The Maryland Department of Labor has released a discussion document on draft regulations overseeing contributions for the state’s paid leave benefit. Written comments are due on July 20, and a stakeholder meeting will be on the same day.
The Maryland Department of Labor’s FAMLI Division — tasked with implementing and guiding the statewide Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) law — has released a “discussion document” on contributions for stakeholders to weigh in on.
The next meeting of stakeholders will be held on Thursday, July 20, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. via Zoom. This meeting will focus on contributions. Interested parties must register to participate. During the meeting, the FAMLI team will provide an overview of the attached discussion document.
July 20 Meeting Agenda
- Introductions
- Overview of Contributions Discussion Document
- Public Comment
- Question & Answer (time pending)
Draft contribution discussion document
The draft contributions discussion document features 12 questions and potential answers that the Division seeks to address with stakeholder feedback:
- What will be the registration requirements for existing businesses?
- How might new employers be required to register with the State after contributions begin?
- When might the Department set the rate for contributions?
- How will wages be defined?
- How will the maximum wage be applied to an employee with multiple jobs?
- How does an employer determine if an employee is a covered employee in the State of Maryland?
- How might the Division determine if an employer has 15 or more employees?
- What might an employer have to do if they opt to pay in whole or in part the employee share of the contribution?
- What might the consequence be if an employer fails to deduct the allowable employee contribution amount from an employee’s pay during that pay cycle?
- What might be the reporting and payment schedule for employers?
- How might an employer be able to pay the contribution amount?
- How might the Division handle delinquent payments?
Anyone offering public comments should limit the topic of their comments to the subject matters covered in the discussion document. The Division encourages employers and stakeholders to weigh in on the document via written comments due July 24.
An email from the FAMLI Division stated:
You may submit comments orally at the meeting and/or in writing by July 24. The opportunity to offer oral comments will be extended to 20 registrants that request to provide oral comments. Public comments delivered orally will be limited to three minutes. If you are not one of the confirmed speakers, we encourage you to submit a written response. All written comments should be sent to FAMLI.policy@maryland.gov. All oral and written comments will become part of the public record.
Phase 3 Discussion Document.pdf
MACo plans to submit written and oral comments for all 24 counties. However, it is strongly encouraged that individual counties also offer feedback for their county.
