Wednesday, April 01, 2009
One Size Fits All Shift Breaks Bill Defeated
The House Economic Matters Committee voted yesterday to defeat legislation to impose a one-size-fits all shift break mandate on employers with more than 50 employees. The bill, HB 16, was defeated by a vote of 12-11-1 (13 votes are needed to get out of committee). See how they voted here (pdf). A “Nay” vote is a vote for the Chamber’s position. The Maryland Chamber, along with a number of business allies, opposed the bill because, as introduced, it would have:
- Created a private right of action
- Increased administrative burdens on employers
- Created equity issues for multi-state corporations with employees in different states
- Not taken into account emergency situations - this bill would subject employers who could not provide shift breaks on account of emergencies to civil lawsuits and damages.
For more information, contact Vice President of Government Affairs Allyson Black at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
It’s the good news to read that The House Economic Matters Committee voted to defeat legislation to impose a one-size-fits all shift break mandate on employers with more than 50 employees. Thanks for sharing the good news.