Paid Sick Leave Law of the Land

Date: January 17, 2018

 

The Maryland General Assembly began its 90-day 2018 session on Jan. 10, and one of their first orders of business was to override Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto.

“We are thoroughly disappointed the legislature chose to ignore the warnings from the small business community by overturning Governor Hogan’s veto of paid leave,” said NFIB/Maryland State Director Mike O’Halloran. “Despite being educated on the disastrous results that this one-size-fits-all mandate will have on Maryland jobs and economic output, the legislature opted for another harmful policy that has more red tape, more record keeping, and devastating sanctions.”

Early in 2017, Gov. Hogan put forward his own paid sick leave bill that would have been less harmful to businesses, but the Legislature moved forward with a different proposal that would require employers with 15 or more workers who work at least 12 hours per week to allow those workers to take up to five days of paid leave each year for sickness or family crises. The bill also allows employers to verify what the leave is used for when more than two consecutive shifts are taken off, which has become a controversial provision that could undermine the privacy of workers, including those dealing with sexual assault or domestic violence. Hogan vetoed the bill in May, and Democratic leaders have vowed to override the veto.

On Jan. 12, they did exactly that.

“Political expediency does not create jobs or infuse our state economy, that responsibility lies with small business owners,” O’Hallorans said. “Lawmakers ignoring the concerns of these hard-working Marylanders is irresponsible, at best. Today’s action was a step backward, and it sent a clear sign to job creators that they must be on guard for more harmful mandates in the future.”

 

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