Sen. Antonio Hayes, a Baltimore Democrat sponsoring one of the proposals, said Thursday that workers in Maryland are currently stuck with an inadequate patchwork of existing programs or employer benefits to navigate difficult family or health crises.
“Single parents in particular have experienced an economic and physical strain. Many are forced to choose to work and pay for basic needs or to take leave to nurse ill family members, but with the threat of losing their jobs,” said Sen. Joanne Benson, a Prince George’s County Democrat who is co-sponsoring the legislation with Hayes.