Sick leave: Maryland Senate votes to delay measure

Associated Press

A Maryland Senate panel has voted to delay a measure requiring many businesses to provide paid sick leave until July.

Gov. Larry Hogan's abandonment of Smart Growth could have costly consequences for Maryland counties.

The law will require businesses with 15 or more employees to provide up to five days of paid sick leave a year.

Members of the Senate Finance Committee said the postponement approved Friday doesn't appear to have much support in the House, but senators said they wanted to try to give Maryland businesses more time to prepare for the law.

"This is the way the Legislature is supposed to work," said Sen. Jim Mathias, D-38-Worcester, in a statement Friday. "Working across party lines, we heard the concerns of the business community to give them more time to implement this legislation. I'm grateful to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who worked on this, and look forward to its speedy passage out of the Senate."

The General Assembly voted last month to override Gov. Larry Hogan's veto of the bill. That means it's scheduled to go into effect Feb. 11, or 30 days after the veto override. Hogan contends it's badly flawed and damaging to small businesses. He has urged lawmakers to pass an alternative.

The Daily Times Staff contributed to this report.