A key Maryland House committee is now considering to establish a commission that would work out the finer details of a statewide paid family and medical leave insurance program.
A new report outlines steps Maine could take to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and pollution, create new jobs and build more equitable and resilient communities. It comes on the heels of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change finding that the window to reverse the impacts of climate change is closing. Kilton Webb, a fourth-year apprentice with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 567 who has worked on a solar field and other clean-energy projects, said it means a lot to be part of the transition to a clean economy. .
Dozens of Maine residents came together at the State House yesterday, calling on the Legislature to pass a bill this session to implement a paid family- and medical-leave policy. A bill signed into law last year created a commission to study the best way to implement such a policy, but they may not propose legislation until 2023, and advocates for working families say it s too urgent to wait. Destie Hohman Sprague, executive director of the Maine Women s Lobby, noted the Legislature is preparing a budget with a more than $800 million surplus, and she said the time is now to put some of those funds toward paid family and medical leave. .
With the Maryland legislative session in full gear, advocacy groups are planning to host a rally in Annapolis Monday to push lawmakers to pass paid family and medical leave. The Time To Care Act of 2022 would create a family and medical leave insurance program, allowing employees to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave from their jobs to care for new children, address a family member s health concern or care for themselves. Myles Hicks, executive director of Maryland Rise, one of the 100-plus businesses and organizations in the Time To Care Coalition, said workers need to take time off without it affecting their ability to pay bills. .
Nine states and the District of Columbia have enacted paid family leave policies, and Maryland could be next if the legislature passes the Time to Care Act this year.