But bill sponsor Democrat Sen. Antonio Hayes of Baltimore said legislative analysts have in fact determined the costs will be low, even for small businesses.
“Employers that have under 14 employees, will not be required to make a contribution to the program but the employees will have the opportunity to participate in the program. At the end of the day, we're talking about a dollar fifty, two dollars.”
“This has been a long time coming,” Hayes said, after the 31-15 vote. “I know philosophically there are some differences on how we get there, but I believe that we should be really, really proud of the work that we did this legislative session.”
The Time to Care Act, sponsored by Sens. Antonio Hayes (D-Baltimore City) and Joanne Benson (D-Prince George’s), would offer Marylanders 12 weeks of partially paid family leave each year to care for themselves after a serious health issue and up to 24 weeks of paid leave for new parents.
“People here in Maryland want to see some type of paid family leave,” said Sen. Antonio Hayes (D-Baltimore City) and lead sponsor of the legislation. “I’ve only had the last three years to debate this. Given the overwhelming support of Marylanders, this is something that we should definitely do.”
That commission is going to be a point of contention. The advocates for the bill as well as Antonio Hayes, the Baltimore Democrat sponsoring the Senate version, say the issue has been studied for 10 years.
“We're passing a really strong bill,” Hayes said. “We made some compromises along the way. But hopefully, (the House) will revert back to their original position at the beginning of session and that they'll pass one that’s more substantive.”
He says the Senate won’t compromise on the commission issue.
Sen. Antonio Hayes, a Baltimore Democrat sponsoring one of the proposals, said Thursday that workers in Maryland are currently stuck with an inadequate patchwork of existing programs or employer benefits to navigate difficult family or health crises.
“Single parents in particular have experienced an economic and physical strain. Many are forced to choose to work and pay for basic needs or to take leave to nurse ill family members, but with the threat of losing their jobs,” said Sen. Joanne Benson, a Prince George’s County Democrat who is co-sponsoring the legislation with Hayes.
A hearing took place this month before the Senate Finance Committee sponsored by Sen. Antonio Hayes (D-Baltimore City). Before he went to the Senate session Monday night, Hayes stopped by a rally at Lawyers’ Mall near the State House to thank supporters and keep up the pressure to make sure the legislation passes.
Hayes said Thursday he and his wife are expecting the birth of their baby “any day now” and will probably use paid family leave for that.
Sen. Antonio Hayes, a Baltimore Democrat who is sponsoring the legislation, said Maryland and many other states already wrestle with convoluted workarounds and confusing administrative leave policies that need updating. “While some states and corporations and nearly every other developed country on the globe have taken a purposeful and strategic approach to family leave, Maryland has remained behind – stuck in a framework from the past that ignores the realities that the modern workplace and workforce have,” Hayes said with most of his fellow Senate Democrats by his side
"We got to first ask the question, 'Why are we even talking about The Block?' In 2017 and 2018 we closed down liquor stores in the Park Heights community. This year and last year we had legislation to close down stores at 10:00 on North Avenue, where we only have half a dozen bars. In 2020 we had 91 shootings, and 39 homicides. In 2021 we had 73 shootings and 42 homicides. Just this year, we had 6 shootings and 3 homicides. The reason why we're talking about the block is that people come from out of town into the city, but there are other priority issues that don't get the same amount of attention, like neighborhoods like North Avenue," Democratic Maryland State Senator Antonio Hayes said. Sen. Hayes represents Baltimore city. He said mandatory minimum sentencing and homicide clearance rates are also priorities. "If people feel like they're not going to get caught or be held accountable, that's where we should be having our focus," Sen. Hayes said.
Sen. Antonio Hayes (D-Baltimore City) seized on Costello’s tweet two days later. “The Governor should not be taking credit for increases in education funding mandated by law while ignoring the law that appropriates Balt City & PG Co, but he damn sure is trying to,” he tweeted on Feb. 5.
As the 2022 Maryland Legislative Session continues, employers should keep an eye on bills prioritized by the General Assembly. One such bill is the Time to Care Act, proposed by Senator Antonio Hayes and Delegate Kris Valderrama.
Moore worked with Maryland Sen. Antonio Hayes (D- Baltimore City) who is credited with the passage of SB 895. The bill requires the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development to submit a report examining how factors like race, income, and location impact appraisal bias. The report is due by June, but gathering the required data is proving to be a challenge. Officials with the Department of Housing and Community Development said in December a lot of the data points needed to complete their work is unavailable.
The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland (LBCM) also supports the legislation.
(State lawmakers who represent the city are interested in beefing up parole and probation. A significant majority of supervised individuals involved in either homicide or non-fatal shooting, as either a victim or suspect, were in Baltimore City (64%), followed by Prince George's County (16%) and Baltimore County (6.5%). The remainder of the state combined represented 12% involvement in the time period analyzed.
"(We're going to) calls on state agencies to actually step up and to help assist our men and women who are on the front lines," said Baltimore City Sen. Antonio Hayes, D-District 40.
Legislators point out a need for programs to help young people deal with the trauma they experience after witnessing violence.)
As Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) moved to end the debate on the floor, Sen. Antonio L. Hayes (D-Baltimore City) stood to speak.
Impassioned, and in spite of calls from the president to stop, Hayes said that “year after year” he has sat in the chamber as Republicans railed against crime in the city and Prince George’s counties but offered no solutions other than prosecution.
“Mr. President, with all due respect, I hear you, but I’m tired … and if we want to have this debate every day for the rest of this session, I welcome that opportunity,” Hayes cried out.
The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland (LBCM) also supports the legislation.
Do you know someone who may have missed the Westside on the Rise Episode today? No worries! They can watch on-demand with the link below!
Join State and Baltimore City Elected Officials as they Announce Senate Bill 783 Going into Effect on October 1st and What It Means for West Baltimore
WHAT: Press Conference Announcing Establishment of West North Ave Development Authority
WHEN: Thursday, September 30, 2021, 2:00 p.m.
WHERE: J. Millard Tawes Ballroom, 2nd floor
Coppin State University
2500 W North Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21216
A bill to boost wages for more than 2,000 contracted workers at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport and Baltimore Penn Station became law Tuesday.
Union and nonunion workers who earn hourly wages as low as $8.50 per hour plus tips will see their earnings grow to $17 per hour over the next five years under the Secure Maryland Wage Act.
