MARYLAND: Good News on Essential Worker Protection Act

Last week, during a Conference Committee session, agreement was reached that the Senate would recede and withdraw its amendment to the Essential Worker Protection Act (EWPA) bill passed by the House. The final bill simply requires a special leave provision for essential workers in a public health emergency, but that requirement to provide additional leave “applies only if the Federal or State government provides funding that can be used for public health emergency leave.” 

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It is expected that the Governor will either sign the bill or allow it to become law without his signature. HCAOA worked with the Maryland-National Capital Home Care Association (MNCHA) to advocate on behalf of home care agencies who would be negatively impacted, and we thank the nearly 100 agencies in Maryland who contacted their legislators through our online Legislative Action Network to speak up about this bill.