Compliance Stuff

In its 2026 session, the Maryland General Assembly passed several significant pieces of legislation that, if enacted, will impact private employers in Maryland, including one that streamlines the process for bringing civil actions under county discrimination laws, several that bolster employee labor rights, and other bills that are more specific to a particular industry or public employees. 00:00 11:13 Quick Hits SB694  would establish that filing a complaint with the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights satisfies the administrative prerequisites for bringing a civil action under county discrimination laws. SB831 /HB1480 would establish new civil penalties for child labor violations, prohibit the formation of certain workplace groups to address working conditions, and conditionally create a private sector state labor board. SB417 /HB45 would prohibit employers from conducting mandatory meetings on religious or political matters, which includes union organizing matters (e.g., “captiv...

  States such as New York, Maine, and Minnesota enacted laws restricting employers from requiring employees to attend employer-sponsored meetings regarding the employer's opinion on political or religious matters and also prohibiting an employer to take action against employees if they refuse to attend the employer sponsored meetings.   These bills are generally encouraged by unions to prevent mandatory employer-sponsored meetings related to “political matter” .   Source(s):  JD Supra , received on March 29, 2024;  New York State Assembly,  accessed on March 29, 2024;  Maine Legislature , accessed on March 29, 2024;  Minnesota Legislature , accessed on March 29, 2024.