Maryland Employment Law Update — April 2019

Minimum Wage Increase

On March 28, 2019, the Maryland General Assembly overrode Governor Larry Hogan’s veto of legislation that would have increased the minimum wage (S.B. 280), and enacted an increase as follows:

• For employers with 14 or fewer employees (small employers):
  • $10.10 per hour effective July 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019.
  • $11 per hour effective January 1, 2020.
  • $11.60 per hour effective January 1, 2021.
  • $12.20 per hour effective January 1, 2022.
  • $12.80 per hour effective January 1, 2023.
  • $13.40 per hour effective January 1, 2024.
  • $14 per hour effective January 1, 2025.
  • $14.60 per hour effective January 1, 2026.
  • $15 per hour effective July 1, 2026.
• For employers with 15 or more employees:
  • $9.25 per hour effective July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2019.
  • $10.10 per hour effective July 1, 2019.
  • $11 per hour effective January 1, 2020.
  • $11.75 per hour effective January 1, 2021.
  • $12.50 per hour effective January 1, 2022.
  • $13.25 per hour effective January 1, 2023.
  • $14 per hour effective January 1, 2024.
  • $15 per hour effective January 1, 2025.

Additionally, under the law:

• An employer may pay an employee 85 percent of the state minimum wage if the employee is under age 18 (formerly under age 20); and
• Exemptions to the minimum wage provisions were removed.

The law is effective June 1, 2019.

Read MD S.B. 280