Maryland’s small business community breathed a great sigh of relief following the news that Gov. Larry Hogan kept his promise and vetoed House Bill 1, which would have mandated paid sick leave statewide. However, the fight isn’t over quite yet.
“Earlier this year, Gov. Hogan pledged to veto paid leave in Maryland if certain concessions were not made in the final bill,” NFIB/MD State Director Mike O’Halloran said in a statement. “Although the business community, including NFIB, fought tirelessly to mitigate against the potential damage that House Bill 1 would have on jobs and economic output in the state of Maryland, lawmakers pressed on with the legislation and ultimately passed the bill, knowing that it would inflict dangerous consequences on private sector growth.”
So while Maryland businesses were thanking Gov. Hogan, HB 1 supporters were already beginning to rally and call on lawmakers to override the governor’s veto. The measure passed both the House and Senate with veto-proof majorities, but in the Senate, it passed with the minimum needed to override a veto—29 votes—so only one vote would need to be flipped to sustain the veto. Final resolution will not likely come until January 2018, when legislators reconvene.
NFIB/MD will keep up the pressure in the meantime.
“Our focus will now be on the Legislature,” O’Halloran says. “We encourage them to follow the lead of Gov. Hogan and sustain his veto of this costly mandate. The stability of the small business community depends on it.”
