Maryland Department of Labor takes 1st step in making paid family, medical leave insurance available to 2.5 million workers

BALTIMORE, MD—The Maryland Department of Labor is moving forward with plans to implement paid family and medical leave for Maryland workers. The Board of Public Works approved two contracts this week to begin developing the digital system that will support the program.

The Maryland Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program will provide eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of paid leave per year to address personal or family health needs. Benefits will begin on July 1, 2026, and will be funded through payroll deductions starting July 1, 2025.

“When I took office, I said that it is time for our policies to be as bold as our aspirations, and to confront the fact that we have been offered false choices,” said Governor Wes Moore. “We do not have to choose between a competitive economy and an equitable one. Workers in Maryland should not have to choose between their career and their family, and Maryland’s employers do not have to choose between supporting their employees and making payroll.”

The Department of Labor has partnered with Nava and Fearless LLC to develop the digital framework for the FAMLI program. These vendors will collaborate with the Department’s digital team using an agile software development approach.

Maryland Department of Labor Secretary Portia Wu calls this week’s vote an important milestone. “We know that the real work is just getting started.​​​​ These two vendors bring a wealth of experience building paid family leave and similar sized systems and are critical to delivering on FAMLI’s mission of ensuring Maryland workers, families, and employers thrive even during life’s most vulnerable moments.”

The FAMLI program will cover approximately 2.5 million workers across 180,000 employers in Maryland. Visit paidleave.maryland.gov for more information about FAMLI.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

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