On February 15, 2018, the Economic Matters Committee of the Maryland House of Delegates voted 12-11 to reject a bill that would have delayed the implementation of Maryland’s new sick and safe leave law, known as the Maryland Healthy Working Families Act, until July 1, 2018. Advocates of delaying the implementation sought more time for employers and the State to prepare for the significant changes in leave policies. Instead, the law, which had already went into effect on February 11, 2018, will remain in effect as is.

Virtually all Maryland employers are covered by the new law.  Employers with 15 or more employees are required to provide up to 40 hours of paid sick and safe leave to employees each year, while employers with less than 15 employees must provide up to 40 hours of unpaid sick and safe leave annually. Employees accrue leave hours at a rate of 1 hour for every 30 hours worked. Under the law, employees began accruing leave as of January 1, 2018, and may start taking the leave as of February 11, 2018, the law’s effective date.  For a comprehensive analysis of the law and its effects, see our Alert, Everything Employers Need to Know About Maryland’s New Sick and Safe Leave Law. For our other blog posts regarding paid sick leave, click here.