EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*sb0355*
SENATE BILL 355
K3 5lr2607
By: Senator Hershey
Introduced and read first time: January 16, 2025
Assigned to: Finance
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program – Delay of Implementation 2
FOR the purpose of altering the dates on which the payment of contributions and the 3
submission of claims for benefits are to begin under the Family and Medical Leave 4
Insurance Program; and generally relating to the Family and Medical Leave 5
Insurance Program. 6
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 7
Article – Labor and Employment 8
Section 8.3–601(a)(1), (b), (c)(1), and (d), 8.3–701(a)(1), and 8.3–703(b)(3) and (4) and 9
(e)(2) 10
Annotated Code of Maryland 11
(2016 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 12
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 13
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 14
Article – Labor and Employment 15
8.3–601. 16
(a) (1) Beginning July 1, [2025] 2027, each employee of an employer, each 17
employer with 15 or more employees, and each self–employed individual participating in 18
the Program shall contribute to the Fund. 19
(b) (1) Subject to subsection (a)(2) of this section, on or before February 1, 20
[2025] 2027, the Secretary shall set the total rate of contribution based on available cost 21
analyses of the Program. 22
2 SENATE BILL 355
(2) The rate set under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be in effect for 1
the period from July 1, [2025] 2027, to June 30, [2026] 2028, both inclusive. 2
(c) (1) On or before November 15 each year, beginning in [2026] 2028, the 3
Secretary shall conduct a cost analysis of the Program that is focused on the cost of 4
maintaining solvency and paying benefits to covered individuals that will be used to 5
determine the appropriate total rate of contribution to the Fund. 6
(d) (1) Subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection and subsection (a)(2) of this 7
section, on or before February 1 each year, beginning in [2026] 2028, the Secretary shall 8
set the total rate of contribution that will be in effect for the 12–month period beginning on 9
the immediately following July 1. 10
(2) The rate set under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be based on 11
the cost analysis required under subsection (c) of this section. 12
8.3–701. 13
(a) (1) Subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection, beginning July 1, [2026] 14
2028, a covered individual taking leave from employment may submit a claim for benefits: 15
(i) 1. to care for a newborn child of the covered individual during 16
the first year after the child’s birth; or 17
2. because a child is being placed for adoption, foster care, or 18
kinship care with the covered individual or to care for or bond with the child during the 19
first year after the placement; 20
(ii) to care for a family member with a serious health condition; 21
(iii) to attend to a serious health condition that results in the covered 22
individual being unable to perform the functions of the covered individual’s position; 23
(iv) to care for a service member with a serious health condition 24
resulting from military service for whom the covered individual is next of kin; or 25
(v) to attend to a qualifying exigency arising out of the deployment 26
of a service member who is a family member of the covered individual. 27
8.3–703. 28
(b) (3) The weekly benefit amount payable under paragraph (1) of this 29
subsection: 30
(i) shall be at least $50; and 31
(ii) may not exceed: 32 SENATE BILL 355 3
1. for the 6–month period beginning July 1, [2026] 2028, 1
$1,000; and 2
2. for the 12–month period beginning January 1, [2027] 3
2029, and each subsequent 12–month period, the amount determined and announced by 4
the Secretary under paragraph (4) of this subsection. 5
(4) (i) In this paragraph, “Consumer Price Index” means the Consumer 6
Price Index for All Urban Consumers for the Washington –Arlington–Alexandria, 7
DC–VA–MD–WV metropolitan area or a successor index published by the federal Bureau 8
of Labor Statistics. 9
(ii) Subject to subsection (e) of this section, for the 12–month period 10
beginning January 1, [2027] 2029, and each subsequent 12–month period, the maximum 11
weekly benefit amount shall be increased by the amount, rounded to the nearest cent, that 12
equals the product of: 13
1. the maximum weekly benefit amount in effect for the 14
immediately preceding 12–month period; and 15
2. the annual percentage growth in the Consumer Price 16
Index for the immediately preceding 12–month period, as determined by the Secretary 17
under subparagraph (iii)1 of this paragraph. 18
(iii) Beginning September 1, [2026] 2028, and on each subsequent 19
September 1, the Secretary shall determine and announce: 20
1. the annual percentage growth, if any, in the Consumer 21
Price Index based on the most recent 12–month period for which data are available on 22
September 1; and 23
2. the maximum weekly benefit amount effective for the 24
12–month period beginning the immediately following January 1. 25
(e) (2) Subject to paragraph (4) of this subsection, on or before September 1 26
each year, beginning in [2026] 2028, the Board shall determine whether the seasonally 27
adjusted total employment from the Current Employment Statistics series as reported by 28
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for the most recent 6–month period is negative as 29
compared with the immediately preceding 6–month period. 30
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 31
October 1, 2025. 32