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Legislation that would provide partial pay to help workers who need to take time off to care for ailing relatives will be filed again in Maryland鈥檚 House of Delegates and Senate, lawmakers said Tuesday.
Sen. Antonio L. Hayes (D-Baltimore City) and Del. Kris Valderrama (D-Prince George鈥檚) announced their intent to cross-file the Time to Care Act.
The measure would ensure Maryland workers up to 12 weeks of partial wage replacement, Hayes said.
It听would be financed through a payroll tax shared equally by the worker and employer, and would be capped at half of 1 percent, said Del. Ariana B. Kelly (D-Montgomery), a co-sponsor, as is Sen. Sarah K. Elfreth (D-Anne Arundel).
Paid leave would be at least $50 per week and no more than $1,000 per week, according to a fact sheet distributed at the announcement.
Leave would be funded through a state-administered insurance pool.
Because there is no national program for paid family听or medical leave, most workers who need to become caregivers find themselves in a tight spot when that need arises. Only 17% of the American workforce has access to such a benefit, Hayes said.
鈥淭his forces far too many of our citizens, especially those of us living paycheck to paycheck, to have to choose between economic security and caring for our families in times of need,鈥� Hayes said.
Sponsors and supporters听shared stories about difficulties their families faced when they took time to be caregivers to children and aging parents.
Hayes talked about being raised by his grandmother, who he said was 鈥渟trong as the Rock of Gibraltar,鈥� while his mother struggled with substance abuse issues.
He said that he and his family members returned the favor, taking care of his grandmother during her struggle with Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.
鈥淭his is a really important piece of legislation for many families throughout Maryland who have the awesome responsibility of being caregivers for loved ones who shepherd them along the way,鈥� Hayes said.
Kelly said her perspective has expanded and shifted during the eight years she has been involved with paid family leave legislation.
鈥淚 was first elected when I had toddlers, and I started thinking about this from the perspective of maternity and paternity leave,鈥� Kelly said, 鈥渁nd now, 10 years later, I鈥檓 thinking about this from the perspective of the child of a parent with dementia.鈥�
Kelly听said she鈥檚 seen the number of states that have adopted paid family leave legislation grow from three to nine, and noted it has also been adopted in Washington, D.C.
鈥淚t鈥檚 because these programs work and they help people and it鈥檚 the type of program that everyone can benefit from, and it solves 鈥� a problem we have with our economy,鈥� Kelly said.
Political strategist Jayson Williams said he made paid family leave a benefit for his employees after watching his own mother struggle to make ends meet as she cared for his ailing grandmother.
Williams, President and CEO of MD Strategic Consulting, said the policy is crucial to retaining his employees and helps him compete with bigger companies for workers.
鈥淚t really is a unique competitive piece because I can鈥檛 compete with some corporations that are larger than me, so the way I take care of my employees is extremely, extremely important to me, to our company culture and to the growth,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 give out $10 billion bonuses, but I can take care of the people that have taken care of me and helped me grow.鈥�
Dan Chudy, the art director at Williams鈥� company, said that having paid leave helped his family in immeasurable ways 鈥� so much so that he jokes that Williams鈥� business is his 鈥渇orever company.鈥�
Both of Chudy鈥檚 parents were diagnosed with Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, and he said he is grateful for being able to assist them without fear of losing his job.
鈥淚 remember walking into Jayson鈥檚 office one morning full of anxiety, you know, not knowing about my job, my future, how will I get paid to be able to take time off to go take care of them,鈥� said Chudy. 鈥淗e didn鈥檛 even bat an eye. He said, 鈥楪o take care of your family,鈥� 鈥楧o what you got to do 鈥� you shouldn鈥檛 have to worry about that.鈥欌��
鈥淚 would never dream of leaving a company that takes care of myself and my family as well as Jayson and everyone does.鈥�
