HB598 - Discrimination - Military Status - Prohibition

HB598 prohibits any form of discrimination against military personnel and their families in housing and employment. By enacting this legislation, we seek to establish a legal framework that protects the rights and ensures fair treatment of those who have served their country in the armed forces and their families. This bill would make it unlawful for employers to discriminate against veterans during the hiring process or in terms of promotions and job benefits. Additionally, it would prevent military personnel from facing discrimination in the housing market, ensuring they have equal access to housing opportunities without bias.

HB650 - Apprenticeship Ratios

There are 11,000 apprentices in Maryland - Governor Moore aims for 60,000 apprentices by 2030 and 45% of high school graduates enrolled in apprenticeships by 2031. Currently, this goal is difficult to meet with the majority of businesses in Maryland (84%) and specifically Prince George’s County (89%) maintaining fewer than 20 employees. As a result, this bill requires the Maryland Department of Labor to study the feasibility of increasing the apprenticeship ratio from 1:1 to 3:1 for all newly registered non-traditional (non-construction trades) apprenticeships in Maryland.

HB465 - Workplace Fraud and Prevailing Wage Theft

HB465 elevates the maximum penalties for knowing violations of misclassification, wage theft, workers compensation fraud, unemployment insurance fraud, and federal FICA withholding fraud, and establishes referrals to both state and federal agencies in such cases. This bill addresses a significant inconsistency in Maryland statutes related to wage theft and misclassification offenses. Currently, penalties for these offenses differ based on whether the victim is an individual worker or the State of Maryland. The bill aligns penalties for wage theft and payroll fraud, with fines up to $10,000 per employee.

SB542 - Realtors/Brokerage Agreement Notice of Compensation

There is a national lawsuit against realtors and licensees and how they are compensated. The lawsuit addresses concerns that some sellers have yet to learn the compensation they provide to their agent may be split with another agent who represents the buyer. While most of this is common knowledge, this legislation would change the law to require all brokerage agreements in Maryland to inform the client (seller or buyer) about the compensation, who pays, and what happens if one party (in this case typically the seller) refuses to share compensation with the other agent.

HB694 (Labor and Employment—Workers’ Compensation—Licensed Certified Social Worker Clinical), would allow licensed clinical social workers to register as rehabilitation practitioners to provide evaluation services for workers covered under worker’s compensation insurance claims as it pertains to permanent impairments, including mental and behavioral disorders. Unfortunately, HB0694 only passed in the House. I will consider bringing it back next session.

HB573 (Maryland Higher Education Commission – Access to Mental Health Advisory Committee - Establishment) establishes a committee under the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) to study the access to behavioral mental health services on Maryland’s college campuses. The committee will study the policies and procedures adopted by institutions of higher education in the state regarding access to mental health care and the prevention and treatment of mental illness in students, as well as examining the challenges for institutions of higher education in meeting the demand for mental health services. HB573 passed both chambers and has been signed into law.