legislation here.

Author

Christina Sturdivant Sani

Christina Sturdivant Sani is a writer and editor who has contributed to nearly two dozen publications including Washington Post, the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper, and Bloomberg’s CityLab.

At Bloc by Block News, Christina is responsible for setting and implementing the vision for the cooperative’s editorial initiatives. In this role, she’s intentional about amplifying the voices of people—both writers and subjects—who have historically been silenced by white-led media outlets.

Christina is also a podcast junkie, audiobook lover, coffee shop connoisseur, and proud Washington, D.C. native. She studied print journalism at Hampton University.

Author

Christina Sturdivant Sani

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