Important Legislative Updates from NPA:
- California Parking Operators Should Be Aware of Potential for
'Meal and Break Period' Lawsuits - Update on H.R. 800, "The Employee Free Choice Act" [June 27, 2007]
- H.R. 800, "The Employee Free Choice Act" [June 18, 2007]
- Access Board Releases Draft Revisions to Guidelines for Buses and Vans
[April 28, 2007] - Maryland Legislature Approves Living Wage Mandate for Employees
on State Contracts - H.R. 800, "The Employee Free Choice Act"
- Minimum Wage Update
Maryland Legislature Approves Living Wage Mandate for Employees on State Contracts
The Maryland Legislature April 9 passed a measure requiring certain state government service contractors to pay employees a minimum "living wage" of $11.30 per hour in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., corridor and $8.50 per hour in other areas of the state. Meanwhile, the Legislature also passed an enrolled version of two bills allowing employees with discrimination claims under state law to litigate those claims in state court. The living wage measure (H.B. 430) was approved by the Senate by a vote of 31-16 and by the House of Delegates by a vote of 91-49 on the final day of the state legislative session. The Maryland AFL-CIO, a supporter of the legislation, said that Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat who campaigned in support of a statewide living wage, has promised to sign it into law. "The final vote is another step toward lifting thousands of Maryland workers out of poverty," said Fred Mason, president of the Maryland and D.C. AFL-CIO, in an April 9 statement. The Maryland Chamber of Commerce had lobbied against the legislation, characterizing it as "onerous" to business interests. "It is fiscally irresponsible to inflate state procurement costs by millions of dollars annually when the state is facing a structural budget deficit of $1.5 billion," the organization said in a statement.
Contracts Over $100,000 Covered
The measure, which is scheduled to take effect Oct. 1, 2007, applies to state service contracts valued at $100,000 or more. The law would require state contractors and subcontractors to pay $11.30 an hour if more than half of the value of the contract is performed within the so-called "Tier 1 area," comprised of five urban/suburban counties - Montgomery, Prince George's, Howard, Ann Arundel and Baltimore - as well as Baltimore City. Contractors and subcontractors performing covered contract work in the remainder of the state would be required to pay most employees $8.50 an hour. The law would not apply to construction contracts subject to prevailing wage requirements, to employees under 17 years of age, or to those working fewer than 13 consecutive weeks.
Discrimination Bill Passed
Meanwhile, the discrimination bill passed April 2 is being hailed as a huge step for those claiming sexual orientation bias because Maryland, but not federal, anti-discrimination law protects against sexual orientation discrimination in employment. With the existing procedure only allowing pursuit of state law claims in administrative tribunals, such claimants had no means of obtaining compensatory damages. The final version of S.B. 678, with minor amendments, passed the Senate April 2 by a 39-8 vote. The House by a 136-3 vote passed its final version of the bill March 31. The Senate passed an earlier version of the legislation March 23 by a 39-8 vote. That bill differed from its cross-filed measure in the House, H.B. 314, by containing a single comma that was added as an act of clarification. The House originally passed H.B. 314 March 21 by a vote of 137-0.
