NEWS BULLETIN: House votes to override governor’s veto of HB 1

(January 11, 2018 — ANNAPOLIS, Md.) — Maryland’s House of Delegates voted to overturn Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto of a damaging, costly, one-size-fits-all mandate for paid leave.

The Senate is scheduled to consider the matter Friday.

“We’re sorry to see that the House did not understand the damage this bill will do to employers and their employees, especially in small businesses,” said Maryland Chamber President & CEO Christine Ross. “We hope to see that understanding from the Senate.”

The 2017 bill, known as HB 1, would be the most onerous mandate on employers in Maryland labor law if the Senate votes to override the veto, threatening the livelihoods it intends to protect by putting jobs, available work hours and more at risk.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates it would cost nearly $900 per full-time employee per year to comply with the bill. It contains nine high penalties for noncompliance, including very minor bookkeeping errors. It applies to all businesses with 15 or more employees. The threshold for hours worked is at 24 per pay period, or 12 per week.

This means that this bill alone would cost an employer with 15 employees more than $13,000 in compliance alone per year, with fees for a single offense threatening to put her out of business.

The override passed in the House by a vote of 88-52.

Related links:
Governor, DLLR want to hear from Marylanders about paid leave
Maryland Chamber, Business Coalition unite to oppose mandatory paid leave
News bulletin: Mandatory paid leave