Press Release from Working Matters Coalition of which LWVMD is a member -> originally posted here http://www.earnedsickdaysmd.org/?page_id=1515

The Healthy Working Families Act (HB1) would expand access to earned paid sick days to more than 700,000 Maryland families.

Annapolis, Maryland (October 23rd, 2017) – Working families from across Maryland and delegates from every corner of the state continue to build the strong momentum needed to override Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto of the Healthy Working Families Act – HB1. As the override vote approaches a coalition of 160 organizations, Working Matters, is grateful for the 87 delegates who voted to pass HB1 and now have pledged their support to override the Governor’s veto – enough votes to secure an override in the House.

“We assembled diverse partnerships, heard from working families, small business owners, and health advocates from across the state, and crafted legislation that meets the needs of all Marylanders,” said Delegate Luke Clippinger, one of the co-sponsors. “We are so close to safeguarding the health and economic future of millions of hardworking families for many years to come – that’s why this fight is so important.”

Working Matters, which has built a coalition of health, small business, faith, labor, and community organizations now counts among their strongest allies a significant number of influential Maryland legislators ready to cast their vote to override Gov. Hogan’s veto. For five years leading up to its passage, the bill’s sponsors partnered with advocates, business leaders, and legislators to craft a flexible and meaningful solution for the more than 700,000 Marylanders who cannot take time off work when illness strikes. This approach resulted in earned paid sick days legislation being greeted with widespread, diverse support in the Maryland Legislature as it passed with a veto-proof majority. When the next legislative session is called to order, legislators are in a favorable position to overturn the Governor’s decision.

“Earned paid sick leave has gathered widespread support across Maryland,” said Caryn York, Executive Director of JOTF, a key organization in the Working Matters coalition. “Legislators have heard our message and understand that it’s time to place working families at the forefront. We are counting on them to override the Governor’s veto.”

Maryland legislators aren’t the only ones who overwhelmingly support earned paid sick days. A recent Mason Dixon poll found that 74% of Marylanders support earned paid sick days based on the number of hours they work – which is exactly what HB1 sets out to do. The bill would allow full time workers at most businesses with 15 or more employees to earn one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, with a maximum of five days (or 40 hours) per year, while employees of small businesses would earn the same amount of job-protected unpaid leave.

The Healthy Working Families Act gathered such widespread support in no small part because input was solicited from a diverse group of Marylanders. Throughout the five-year process, legislators heard from families from across the state who are facing impossible choices, like whether to send a sick child to school or daycare or lose that month’s grocery budget. They heard stories from caregivers, who are forced to go to work sick, thereby putting entire nursing homes at risk. They also spoke with Maryland businesses, which could save $132 million each year, largely from reduced turnover. In addition, HB1 bill sponsors reached out to Gov. Hogan’s office – unfortunately, neither the governor nor members of his administration were willing to join the conversation.

“We’d like to thank the following legislators in the House of Delegates for standing up for Maryland families and voting to support the Healthy Working Families Act. We look forward to them casting one last vote to enable it to become law — the vote to override Gov. Hogan’s veto,” said Caryn York.

Speaker Michael Busch
Delegate Bilal Ali
Delegate Curtis Anderson
Delegate Angela Angel
Delegate Vanessa Atterbeary
Delegate Charles Barkley
Delegate Benjamin Barnes
Delegate Darryl Barnes
Delegate Erek Barron
Delegate Kumar Barve
Delegate Pamela Beidle
Delegate Talmadge Branch
Delegate Benjamin Brooks
Delegate Alfred Carr
Delegate Mark Chang
Delegate Luke Clippinger
Delegate Frank Conaway
Delegate Bonnie Cullison
Delegate Dereck Davis
Delegate Kathleen Dumais
Delegate Eric Ebersole
Delegate Diana Fennell
Delegate David Fraser-Hildalgo
Delegate Bill Frick
Delegate Barbara Frush
Delegate Tawanna Gaines
Delegate Angela Gibson
Delegate James Gilchrist
Delegate Cheryl Glenn
Delegate Ana Sol-Gutiérrez
Delegate Antonio Hayes
Delegate Keith Haynes
Delegate Anne Healey
Delegate Shelly Hettleman
Delegate Terri Hill
Delegate Sheila Hixson
Delegate Marvin Holmes
Delegate Carolyn Howard
Delegate Michael Jackson
Delegate Jay Jalisi
Delegate Sally Jameson
Delegate Adrienne Jones
Delegate Anne Kaiser
Delegate Ariana Kelly
Delegate Tony Knotts
Delegate Marc Korman
Delegate Benjamin Kramer
Delegate Carol Krimm
Delegate Stephen Lafferty
Delegate Clarence Lam
Delegate Jazz Lewis
Delegate Robbyn Lewis
Delegate Brooke Lierman
Delegate Mary Ann Lisanti
Delegate Eric Luedtke
Delegate Cory McCray
Delegate Maggie McIntosh
Delegate Aruna Miller
Delegate David Moon
Delegate Marice Morales
Delegate Nick Mosby
Delegate Edith Patterson
Delegate Joseline Pen᷉a-Melnyk
Delegate Shane Pendergrass
Delegate Andrew Platt
Delegate Elizabeth Proctor
Delegate Pamela Queen
Delegate Kirill Reznik
Delegate Shane Robinson
Delegate Samuel Rosenberg
Delegate Sheree Sample-Hughes
Delegate Carlo Sanchez
Delegate Theodore Sophocleus
Delegate Dana Stein
Delegate Charles Sydnor
Delegate Jimmy Tarlau
Delegate Frank Turner
Delegate Kriselda Valderrama
Delegate Geraldine Valentino-Smith
Delegate Joseph Vallario
Delegate Jeffrey Waldstreicher
Delegate Jay Walker
Delegate Alonzo Washington
Delegate Mary Washington
Delegate Jheanelle Wilkins
Delegate Karen Lewis Young
Delegate Patrick Young

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