In many, albeit not all states, the employment application process prohibits a potential employer from inquiring into a job applicant’s salary history, ostensibly to avoid perpetuating gender bias in employee compensation. Maryland joined the ranks of states that “banned the box” back in February as relates questions about an applicant’s criminal history, but the provisions…
Read More »Another law taking effect on October 1 is in the state of Maryland. The state’s Mini-WARN act, which Governor Larry Hogan allowed to become law without his signature back in May of this year. Senate bill 780, which now mandates compliance with the formerly voluntary Maryland Economic Stabilization Act, requires that employers that implement a…
Read More »In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, states and local communities are taking dramatically different approaches to helping small businesses recover from the shutdown and the general economic turmoil that the pandemic has yielded. In that vein, several have announced small business grant and loan programs in the past (New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and…
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In late May, with cities and states loosening shelter-in-place restrictions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, Dunkin’ Brands announced it was ready to examine how to best reopen its seating areas. In a blog post dated May 29, Dunkin’ wrote, “We are now exploring the most judicious ways to once again offer in-restaurant dining,” emphasizing,…
Read More »A survey by covered employers in Maryland is due in to the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights by Wednesday of this week, July 1. The “Disclosing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Act”, which became law almost 2 years ago on October 1, 2018, bans private arbitration settlements for sexual harassment but also imposed a strict…
Read More »Despite a veto of SB. 839 by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan last May, the Maryland legislature went ahead and overrode that veto last week and thereby became the 14th state in the nation to “Ban the Box”. “An Act Concerning Labor and Employment – Criminal Record Screening Practices (Ban the Box)” prohibits employers with 15…
Read More »For a period of time, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan was said to be contemplating a primary challenge against President Donald Trump for the republican presidential nomination. He decided against that undertaking, and accepted the Chairmanship of the National Governors Association instead. That job might be equally challenging as the organization had been hemorrhaging staff since…
Read More »The state of Maine became the first state in the nation to ban the use of polysterene foam food and drink containers when Governor Janet Mills signed the restriction into law this week. LD 289, sponsored by Representative Stanley Zeigler, prohibits restaurants and other “covered establishments” from providing food or beverages in Styrofoam containers effective…
Read More »At the other end of the spectrum on the minimum wage debate, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan this week vetoed a minimum wage bill increasing the wage in Maryland to $15/hour by 2025 and by July, 2026 for smaller businesses with 14 or fewer employees. Notwithstanding the Governor’s veto, the legislature quickly – in fact, within…
Read More »It could be called a tale of three directions when we look at minimum wage actions in Arkansas, Florida and Maryland within the past two weeks. As we’ve advised in past issues, the Maryland General Assembly has been advancing minimum wage legislation to hike the state minimum to $15/hour by 2025 and just last week,…
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