As the close of this year’s legislative session approaches, the Prince George’s County Council has prioritized local businesses, workers and consumers.
In an effort to combat the cost of living crisis and improve wages locally, the council agreed to index the minimum wage to inflation.
Maryland Center on Economic Policy research analyst Christopher Meyer presented data during the hearing to support the legislation’s potential benefits and said that tying minimum wage to cost of living would increase wages for nearly 44,000 workers by more than $20 million annually.
However, numerous disability advocates worried that the bill would negatively impact the direct service providers that so many county residents need.
“We simply have to work with what we are given,” said Rob Bayard, who chairs the Prince George’s Provider Council, a coalition of nonprofits. “A minimum-wage increase in the county will not result in the state increasing our rate. We’ve seen numerous people lose access to services simply because the organizations tasked with providing the support are not able to hire and retain staff to provide those services.”
In addition to minimum wage, the council passed legislation requiring businesses to keep their shopping carts on site and limiting the opening of new convenience stores.
With the increasing popularity of short- and long-term homestay properties, the council also passed a bill to create a short-term rental database for the Department of Permitting, Inspection, and Enforcement.
“I am not the only council member who has been contacted by people in a neighborhood who are really being disturbed by the activities that are going on in a handful of Airbnbs or Vrbos, through these short-term rentals,” said Council Chair Jolene Ivey (D-District 5). “But there are those that are really problems in the community, and you need all the information that you can get in order to shut down that kind of disturbing activity.”
