Maryland 2024 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB802 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	hb0802
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 802
8	8	K3 4lr0731
9	9	CF 4lr3311
10	10	By: Delegates Vogel, Charkoudian, and Stewart
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 31, 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	Labor and Employment – Mandatory Meetings on Religious or Political Matters 2
19	19	– Employee Attendance and Participation 3
20	20	(Protecting Workers From Captive Audience Meetings Act) 4
21	21
22	22	FOR the purpose of prohibiting employers from taking certain actions against an employee 5
23	23	or applicant for employment because the employee or applicant declines to attend or 6
24	24	participate in employer–sponsored meetings during which the employer 7
25	25	communicates the opinion of the employer regarding religious matters or political 8
26	26	matters; and generally relating to employee attendance and participation in 9
27	27	employer meetings on religious or political matters. 10
28	28
29	29	BY adding to 11
30	30	Article – Labor and Employment 12
31	31	Section 3–718 13
32	32	Annotated Code of Maryland 14
33	33	(2016 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 15
34	34
35	35	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 16
36	36	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 17
37	37
38	38	Article – Labor and Employment 18
39	39
40	40	3–718. 19
41	41
42	42	(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANING S 20
43	43	INDICATED. 21
44	44
45	45	(2) “POLITICAL MATTERS” MEANS MATTERS RELATI NG TO: 22
46	46
47	47	(I) ELECTIONS FOR POLITI CAL OFFICE; 23 2 HOUSE BILL 802
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51	(II) POLITICAL PARTIES ; 1
52	52
53	53	(III) PROPOSALS TO CHANGE : 2
54	54
55	55	1. LEGISLATION; 3
56	56
57	57	2. REGULATIONS ; OR 4
58	58
59	59	3. PUBLIC POLICY; OR 5
60	60
61	61	(IV) THE DECISION TO JOIN OR SUPPORT A POLITICAL PARTY OR 6
62	62	POTENTIAL CIVIC , COMMUNITY , FRATERNAL, OR LABOR ORGANIZATIO N. 7
63	63
64	64	(3) “RELIGIOUS MATTERS” MEANS MATTERS RELATI NG TO 8
65	65	RELIGIOUS BELIEF , AFFILIATION, AND PRACTICE OR THE DECISION TO JOIN OR 9
66	66	SUPPORT A RELIGIOUS ENTITY. 10
67	67
68	68	(B) THIS SECTION DOES NOT APPLY TO AN EMPLOYER THAT IS A RELIGIOUS 11
69	69	CORPORATION , ORGANIZATION , OR ASSOCIATION , OR AN EDUCATIONAL 12
70	70	INSTITUTION OR SOCIE TY THAT IS EXEMPT FR OM THE REQUIREMENTS OF TITLE VII 13
71	71	OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964 UNDER 42 U.S.C. § 2000E–1(A). 14
72	72
73	73	(C) AN EMPLOYER MAY NOT : 15
74	74
75	75	(1) DISCHARGE, DISCIPLINE, OR OTHERWISE PENALIZ E OR 16
76	76	THREATEN TO DISCHARG E, DISCIPLINE, OR OTHERWISE PENALIZ E AN EMPLOYEE 17
77	77	BECAUSE THE EMPLOYEE DECLINES TO ATTEND O R PARTICIPATE IN AN 18
78	78	EMPLOYER–SPONSORED MEETING DURING WHICH THE EMPLOYER COMMUNI CATES 19
79	79	THE OPINION OF THE EMPLO YER REGARDING RELIGIOUS MATTERS OR POLITICAL 20
80	80	MATTERS; OR 21
81	81
82	82	(2) FAIL OR REFUSE TO HI RE AN APPLICANT FOR EMPLOYMENT AS A 22
83	83	RESULT OF THE APPLIC ANT’S REFUSAL TO ATTEND OR PARTICIPATE IN AN 23
84	84	EMPLOYER–SPONSORED MEETING DURING WHICH THE EMPLOYER COMMUNI CATES 24
85	85	THE OPINION OF THE E MPLOYER REGARDING RELIGIOUS MATTERS OR POLITICAL 25
86	86	MATTERS. 26
87	87
88	88	(D) THIS SECTION DOES NOT PROHIBIT AN EMPLOYER FROM : 27
89	89
90	90	(1) COMMUNICATING INFORM ATION THAT THE EMPLO YER IS 28
91	91	REQUIRED BY LAW TO C OMMUNICATE ; OR 29
92	92	HOUSE BILL 802 3
93	93
94	94
95	95	(2) CONDUCTING A MEETING THAT INVOLVES RELIGIOUS MATTERS 1
96	96	OR POLITICAL MATTERS IF ATTENDANCE AND PARTI CIPATION ARE VOLUNTA RY. 2
97	97
98	98	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FUR THER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 3
99	99	October 1, 2024. 4