The Maryland General Assembly 2024 session ended on April 8, 2024. Seven of our 12 bills passed. They are listed here:
- SJ1, HJ1. Affirming the Federal Equal Rights Amendment, which endorses a resolution that our Congressional delegation from Maryland will present to the President and Congress indicating that Marylanders want Congress to make the ratified Equal Rights Amendment law.
- SB758, HB496. Definition of Consent and Repeal of Force, which changes the definition of Consent in situations involving sexual assault to recognize that a victim may freeze and/or not fight back and that this does not show consent.
- SB197, HB39. Homecare Worker Rights Act of 2024, which would require home care companies to classify their workers as employees and not as independent contractors. Most home care workers are women. This would entitle them to Workmen’s Compensation, overtime pay, sick and family leave and other benefits shared by employees in Maryland.
- SB525, HB649. Equal Pay for Equal Work – Wage Range Transparency, which would require all Maryland employers to post salary ranges when they advertise a job position. This bill comprises one of AAUW’s strategic priorities for bridging the pay gap.
- SB119, HB691. Legally Protected Healthcare – Gender-Affirming Treatment, which extends to transgender medical care the same protections won for abortion care in 2023.
- SB113, HB99. Sexual Solicitation of a Minor through Child Pornography – Prohibition, which would make it a crime to solicit minors on the internet into making pornographic content.
- HB1143. Maryland Emergency Department Wait Time Reduction Commission, established to address factors throughout the health care system that contribute to increased emergency department wait times and requires the Commission, beginning November 1, 2025, to report annually to the Governor and General Assembly on its findings and recommendations including the development, implementation, and impact of the recommended policies and programs on emergency department wait times.