In May 2013, Governor Martin O’Malley signed three noteworthy statutes that will affect virtually every Maryland employer. Effective October 1, 2013, Maryland employers with 15 or more employees must provide their pregnant employees with certain reasonable accommodations beyond the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (“PDA”). The “Reasonable Accommodations for Disabilities Due to Pregnancy Act” (SB 784/HB 804) mandates that employers provide pregnant employees who are temporarily disabled with light duty assignments or transfers to less strenuous jobs, among other accommodations. Typically, these accommodations remove essential functions from a position, rather than allowing the employee to perform the essential functions. The law also requires that employers post a notice “in a conspicuous location” and devote a section in employee handbooks that explains a pregnant employee’s right to a reasonable accommodation under the new law.
Home > State Law Articles > Maryland > General (MD) > Legislation Roundup: Maryland General Assembly Mandates that Employers Provide “Light Duty” to Pregnant Disabled Women, Leave for Military Family Members, and Creates a New Wage Law