Larry Hogan on Families & Children

	Larry Hogan on Families & Children Republican Maryland Governor; possible presidential contender

Opposed family leave bill as hurting small business

SB275: Establishing the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program to provide benefits to individuals who take leave from employment.

Summary by Maryland Matters (4/9/22): SB275 will offer Marylanders 12 weeks of partially paid leave each year to care for themselves or a close family member after a serious health issue, and up to 24 weeks of paid leave for new parents who also experience serious health issues.

Veto message : "Family leave that is flexible for both the employee and employer is important to improve the quality of life in the state. However, this legislation is backed by no actuarial analysis, no viable plan for implementation, and leaves the smallest of small businesses vulnerable to insurmountable regulatory burdens."

Legislative outcome: Vetoed by Governor Larry Hogan on Apr/8/2022; Veto Overridden by House 94-44-3 on Apr/9/2022; Veto Overridden by Senate 30-16-1 on Apr/9/2022.

Source: Maryland Legislature voting records SB275 , Apr 8, 2022

Flexible 60 days of paid parental leave after birth of child

Gov. Hogan announced a new parental leave policy for Maryland state employees, which will provide up to an additional 60 days of paid leave following the birth or adoption of a child under six years old. The new 60 days of paid parental leave is part of Senate Bill 859, which Governor Hogan supported and signed this year. The administration is going beyond the requirements of the legislation by making the 60 days of leave available for use anytime within the first six months after birth or adoption of a child, whereas traditionally parents have had to use leave time in a bloc.

"We are maximizing flexibility for working parents by making these 60 days of parental leave available anytime within six months following the birth or adoption of a child," said Gov. Hogan. "Because being a new parent isn't just about being home for the first six weeks following your son or daughter's birth. It's also the doctor's appointments, check-ups, and other important needs in your child's early stages of life."

Source: Sept. 2018 newsletter (MD Governor's office press release) , Sep 1, 2018

Combat human trafficking with harsher punishments

Governor Hogan announced a series of initiatives at the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services in Rockville, Md. to combat human trafficking in Maryland by providing additional support for trafficking victims and pursuing innovative strategies and harsher punishments for traffickers.

"As governor, I am committed to ensuring that not only are the violent perpetrators brought to justice, but that we also provide the resources necessary to help survivors recover and rebuild their lives," said Governor Hogan. "One of our most important responsibilities is to protect Maryland citizens, and human trafficking strikes at the very fiber of our Maryland communities, our families, and our children."

Source: Aug. 2018 newsletter (MD Governor's office press release) , Aug 1, 2018

Require paid leave, but for large businesses only

Gov. Hogan today announced a compromise proposal to provide paid leave benefits. In Dec. 2016, Gov. Hogan became the first Republican governor in the nation to introduce a statewide measure to expand paid leave. The governor's proposal would have required larger businesses to provide paid leave, incentivized small businesses to offer this benefit by providing tax incentives to help offset the costs. The legislature instead passed the confusing, unwieldy, and unfair House Bill 1 (HB1); Governor Hogan vetoed the legislation in May.

Under the Paid Leave Compromise Act of 2018, businesses with 25 or more employees will be required to offer paid leave to their employees by the year 2020. In the spirit of true compromise and collaboration, the governor's Paid Leave Compromise Act of 2018 was developed using HB1 as a starting point, striking out burdensome red tape and intrusive provisions to create a streamlined, simpler proposal.

Source: Press release on Maryland voting record: HB1 veto , Nov 28, 2017

Pass the Common Sense Paid Sick Leave Act

For the last few years, there has been a great deal of discussion and debate in these chambers around the issue of sick leave in Maryland. Employees without this benefit are sometimes faced with hard choices about their health and welfare, like whether to risk showing up to work sick or not receiving a paycheck. Let's strike a compromise, considering the needs of Maryland employees while not hurting our small business job creators.

Let's work together to pass the Common Sense Paid Sick Leave Act of 2017, which requires larger companies to provide paid sick leave and encourages small businesses to offer paid sick leave by giving them tax incentives to offset the costs of providing those additional benefits. In this way, we can provide even more employees the benefit without hurting the small business owners and without causing the loss of jobs.

Source: 2017 State of the State address to Maryland Legislature , Feb 1, 2017