ANNAPOLIS (March 15, 2017): In response to Governor Hogan’s statement that he will veto the House and Senate version of the mandatory paid leave bill, the following statement may be attributed to Mike O’Halloran, Maryland State Director for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB):
The small business community has adamantly opposed House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 230 since their inception as wholly unworkable legislation. There is no doubt that mandatory paid leave in this form will cost the state of Maryland thousands of jobs and act as a hiring deterrent for employers throughout the state.
Despite opposition to the concept of government mandating employee benefits, the business community offered more than a dozen reasonable and responsible amendments to help Maryland small businesses mitigate the impact of this mandate. Despite bipartisan support, the legislature chose not to listen to the pleas from Maryland businesses.
We applaud Governor Hogan’s willingness to stand up for the most vulnerable of businesses by committing to vetoing the legislation in its current form. The Governor knows first hand how difficult it can be to own and operate a small business and his continued dedication to our members is evident in his latest move to ensure that job creators do not suffer under what would be an extremely costly mandate.
