Bill > H2156

This bill provides protections and additional compensation for essential workers during a public health state of emergency, specifically focusing on employers with 11 or more employees. The bill defines "essential services" based on Governor's emergency orders during events like the COVID-19 pandemic, and mandates that essential workers receive hazard pay at 1.5 times their regular rate of pay during the emergency. Workers are given the right to refuse work under certain conditions, such as believing their workplace threatens their health, having a high-risk health condition, living with someone at elevated health risk, or needing to care for children when schools and daycare are closed. Employers must provide personal protective equipment (PPE) at no cost to workers, using recommendations from various health and safety agencies. The law will be enforced by the attorney general's office, and workers retain their rights to seek wages through other existing statutes. Importantly, workers cannot be penalized, discriminated against, or terminated for refusing to work under the specified high-risk conditions, though employers are not required to pay workers during such refusals. The bill aims to protect and support essential workers during public health emergencies by ensuring their safety and providing additional compensation for their critical work.

Labor and Employment

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H2156