Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB576 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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		-	Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
6		-	Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
7		-	amendment.
8	5		sb0576
9	6
10	7		SENATE BILL 576
11	8		K3 5lr3004
12	9		CF HB 233
13	10		By: Senators Lam, Rosapepe, Kramer, and Waldstreicher
14	11		Introduced and read first time: January 23, 2025
15	12		Assigned to: Finance
16		-	Committee Report: Favorable
17		-	Senate action: Adopted
18		-	Read second time: February 16, 2025
19	13
20		-	~~CHAPTER ______~~
	14	+	A BILL ENTITLED
21	15
22	16		AN ACT concerning 1
23	17
24	18		Labor and Employment – Mandatory Meetings on Religious or Political Matters 2
25	19		– Employee Attendance and Participation 3
26	20		(Maryland Worker Freedom Act) 4
27	21
28	22		FOR the purpose of prohibiting employers from taking certain actions against an employee 5
29	23		or applicant for employment because the employee or applicant declines to attend or 6
30	24		participate in employer–sponsored meetings during which the employer 7
31	25		communicates the opinion of the employer regarding religious matters or political 8
32	26		matters; and generally relating to employee attendance and participation in 9
33	27		employer meetings on religious or political matters. 10
34	28
35	29		BY adding to 11
36	30		Article – Labor and Employment 12
37	31		Section 3–718 13
38	32		Annotated Code of Maryland 14
39	33		(2016 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 15
40	34
41	35		SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 16
42	36		That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 17
43	37
44	38		Article – Labor and Employment 18
45	39
46	40		3–718. 19
47		-	2 SENATE BILL 576
48	41
	42	+	(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 20
	43	+	INDICATED. 21
49	44
50		-	(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 1
51		-	INDICATED. 2
	45	+	(2) “POLITICAL MATTERS ” MEANS MATTERS RELATI NG TO: 22
52	46
53		-	(2) “POLITICAL MATTERS ” MEANS MATTERS RELATI NG TO: 3
54		-
55		-	(I) ELECTIONS FOR POLITI CAL OFFICE; 4
56		-
57		-	(II) POLITICAL PARTIES ; 5
58		-
59		-	(III) PROPOSALS TO CHANGE : 6
60		-
61		-	1. LEGISLATION; 7
62		-
63		-	2. REGULATIONS ; OR 8
64		-
65		-	3. PUBLIC POLICY; OR 9
66		-
67		-	(IV) THE DECISION TO JOIN OR SUPPORT A POLITIC AL PARTY OR 10
68		-	POTENTIAL CIVIC , COMMUNITY , FRATERNAL, OR LABOR ORGANIZATIO N. 11
69		-
70		-	(3) “RELIGIOUS MATTERS ” MEANS MATTERS RELATI NG TO 12
71		-	RELIGIOUS BELIEF , AFFILIATION, AND PRACTICE OR THE DECISION TO JOIN OR 13
72		-	SUPPORT A RELIGIOUS ENTITY. 14
73		-
74		-	(B) THIS SECTION DOES NOT APPLY TO AN EMPLOYER THAT IS A RELIGIOUS 15
75		-	CORPORATION , ORGANIZATION , OR ASSOCIATION , OR AN EDUCATIONAL 16
76		-	INSTITUTION OR SOCIE TY THAT IS EXEMPT FR OM THE REQUIREME NTS OF TITLE VII 17
77		-	OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964 UNDER 42 U.S.C. § 2000E–1(A). 18
78		-
79		-	(C) AN EMPLOYER MAY NOT : 19
80		-
81		-	(1) DISCHARGE, DISCIPLINE, OR OTHERWISE PENALIZ E OR 20
82		-	THREATEN TO DISCHARG E, DISCIPLINE, OR OTHERWISE PENALIZ E AN EMPLOYEE 21
83		-	BECAUSE THE EMPLOYEE DECLINES TO ATTEND OR PAR TICIPATE IN AN 22
84		-	EMPLOYER–SPONSORED MEETING DU RING WHICH THE EMPLO YER COMMUNICATES 23
