The House of Delegates gave final approval to a paid family and medical leave program on Wednesday that would cover most Marylanders but does not specify how much employers and workers would have to contribute until an analysis is complete.

The prospect of paid family leave for employees in Maryland has been debated among lawmakers in Annapolis for at least a decade — a span in which working groups were formed, studies were commissioned, bills were introduced and bills failed.

Maryland’s Senate gave preliminary approval Thursday evening to a measure that would enable Marylanders to receive up to 24 weeks of paid leave per year for the birth, adoption or guardianship of a child and to care for themselves after a serious health issue.

Maryland Senate Democrats rallied Thursday in support of creating a statewide paid family and medical leave program, with Senate President Bill Ferguson vowing that legislation to create the program is “going to pass this year.”

Maryland is on its way to join other states in requiring paid family and medical leave, according to Senate Democrats announcing their commitment to pass the legislation this session.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – After several years of unsuccessful attempts to pass paid family and medical leave in Maryland, Senate President Bill Ferguson said Thursday that will change.

Top leaders in the Maryland Senate vowed Thursday to pass a paid family leave program this legislative session. Sen. President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) said the legislation, which has been introduced twice so far this term without gaining traction, is “going to pass this year.”

Maryland’s Senate Democrats renewed their push Thursday to get a paid family and medical leave bill through the General Assembly.

ANNAPOLIS – Baltimore nurse practitioner Rebecca Coppola cobbled together disability pay, accrued sick days, and five paid days off from her employer in order to spend the 12 weeks at home she felt she needed to adequately care for her first newborn.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland Democrats expressed their resolve Thursday to approve a paid family and medical leave insurance program in the state this year, with Senate President Bill Ferguson saying emphatically: “It's going to pass this year.”

From my experience as a physician, paid family and medical leave is critical to helping Marylanders stay healthier so they can enjoy a better quality of life and manage the multiple responsibilities of work, family and the inevitable crises that we all face from time to time.

Despite the tragedy of Alex’s death, I was lucky. Unlike many working Marylanders, I had a position where I accrued leave, and my fellow employees could donate leave to me when I exhausted mine. I was able to care for and be with my son throughout his illness and receive paid leave. I was able to focus all my energy on taking care of my child. I did not have the added stress of needing to maintain a job. Above all, I was able to spend more time with him and to enjoy my child during his all too brief life. For these reasons I wholeheartedly support the Time to Care Act, filed as House Bill 8 and Senate Bill 275.

Although Dr. Natalie Spicyn had the ability to purchase short-term disability through her employer for up to eight weeks off after a c-section birth of her son in August 2020, a proposed family leave policy would’ve granted her up to 12 weeks of paid leave.

“It’s time to care,” Laura Weeldreyer, the executive director of Maryland Family Network, said in front of the Maryland State House, to a crowd of supporters of statewide paid family leave, which included a few lawmakers and two gubernatorial candidates. “Families have to juggle many demands on their time, but none are more important than their responsibilities to their children.”

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) — Glow sticks and flashlights lit up Lawyers Mall Monday evening to draw attention to pending legislation that would create a paid family and medical leave program.

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.

As the 2022 Maryland Legislative Session continues, employers should keep an eye on bills prioritized by the General Assembly. One such bill is the Time to Care Act, proposed by Senator Antonio Hayes and Delegate Kris Valderrama.

When Ashley had her daughter six years ago, she didn’t have family or friends who could offer support as she recovered from a cesarean section and tried to meet the infant’s needs.

ANNAPOLIS — A bill circulating the Maryland State House that could give workers in the state paid family and medical leave benefits was panned by the Washington County Chamber of Commerce president this week.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. —

A bill that would establish a statewide paid family and medical leave insurance program, if passed, will impact every worker and business in Maryland.