How lawmakers plan to help workers, businesses affected by Baltimore port disruptions

Maryland lawmakers are moving swiftly to put together a series of programs to help workers and businesses affected by the disruptions at the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore following last week’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Senate President Bill Ferguson, along with lawmakers from Baltimore and Baltimore County, is shepherding emergency legislation through the General Assembly in the final few days that lawmakers are meeting in Annapolis.

The goal of the Maryland Protecting Opportunities and Regional Trade Act, or “PORT Act,” is to provide “some modicum of protection and relief,” Ferguson testified Tuesday at a brief bill hearing before the Senate’s Finance Committee.

“The good news is the entire port is not closed. The operations are severely reduced because the channel is closed,” Ferguson said. Some activities like “value-added manufacturing” are continuing, and Tradepoint Atlantic is accepting some shipments, he said

“Until that channel is cleared, we will have severely disrupted operations,” said Ferguson, a Democrat.

The PORT Act has already been tweaked multiple times since it was officially introduced late last week. The core components include:

• Providing income replacement to employees who are out of work, whether they are workers at traditional businesses, employed by unions or independent contractors.
• Providing financial support to small businesses to keep workers on the payroll — rather than laying them off and sending them into the unemployment insurance system. Ferguson noted that during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, it became clear that such direct subsidies were efficient.
• Providing flexibility for Gov. Wes Moore’s administration to offer incentives to keep shipping businesses and other companies at the Port of Baltimore, or to bring them back if they temporarily relocate elsewhere while the channel is closed.

After discussions with the Moore administration, the bill will be adjusted to include:

• Creating a scholarship program for the children of fallen transportation workers, such as the six men on a pothole crew who were killed when the bridge collapsed.
• Suspending the unemployment insurance program’s requirement that port workers who do receive payments through that system must be available to take other jobs. With the hope that the port disruptions will be “extremely temporary,” this would allow them quickly to go back to their old jobs, Ferguson said.
• Increasing the Maryland Transportation Authority’s ability to borrow money in the form of bonds, in case it’s needed to rebuild the bridge. The federal government’s promise to pay all the bills isn’t guaranteed, Ferguson said.

Sen. Johnny Ray Salling, a Baltimore County Republican and co-sponsor of the PORT Act, said a visit this week with the longshoremen’s union underscored the importance of helping workers in an uncertain time.

“This is a time of necessary help,” he said.

The money for the programs would come from the state’s Rainy Day Fund, and there’s no estimated total price tag.

It’s possible that aid from the federal government could be forthcoming that would pay for these programs or make them unnecessary. There’s wording in the bill to ensure that workers and businesses don’t receive double payments from different sources for the same purposes, Ferguson said.

The federal government’s Small Business Administration has already set up two local offices to help business owners apply for aid, and other help could be on its way.

Shortly after Tuesday’s bill hearing, the Senate Finance Committee voted unanimously to advance Ferguson and Salling’s bill. It could be before the full Senate as soon as Wednesday.

Another version of the bill in the House of Delegates is sponsored by Dels. Luke Clippinger, Mark Edelson and Robbyn Lewis, all Baltimore Democrats; and Dels. Bob Long and Ric Metzgar, both Baltimore County Republicans.

Speaking near the Key Bridge site on Tuesday afternoon, Moore highlighted his work with lawmakers on the PORT Act. He noted the importance of the scholarships for the children of the workers who died.

“The work that these men and women do every single day is both essential and dangerous,” said Moore, a Democrat. “And we must ensure that when there are tragedies like this one, that the state does not forget about their children and their families.”

Meanwhile, another bill borne out of the Key Bridge collapse is not advancing.

Sens. Bryan Simonaire and Salling had proposed creating a new, limited, long-term state of emergency that a governor could order in response to an infrastructure emergency like the bridge collapse. Simonaire, an Anne Arundel County Republican, said Tuesday that he would not pursue the bill further after speaking with Moore’s administration. He said he hoped further discussions on the matter could continue.

The General Assembly session is scheduled to conclude at midnight on Monday.

Baltimore Banner reporter Dylan Segelbaum contributed to this article.

Pamela Wood

pamela.wood@thebaltimorebanner.com

Pamela Wood covers Maryland politics and government. She previously reported for The Baltimore Sun, The Capital and other Maryland newspapers. A graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, she lives in northern Anne Arundel County.

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