Stand with women and raise your voice.
Urge Maryland legislators to pass bills to protect and advance gender-based rights.Legislation Highlighted for the 2024 Session
Bill/Chapter
- HB0026 (SB0215) Small, Minority, and Women-Owned Businesses Account – Alterations
Altering the type of financial assistance that may be provided by eligible fund managers who receive grants from the Small, Minority, and Women-Owned Businesses Account in the Department of Commerce.
- HB0033 Economic Development – Entrepreneurial Leave Tax Credit Program
Establishing the Entrepreneurial Leave Tax Credit Program in the Department of Commerce to encourage employers to implement leave policies that provide unpaid leave for employees for the purpose of establishing or expanding an employee business in the State; requiring the Department to conduct research on the benefits of entrepreneurship, the creation of leave policies, and the utilization of entrepreneurial leave by employees; and allowing a credit against the State income tax for certain employers.
Economic Matters
- HB0385 (SB0038) Wage Payment and Collection – Pay Stubs and Pay Statements – Required Information
Requiring that the statement regarding earnings required to be provided to employees by employers be written on the physical pay stub or online pay statement and include the employer’s name, the dates of work covered by the pay period, the number of hours worked, the rates of pay, the gross and net pay earned, the amount and purpose of all deductions, a description of the information used by the employer to calculate the employees gross and net pay, and for each employee paid at a piece rate, the applicable rate and number of pieces.
- HB0496 (SB0758) Criminal Law – Sexual Crimes – Definition of Consent and Repeal of Force
Requiring certain facts to be considered when determining whether a lack of consent exists for the purposes of certain sexual crimes; and altering the elements of second-degree rape to remove the requirement of use of force or threat of force.
- HB0544 (SB0391) Criminal Law – Sexual Extortion, Stalking, and Revenge Porn – Statute of Limitations and In Banc Review
Providing that the State may institute a prosecution for sexual extortion, stalking, or revenge porn at any time; and providing that, for purposes of the Maryland Constitution, a person who commits sexual extortion, stalking, or revenge porn shall be deemed to have committed a misdemeanor whose punishment is confinement in the penitentiary and may reserve a point or question for a certain in banc review.
- HB0555 Criminal Law – Unauthorized Dissemination of Personal Identifying Information – Prohibition
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Prohibiting the unauthorized dissemination of certain personal identifying information without permission, with the intent to threaten, intimidate, abuse, harass or frighten a person, or place the person in reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury or intend the information to be used in such a way; establishing a cause of action for a person injured by the intentional dissemination of certain personal identifying information; establishing certain penalties; etc.
- HB0571 (SB0485) Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program – Modifications
Modifying provisions of law governing application, administration, and enforcement of the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program, including provisions related to the payment of contributions, the calculation of the average weekly wage, the submission of claims for benefits, the application of the Program to self-employed individuals, the satisfaction of Program requirements through private employer plans or insurance, and the use of contributions or other funding by the Secretary of Labor.
- HB0649 (SB0525) Labor and Employment – Equal Pay for Equal Work – Wage Range Transparency
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Altering the requirement that an employer disclose certain wage information to an applicant for employment; requiring an employer to disclose certain wage information in certain postings and to certain employees at certain times; requiring an employer to set the wage range disclosed in good faith; prohibiting an employer from taking a certain retaliatory action; and requiring each employer to keep a record of compliance with certain provisions of the Act for at least 3 years.
- HJ0001 (SJ0001) Affirming the Federal Equal Rights Amendment
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Urging the Administration of President Joseph R. Biden to publish the federal Equal Rights Amendment as the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and for the U.S. Congress to affirm, by joint resolution, the Equal Rights Amendment as the 28th Amendment.
- SB0119 (HB0691) Legally Protected Health Care – Gender-Affirming Treatment
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Altering the definition of “legally protected health care” to include certain gender-affirming treatment, including medications and supplies, for the purposes of certain provisions of law that prohibit health occupations disciplinary actions and certain actions in criminal and civil proceedings and the use of certain resources in furtherance of certain investigations and proceedings related to legally protected health care.
- SB0215 (HB0026) Small, Minority, and Women-Owned Businesses Account – Alterations
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Altering the type of financial assistance that may be provided by eligible fund managers who receive grants from the Small, Minority, and Women-Owned Businesses Account in the Department of Commerce.
- SB0391 (HB0544) Criminal Law – Sexual Extortion, Stalking, and Revenge Porn – Statute of Limitations and In Banc Review
Providing that the State may institute a prosecution for sexual extortion, stalking, or revenge porn at any time; and providing that, for purposes of the Maryland Constitution, a person who commits sexual extortion, stalking, or revenge porn shall be deemed to have committed a misdemeanor whose punishment is confinement in the penitentiary and may reserve a point or question for a certain in banc review.
- SB0525 (HB0649) Labor and Employment – Equal Pay for Equal Work – Wage Range Transparency
Altering the requirement that an employer disclose certain wage information to an applicant for employment; requiring an employer to disclose certain wage information in certain postings and to certain employees at certain times; requiring an employer to set the wage range disclosed in good faith; prohibiting an employer from taking a certain retaliatory action; and requiring each employer to keep a record of compliance with certain provisions of the Act for at least 3 years.
- SB0858 Revenge Porn – Civil Action and Reporting Requirement
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Authorizing a person to bring a civil action for the nonconsensual distribution of a visual representation of the person with the person’s intimate parts exposed or while the person is engaged in sexual activity; authorizing the Attorney General to bring a civil action under the Act; prohibiting visual representations in court documents under the Act from being made available for public inspection; and requiring the Administrative Office of the Courts to submit a certain annual report to the General Assembly.
- SJ0001 (HJ0001) Affirming the Federal Equal Rights Amendment
Urging the Administration of President Joseph R. Biden to publish the federal Equal Rights Amendment as the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and for the U.S. Congress to affirm, by joint resolution, the Equal Rights Amendment as the 28th Amendment.
Gender Justice 2023