Maryland 2024 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1084 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb1084
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1084
8	8	K3, J1 4lr1285
9	9	CF SB 1061
10	10	By: Delegates Martinez, Woods, Acevero, Alston, Fennell, Taylor, and Turner
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 7, 2024
12	12	Assigned to: Economic Matters
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Employee Autoimmune Disorder Protection Act 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of prohibiting an employer from requiring an employee to work on–site at 3
21	21	the employer’s workplace if the employee provides documentation from a physician 4
22	22	or other licensed health care practitioner that the employee has been diagnosed with 5
23	23	an autoimmune disorder or other qualifying illness and certain other conditions are 6
24	24	met; and generally relating to employment of individuals with autoimmune 7
25	25	disorders. 8
26	26
27	27	BY adding to 9
28	28	Article – Labor and Employment 10
29	29	Section 3–103(n) 11
30	30	Annotated Code of Maryland 12
31	31	(2016 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 13
32	32
33	33	BY adding to 14
34	34	Article – Labor and Employment 15
35	35	Section 3–1801 through 3–1805 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 18. Employee 16
36	36	Autoimmune Disorder Protection Act” 17
37	37	Annotated Code of Maryland 18
38	38	(2016 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 19
39	39
40	40	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 20
41	41	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 21
42	42
43	43	Article – Labor and Employment 22
44	44
45	45	3–103. 23
46	46	2 HOUSE BILL 1084
47	47
48	48
49	49	(N) THE COMMISSIONER MAY COND UCT AN INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE 1
50	50	WHETHER SUBTITLE 18 OF THIS TITLE HAS BE EN VIOLATED ON RECEI PT OF A 2
51	51	WRITTEN COMPLAINT BY AN EMPLOYEE . 3
52	52
53	53	SUBTITLE 18. EMPLOYEE AUTOIMMUNE DISORDER PROTECTION ACT. 4
54	54
55	55	3–1801. 5
56	56
57	57	(A) IN THIS SUBTITLE THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 6
58	58	INDICATED. 7
59	59
60	60	(B) (1) “AUTOIMMUNE DISORDER ” MEANS A CONDITION IN WHICH THE 8
61	61	BODY’S IMMUNE SYSTEM ATTA CKS AND DESTROYS HEA LTHY BODY TISSUE. 9
62	62
63	63	(2) “AUTOIMMUNE DISORDER ” INCLUDES: 10
64	64
65	65	(I) BRONCHIECTASIS ; 11
66	66
67	67	(II) CELIAC DISEASE; 12
68	68
69	69	(III) GUILLAIN–BARRE SYNDROME; 13
70	70
71	71	(IV) HASHIMOTO’S THYROIDITIS; 14
72	72
73	73	(V) IDIOPATHIC PULMONARY FIBROSIS; 15
74	74
75	75	(VI) LUPUS; 16
76	76
77	77	(VII) MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS ; 17
78	78
79	79	(VIII) MYASTHENIA GRAVIS ; 18
80	80
81	81	(IX) PEMPHIGUS VULGARIS ; AND 19
82	82
83	83	(X) RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS . 20
84	84
85	85	(C) “EMPLOYER” INCLUDES A GOVERNMEN TAL UNIT. 21
86	86
87	87	(D) (1) “ESSENTIAL INDUSTRY” MEANS AN INDUSTRY THAT HAS BEEN 22
88	88	DETERMINED BY THE COMMISSIONER TO REQUIRE ON–SITE WORK AS PART OF ITS 23
89	89	CORE OPERATION . 24
90	90
91	91	(2) “ESSENTIAL INDUSTRY” INCLUDES: 25 HOUSE BILL 1084 3
92	92
93	93
94	94
95	95	(I) CHEMICAL MANUFACTURING AND PR OCESSING; 1
96	96
97	97	(II) COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECH NOLOGY; 2
98	98
99	99	(III) ENERGY SERVICES; 3
100	100
101	101	(IV) FINANCIAL SERVICES; 4
102	102
103	103	(V) FIRST RESPONDERS AND EMERGENCY SERVICES ; 5
104	104
105	105	(VI) FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ; 6
106	106
107	107	(VII) HAZARDOUS MATERIALS HANDLING AND DISPOSA L; 7
108	108
109	109	(VIII) HEALTH CARE AND PUBLIC HEALTH ; 8
110	110
111	111	(IX) LAW ENFORCEMENT AND PUBLIC SAFETY; 9
112	112
113	113	(X) PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUC TURE SUPPORT SERVICE S; 10
114	114
115	115	(XI) TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS; 11
116	116
117	117	(XII) WATER AND WASTEWATER SERVICES; AND 12
118	118
119	119	(XIII) ANY OTHER INDUSTRY THE COMMISSIONER DESIGNATES AS 13
120	120	ESSENTIAL. 14
121	121
122	122	(E) “OTHER QUALIFYING ILLN ESS” MEANS: 15
123	123
124	124	(1) A CONDITION OR SYMPT OM CAUSED BY AN AUTO IMMUNE 16
125	125	DISORDER THAT COULD IMPAIR AN EMPL OYEE PHYSICALLY OR M ENTALLY; OR 17
