MD Gov. Moore Reveals Buyout Plan For State Employees: Report

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's administration launched a buyout program for state employees this week that offers workers a lump sum and a payment for years of service should they choose to resign, according to reports.

Under the program, employees would receive a lump sum of $20,000, plus $300 for each year they’ve worked, the Baltimore Banner reported. Anyone who chooses to leave would also remain on their state health insurance plan for six months and receive pay for unused leave.

The buyout program opened on Thursday, and workers have until Aug. 4 to apply. Workers employed with the state for at least two years are eligible.

Moore announced the buyouts last month in an email to state employees, citing a "historical fiscal challenge," and warned them to also prepare for a hiring freeze and workforce reductions.

• RELATED: Hiring Freeze, Employee Buyouts Ordered By MD Gov. Moore

The job reductions stem from a mandate included in the state's fiscal year 2026 budget and will amount to $121 million in savings, The Washington Post reported.

The governor also called the state's financial climate the worst since the Great Depression, citing in part, "a federal administration that continues to harm Maryland's people and the economy," according to CBS Baltimore.

The 2026 budget was passed and signed by Moore earlier this year. While it slashed the personnel budget by more than $100 million, it did not specify how the cuts would be carried out.

The hiring freeze will be implemented on July 1 and likely continue until the same date next year, according to the Post. The freeze does not include the University of Maryland system, the legislative branch or the Maryland Judiciary. Jobs involving around-the-clock direct care are also not affected.

Moore Chief of Staff Fagan Harris said in an interview with Maryland Matters that state officials have been trying for weeks to come up with a plan to get the savings from the state’s general fund, in accordance with the fiscal 2026 budget that the governor signed in May.

“It’s going to be all of these things that help us get to the number, ultimately,” Harris said.

Patrick Moran, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 3 — which represents more than 26,000 state employees — said the state’s ongoing issues with “chronic understaffing, dangerous working conditions, and unsustainable workloads” must be taken into account as the final decisions are made on cuts.

“While it’s clear our state must navigate tough and volatile times, any solutions cannot come at the cost of providing quality state services,” Moran said in a statement last month.

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