The City Council is poised to vote Monday on a bill that would require businesses receiving large city contracts or major financial support to hire 51 percent of new workers from Baltimore — or face sanctions.
“We have the highest unemployment rate in the state,” said City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young, the bill’s lead sponsor. “If a business wants to take our money, at least hire us. As they begin to enrich themselves, enrich the citizens as well.”
But the city’s law department is challenging the legislation — calling it unconstitutional — and some businesses are objecting to what they believe is a burdensome requirement.
“To be limited to only city residents shrinks the pool of qualified applicants to choose from, which increases the possibility of a bad hire,” Peter G. Ligon of general contractor Ligon & Ligon Inc. wrote in a letter opposing the bill. “This bill would increase our liability exposure and costs, and place our current mixture of resident and nonresident employees at risk of unemployment.”
Young’s bill would apply to a business receiving any city contract worth at least $300,000 or any project that gets at least $5 million in city assistance. It would require 51 percent of new jobs to go to residents of Baltimore. Under the proposal, businesses that do not comply could be barred from receiving city contracts for one year and face a $500 fine.
Would you vote for this bill?