126	126
127	127	(2) ANY OTHER DISORDER O F THE IMMUNE SYSTEM THAT A 18
128	128	PHYSICIAN OR OTHER LICENSED HEALTH CARE PRACTITI ONER DETERMINES MAY 19
129	129	HAVE A DETRIMENTAL E FFECT ON AN EMPLOYEE ’S ABILITY TO SAFELY WORK 20
130	130	ON–SITE OR TRAVEL TO AND FROM WORK . 21
131	131
132	132	(F) “SMALL EMPLOYER” MEANS AN EMPLOYER WHO EMPL OYS 20 OR FEWER 22
133	133	EMPLOYEES. 23
134	134
135	135	3–1802. 24
136	136	4 HOUSE BILL 1084
137	137
138	138
139	139	THIS SUBTITLE DOES NO T APPLY TO AN EMPLOYER IN AN E SSENTIAL 1
140	140	INDUSTRY. 2
141	141
142	142	3–1803. 3
143	143
144	144	AN EMPLOYER MAY NOT R EQUIRE AN EMPLOYEE T O WORK ON–SITE AT THE 4
145	145	EMPLOYER’S WORKPLACE IF: 5
146	146
147	147	(1) THE EMPLOYEE PROVIDES DOCUMENTATI ON FROM A PHYSICIAN 6
148	148	OR OTHER LICENSED HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER THAT: 7
149	149
150	150	(I) THE EMPLOYEE HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED W ITH AN 8
151	151	AUTOIMMUNE DISORDER OR ANY OTHER QUALIFYING ILLNESS; AND 9
152	152
153	153	(II) ON–SITE WORK, OR TRAVEL TO AND FRO M THE WORKPLACE , 10
154	154	WOULD BE UNSAFE FOR THE EMPLOYEE ; AND 11
155	155
156	156	(2) THE DUTIES OF THE EM PLOYEE MAY REASONABL Y BE FULFILLED 12
157	157	AT THE HOME OF THE E MPLOYEE. 13
158	158
159	159	3–1804. 14
160	160
161	161	(A) (1) IF AN EMPLOYEE BELIEV ES THAT THE EMPLOYER OF THE 15
162	162	EMPLOYEE HAS VIOLATED THIS SU BTITLE, THE EMPLOYEE MAY SUBMIT TO THE 16
163	163	COMMISSIONER A WRITTE N COMPLAINT THAT ALL EGES THE VIOLATION A ND THAT 17
164	164	INCLUDES THE SIGNATU RE OF THE EMPLOYEE . 18
165	165
166	166	(2) THE COMMISSIONER SHALL AC CEPT AS TIMELY AN OR AL 19
167	167	COMPLAINT MADE BY TH E EMPLOYEE U NDER THE CIRCUMSTANC ES DESCRIBED IN 20
168	168	PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION IF, WITHIN 7 BUSINESS DAYS AFTER THE ORAL 21
169	169	COMPLAINT IS MADE , THE EMPLOYEE SUBMITS A WRITTEN COMPLAINT THAT 22
170	170	INCLUDES THE SIGNATU RE OF THE EMPLOYEE . 23
171	171
172	172	(3) AN EMPLOYEE SHALL FIL E A COMPLAINT UNDER THIS 24
173	173	SUBSECTION WITHIN 30 DAYS AFTER THE ALLEG ED DISCRIMINATION OC CURS. 25
174	174
175	175	(B) (1) ON RECEIPT OF A COMPL AINT UNDER SUBSECTIO N (A) OF THIS 26
176	176	SECTION, THE COMMISSIONER MAY INVE STIGATE. 27
177	177
178	178	(2) IF, AFTER INVESTIGATION , THE COMMISSIONER DETERMIN ES 28
179	179	THAT AN EMPLOYER HAS VIOLATED THIS S UBTITLE, THE COMMISSIONER SHALL 29
180	180	FILE A COMPLAINT TO ENJOIN THE VIOLATION OR FOR OTHER APPROPR IATE RELIEF 30
181	181	IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR: 31 HOUSE BILL 1084 5
182	182
183	183
184	184
185	185	(I) THE COUNTY IN WHICH THE ALLEGED VIOLATIO N 1
186	186	OCCURRED; 2
187	187
188	188	(II) THE COUNTY IN WHICH THE EMPLOYER HAS ITS PRINCIPAL 3
189	189	OFFICE; OR 4
190	190
191	191	(III) BALTIMORE CITY. 5
192	192
193	193	(3) WITHIN 90 DAYS AFTER THE COMMISSIONER RECEIVES A 6
194	194	COMPLAINT, THE COMMISSIONER SHALL NO TIFY THE EMPLOYEE OF THE 7
195	195	DETERMINATION UNDER THIS SUBSECTION . 8
196	196
197	197	(C) IF THE COMMISSIONER DETERMIN ES THAT: 9
198	198
199	199	(1) A SMALL EMPLOYER HAS VIOLATED THIS SUBTITLE, THE SMALL 10
200	200	EMPLOYER SHALL BE SUBJECT TO A CIVIL PENALTY NOT EXCEEDING : 11
201	201
202	202	(I) $500 FOR THE FIRST VIOLATION; AND 12
203	203
204	204	(II) $1,000 FOR EACH SUBSEQUENT VIOLATION; OR 13
205	205
206	206	(2) AN EMPLOYER OTHER THAN A SMALL E MPLOYER HAS VIOLATED 14
207	207	THIS SUBTITLE, THE EMPLOYER SHALL BE SUBJECT TO A CIVIL PENALTY NOT 15
208	208	EXCEEDING: 16
209	209
210	210	(I) $5,000 FOR THE FIRST VIOLAT ION; AND 17
211	211
212	212	(II) $10,000 FOR EACH SUBSEQUENT VIOLATION. 18
213	213
214	214	3–1805. 19
215	215
216	216	THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ADOP T REGULATIONS TO IMPLE MENT THE 20
217	217	PROVISIONS OF THIS S UBTITLE. 21
218	218
219	219	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the Maryland Department of 22
220	220	Labor shall adopt the regulations required under § 3–1805 of the Labor and Employment 23
221	221	Article, as enacted by Section 1 of this Act, on or before June 1, 2025. 24
222	222
223	223	SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 25
224	224	October 1, 2024. 26