85		-	THE OPINION OF THE E MPLOYER REGARDING RE LIGIOUS MATTERS OR P OLITICAL 24
86		-	MATTERS; OR 25
87		-
88		-	(2) FAIL OR REFUSE TO HI RE AN APPLICANT FOR EMPLOYMENT AS A 26
89		-	RESULT OF THE APPLICANT ’S REFUSAL TO ATTEND OR PARTICIPATE IN AN 27
90		-	EMPLOYER–SPONSORED MEETING DU RING WHICH THE EMPLO YER COMMUNICATES 28
91		-	THE OPINION OF THE E MPLOYER REGARDING RE LIGIOUS MATTERS OR P OLITICAL 29
92		-	MATTERS. 30 SENATE BILL 576 3
	47	+	(I) ELECTIONS FOR POLITI CAL OFFICE; 23 2 SENATE BILL 576
93	48
94	49
95	50
96		-	(D) ~~THIS SECTION DOES NOT PROHIBIT AN EMPLOYER FROM:~~ 1
	51	+	(II) POLITICAL PARTIES ; 1
97	52
98		-	(1) COMMUNICATING INFORM ATION THAT THE EMPLO YER IS 2
99		-	REQUIRED BY LAW TO C OMMUNICATE ; OR 3
	53	+	(III) PROPOSALS TO CHANGE : 2
100	54
101		-	(2) CONDUCTING A MEETING THAT INVOLVES RELIGI OUS MATTERS 4
102		-	OR POLITICAL MATTERS IF ATTENDANCE AND PA RTICIPATION ARE VOLU NTARY. 5
	55	+	1. LEGISLATION; 3
103	56
104		-	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, T hat this Act shall take effect 6
105		-	October 1, 2025. 7
	57	+	2. REGULATIONS ; OR 4
	58	+
	59	+	3. PUBLIC POLICY; OR 5
	60	+
	61	+	(IV) THE DECISION TO JOIN OR SUPPORT A POLITICAL PARTY OR 6
	62	+	POTENTIAL CIVIC , COMMUNITY , FRATERNAL, OR LABOR ORGANIZATIO N. 7
	63	+
	64	+	(3) “RELIGIOUS MATTERS ” MEANS MATTERS RELATI NG TO 8
	65	+	RELIGIOUS BELIEF , AFFILIATION, AND PRACTICE OR THE DECISION TO JOIN OR 9
	66	+	SUPPORT A RELIGIOUS ENTITY. 10
	67	+
	68	+	(B) THIS SECTION DOES NOT APPLY TO AN EMPLOYER THAT IS A RELIGIOUS 11
	69	+	CORPORATION , ORGANIZATION , OR ASSOCIATION , OR AN EDUCATIONAL 12
	70	+	INSTITUTION OR SOCIE TY THAT IS EXEMPT FR OM THE REQUIREMENTS OF TITLE VII 13
	71	+	OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964 UNDER 42 U.S.C. § 2000E–1(A). 14
	72	+
	73	+	(C) AN EMPLOYER MAY NOT : 15
	74	+
	75	+	(1) DISCHARGE, DISCIPLINE, OR OTHERWISE PENALIZ E OR 16
	76	+	THREATEN TO DISCHARG E, DISCIPLINE, OR OTHERWISE PENALIZ E AN EMPLOYEE 17
	77	+	BECAUSE THE EMPLOYEE DECLINES TO ATTEND O R PARTICIPATE IN AN 18
	78	+	EMPLOYER–SPONSORED MEETING DU RING WHICH THE EMP LOYER COMMUNICATES 19
	79	+	THE OPINION OF THE E MPLOYER REGARDING RE LIGIOUS MATTERS OR P OLITICAL 20
	80	+	MATTERS; OR 21
	81	+
	82	+	(2) FAIL OR REFUSE TO HI RE AN APPLICANT FOR EMPLOYMENT AS A 22
	83	+	RESULT OF THE APPLIC ANT’S REFUSAL TO ATTEND OR PARTICIPATE IN AN 23
	84	+	EMPLOYER–SPONSORED MEETING D URING WHICH THE EMPL OYER COMMUNICATES 24
	85	+	THE OPINION OF THE E MPLOYER REGARDING RE LIGIOUS MATTERS OR P OLITICAL 25
	86	+	MATTERS. 26
	87	+
	88	+	(D) THIS SECTION DOES NOT PROHIBIT AN EMPLOYER FROM: 27
	89	+
	90	+	(1) COMMUNICATING INFORM ATION THAT THE EMPLO YER IS 28
	91	+	REQUIRED BY LAW TO C OMMUNICATE ; OR 29
	92	+	SENATE BILL 576 3
106	93
107	94
	95	+	(2) CONDUCTING A MEETING THAT INVOLVES RELIGI OUS MATTERS 1
	96	+	OR POLITICAL MATTERS IF ATTENDANCE AND PA RTICIPATION ARE VOLU NTARY. 2
108	97
109		-	Approved:
110		-	________________________________________________________________________________
111		-	Governor.
112		-	________________________________________________________________________________
113		-	President of the Senate.
114		-	________________________________________________________________________________
115		-	Speaker of the House of Delegates.
	98	+	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 3
	99	+	October 1, 2025. 4