The February 27 hearing on HB 735 brought forth a debate on the merits of requiring employers to offer generous and flexible leave policies for employees. From coverage on MarylandReporter.com:
The Maryland Chamber of Commerce opposes the bill, said chamber president Kathy Snyder.
“Most companies with 50 or more employees offer some kind of paid time off. But for these very small businesses, they may be between a rock and a hard place,” Snyder said. “So to have a state mandate that every employer would have to provide 7 days of sick leave would make things very difficult for small businesses.”
MACo has raised concerns with the bill, even though counties already offer generous leave packages to full time employees, as temporary or seasonal workers could be affected. From MACo’s testimony:
Extending sick leave benefits to these short-term seasonal employees would require counties to make administrative changes and incur additional costs, however the larger concern is the potential operational inefficiency. Providing seasonal services depends on the attendance of those employees who work a limited schedule. County employers do not build in redundancy to seasonal short-term positions to account for absences.
