Delay betrays Maryland families; puts off benefits until 2028
The Maryland Time to Care Coalition decries the 18-month implementation delay, proposed by Gov. West Moore, of the Time to Care Act, originally passed by the Maryland General Assembly in 2022.
The General Assembly gave final approval last night to HB 102, which will delay the Family and Medical Leave Insurance program (FAMLI) benefits from being delivered to eligible Marylanders until after January 1, 2028.
Under current law, the program would have launched on July 1, 2026.
Under the law, once implemented, eligible Marylanders will receive up to 12 weeks of partial pay while they take time off to deal with family issues such as the arrival of a new child, the need to care for an ailing loved one or the start of a military deployment.
The program will be funded through contributions from both employers and workers.
The Time to Care Coalition issued the following statement about the delay:
“This delay is a betrayal to Marylanders and their families who were expecting to be eligible to access paid leave under this program next year. The General Assembly should have honored its commitment and allowed the program to proceed as planned. Life’s joys and sorrows won’t wait for families who were counting on having paid leave to help them care for a sick loved one, welcome a new child, or deal with a military deployment.
“Actuarial data estimates that the FAMLI program will receive over 165,000 claims in its first year, just shy of 14,000 claims a month. An 18-month delay in implementation means that over 247,000 Marylanders, who would have had access to paid leave if the program was implemented on time, will instead have to make impossible choices between caring for themselves and their loved ones or maintaining their income and paying their bills.
“Polling from March 2025 shows that 82 percent of Maryland voters support the paid leave program and are prepared to pay a small amount each paycheck to fund a program that will benefit so many families. Our hearts break for the families who will have to make impossible decisions without access to this leave for another 18 months. Ultimately, the actions taken during this legislative session to delay the FAMLI program for the third time hurt Maryland families and makes us less competitive as more and more states begin to offer paid family and medical leave to working families. At a time when many Maryland families are already facing great economic uncertainty and waning support from the federal administration, it’s monumentally disappointing to witness Maryland following suit by delaying promised benefits, leaving Marylanders behind and unsupported until 2028.”
