District 16 Del. Ariana Kelly plans to introduce a bill in Annapolis that could move the state toward a paid family and medical leave program.
In an email to supporters earlier this month, Kelly said she is working with a coalition called the Maryland Legislative Agenda for Women on a bill that would require a feasibility study on creating such a program.
While some states provide paid leave to new parents or people who suffer serious health problems, the money generally comes from a temporary disability insurance program. Maryland doesn’t have a disability insurance program set up.
“Maryland does not have such a program, so our road to paid family leave, although not impossible, is somewhat more complex,” according to a summary of the bill written up by the coalition.
“It is my goal to make sure Maryland is the next state to follow suit,” Kelly wrote. “We need to look at what works (and what can be done better!) with those state programs, talk with the Maryland business community, Government agencies, and other stakeholders, and come up with a plan that works for Maryland working families.”
The bill, which hasn’t been introduced yet, would require the state’s Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation to do a feasibility study to figure out how much a Maryland system would cost and how it should work. The bill would also require the state to apply for any additional federal funding available for such programs.
The federal Family and Medical Leave Act lets employees take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for their own illness, to care for a family member who has fallen ill or for the birth or adoption of a child.
Earlier this month, President Barack Obama announced he would direct federal agencies to give their employees up to six weeks of paid leave after the birth or adoption of a child. In his State of the Union address last week, Obama proposed $2 billion in new funds to help states develop paid family and medical leave programs.
Kelly praised Obama’s moves, writing that they will “directly impact thousands of District 16 families.”
District 16 covers Bethesda, Potomac and parts of North Bethesda.
Kelly is also set to introduce a bill that would clear up an apparent oversight for families where both spouses work for the state government. Now, state employees are combined at a combined 12 weeks of family or sick leave per family.
