Bill on essential workers to be sent to governor
Reprints
A bill establishing requirements for essential employers during a state of emergency in Maryland is slated to be sent to Gov. Larry Hogan after passing the state Senate on Saturday, 31-15.
H.B. 581, which passed the House 93-39 on April 2, includes provisions that would allow an essential worker the right to refuse to perform a certain task as provided under certain circumstances, and required essential employers to take certain steps to minimize the risk of transmission of an infectious disease.
The bill would require the Commissioner of Labor of Industry to enforce “certain occupational safety and health requirements for certain essential workers; prohibiting an employer from discharging or otherwise discriminating against an employee because the employee is an essential worker who files a complaint or exercises a right under certain provisions of law,” according to a draft.
The bill would also require essential employers to provide essential workers with certain bereavement and health public health emergency leave, in “a certain manner and in certain amounts,” and require an essential employer to allow an essential worker to use public health emergency leave for certain reasons.
Essential employers would also have to cover COVID-19 testing, to report certain test results to the Maryland Department of Health, which would be required to categorize and publish the results.
The bill would go into effect immediately once enacted.
More insurance and workers compensation news on the coronavirus crisis here.
Read Next
-
New Jersey passes bill upping payout to essential worker dependents
New Jersey lawmakers have passed legislation providing supplemental workers compensation benefits to surviving dependents of essential workers who died of COVID-19.
Related Stories
-
New Jersey passes bill upping payout to essential worker dependents
-
Not all essential workers get same amount of healthcare: Study
Most Read in Workers Comp
-
1. Zurich ordered to pay $80 million in suit over employee incentives
-
3. Marsh McLennan sees rate hikes slowing; reports revenue growth
-
4. Travelers sees rate hikes continue; Q1 profit up over 15%
-
5. DeSantis signs legislation prohibiting local workplace heat protections
-
6. AI not a ‘substitute,’ but can benefit insurance industry: Experts
