Montgomery County Council Vice President Will Jawando introduced a bill Tuesday morning that will enable any county resident who was fired by the federal government since President Donald Trump took office to move to the front of the line when applying for a county job.
County residents who are qualified for a job opening automatically will move to the interview stage. If they are considered a good candidate, the interviews will stop and that person will be chosen, Jawando explained.
There is money to hire county workers, and WorkSource Montgomery, a county agency, has 30,000 government and private company job listings, according to speakers at Tuesday’s press conference.
The bill already is supported by at least six of the 11 councilmembers. It an expedited bill, meaning once the council adopts it, it goes into effect immediately.
Of the approximately 70,000 county residents employed by the federal government, about 1,000 have been fired. Many more have been told they could be.
“We are here to help our neighbors” and to stand up for what Montgomery County stands for, Jawando said. The federal workers who have been laid off “are literally the people who keep our country great.”
He also said, “We need to retain our talent. We need to prevent brain drain.”
Jawando also called on private business owners and nonprofit executives to hire former federal workers.
Juliette Rizzo would love a new job, in Montgomery County or wherever she can find one. Until last week, she worked for the Department of Education as director of communications for special education.
“I want to continue to serve,” said Rizzo, who uses a wheelchair. She called the federal government “the workplace of choice for Americans with disabilities.”
Anthony Featherstone, Executive Director of WorkSource Montgomery, urged any job seeker to check out WorkSource Montgomery for information on applying for unemployment insurance, job openings, classes and training, job fairs and free head shots.
A public hearing on this bill is planned for April 1 at 1:30 p.m.
