The Maryland legislature addressed a wide array of labor and employment law topics this session. The laws discussed were signed into law by Governor Moore and become effective in 2024 on the dates noted. This article...more
Approximately one year ago, the Maryland General Assembly passed the Time to Care Act of 2022 (SB 275/HB8). Maryland became the eleventh state (in addition to the District of Columbia) to adopt a statewide family and medical...more
On April 9, 2022, the Maryland legislature voted to override Governor Lawrence J. Hogan’s veto of the Time to Care Act of 2022 (SB 275/HB8), passing it by a 30-16 vote in the Senate and by a 94-44 vote in the House. Maryland...more
On November 20, 2020, the Montgomery County, Maryland Council approved amendments to its 2014 “ban-the-box” legislation. The original legislation (Bill 36-14) prohibited employers with 15 or more full-time employees in...more
11/25/2020
/ Background Checks ,
Ban the Box ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Regulations ,
Local Ordinance ,
State and Local Government
On October 6, 2020, the County Council for Montgomery County, Maryland unanimously voted to significantly revise its Human Rights Law as it relates to harassment in the workplace. The Bill was signed into law on October 16,...more
Maryland Governor Hogan moved the state into Stage Three of its reopening plan on September 4, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. in Order 20-09-01-01. This move permits practically all Maryland businesses to open, including theaters. ...more
9/10/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Non-Essential Businesses ,
Public Gatherings ,
Public Health ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Seating ,
Workplace Safety
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that the District would move into Phase Two of its reopening plan on June 22, 2020. Maryland has also expanded Stage Two of its reopening plan....more
7/1/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Non-Essential Businesses ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Retailers ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
State and Local Government ,
Workplace Safety
On May 27, 2020, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser signed a bill that amends D.C. emergency paid leave requirements. Although many changes are stylistic and do not affect the substance of the law, one change clarifies...more
Updated June 4, 2020 -
Last week, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser moved Washington, D.C. to Phase One of the District’s plan for reopening following COVID-19 closures. ...more
As the world slowly returns to some semblance of normalcy, the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia recently announced varying plans as to when they will reopen and what reopening will look like. Virginia previously...more
Maryland recently enacted amendments to its Economic Stabilization Act to require that an employer implementing a “reduction in operations” must provide 60 days’ advance notice to employees and others, and also provide...more
On April 7, 2020, the D.C. Council unanimously passed its second emergency COVID-19 relief bill, the COVID-19 Response Supplemental Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 (Emergency Act), addressing a variety of programs and...more
Employers of all sizes are facing unforeseen challenges because of the ongoing public health pandemic resulting from the spread of COVID-19. ...more
During the 2019 legislative session, Governor Larry Hogan vetoed the Criminal Records Screening (or “Ban-the-Box”) Act. On January 30, 2020, however, the Maryland General Assembly overrode the governor’s veto, making it...more
2/6/2020
/ Background Checks ,
Ban the Box ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Criminal Records ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Governor Vetoes ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Labor Regulations ,
Local Ordinance ,
Penalties ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
Starting February 1, 2020, covered District of Columbia employers must notify employees about their right to paid leave under the DC Paid Family Leave Act (PFLA)....more
In Maryland this year, spring brings warm weather and new employment laws. The General Assembly passed, and Governor Larry Hogan signed, several new laws regulating the workplace. ...more
5/29/2019
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Ban the Box ,
Breastfeeding ,
Employment Contract ,
Governor Vetoes ,
Harassment ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Labor Regulations ,
Local Ordinance ,
Low-Wage Workers ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Wage and Hour
On March 28, 2019, Maryland lawmakers passed an increase in the state minimum wage to $15 per hour starting January 1, 2025. Governor Larry Hogan had vetoed this bill when it originally crossed his desk on Wednesday the...more
On Tuesday, June 19, 2018, residents of the District Columbia voted to approve Initiative 77, which will incrementally phase out the “tip credit” that many employers use as an offset towards their minimum wage obligations to...more
6/22/2018
/ Ballot Measures ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Food Service Workers ,
Minimum Wage ,
Pending Legislation ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Restaurant Industry ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tip Credit ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
On January 12, 2018, the Maryland legislature overrode Governor Larry Hogan’s (R) 2017 veto of the Healthy Working Families Act, Maryland HB 1 (“the Act”), enacting legislation that requires Maryland businesses to provide...more
Maryland's 2016 General Assembly session has now adjourned. Maryland employers should be aware of the following new laws resulting from this legislative term: (1) Equal Pay for Equal Work; (2) Equal Pay Commission; (3)...more
5/23/2016
/ Equal Pay ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
General Assembly ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Local Ordinance ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
NLRA ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Preemption ,
Retirement Plan ,
Sick Leave ,
Small Business ,
Veterans ,
Wage and Hour
On March 25, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its much-anticipated decision in Young v. UPS, which employer and employee groups alike hoped would clarify whether employers must provide light duty and other workplace...more
In yet another case that impacts both union and non-union employers, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently found that an employee who asked coworkers for assistance in preserving evidence for a sex harassment...more
On August 13, 2014, the Maryland Court of Appeals held in Peters v. Early Healthcare Giver, Inc. that employers can be held liable under the Maryland Wage Payment and Collection Law ("Wage Payment Law" or MWPCL) for all...more
Effective October 1, 2013, Maryland employers with 15 or more employees must provide their pregnant employees with certain reasonable accommodations beyond the requirements of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)...more
In May 2013, Governor Martin O'Malley signed three noteworthy statutes that will affect virtually every Maryland employer. Effective October 1, 2013, Maryland employers with 15 or more employees must provide their pregnant...more