What our legislators are considering now in Annapolis

Here are a few of the labor and employment bills being considered during this legislative session that may be of interest to Maryland employers.

Labor and employment bills this legislative session

House Bill (HB) 0014: inquiring about wages—prohibition on adverse action. This proposal would prohibit an employer from taking any adverse employment action against an employee for inquiring about her wages.

HB 0123/Senate Bill (SB) 0217: wage history and wage range. This proposal, if enacted, would require an employer to provide to an applicant on request the wage range for the position for which she applied; prohibit it from taking negative actions against an applicant because she didn't provide wage history or a wage range; and prevent it from relying on wage history (except when voluntarily provided) for the purpose of determining a fair wage and from seeking an applicant's wage history from former employers or their agents.

HB 0126/SB 0846: peace orders—workplace violence. This proposal, if enacted, would authorize an employer to file a petition for a peace order on behalf of an employee in the workplace. The proposed legislation would also provide certain immunity for employers that don't seek a peace order on behalf of an employee.

HB 0712 /SB 026: leave with pay—bereavement leave (Family Bereavement Act). This proposal, if enacted, would expand Maryland's Flexible Leave Act to authorize employees to use certain earned paid leave for bereavement in the event of an immediate family member's or pet's death.