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<section article="gle" article_name="Labor and Employment" number="3-1604" title_number="3" title_name="Employment Standards and Conditions" subtitle_number="16" subtitle_name="Secure Maryland Wage Act">
  <level label="a">
    <level label="1">
      <text>An employer shall pay a covered employee a wage rate:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>for the 12–month period beginning January 1, 2022, that is not less than $13.50 per hour;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>for the 12–month period beginning January 1, 2023, that is not less than $14.25 per hour;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>for the 12–month period beginning January 1, 2024, that is not less than $15.00 per hour; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>for the 12–month period beginning January 1, 2025, that is not less than $16.00 per hour.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Beginning January 1, 2026, an employer shall pay a covered employee:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>a wage rate that is not less than $16.00 per hour; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>an additional supplement benefit rate with a value not less than $1.00 per hour by:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>applying the full supplement benefit to assist in covering the employee’s share of health or other benefits, excluding paid leave;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <level label="A">
            <text>applying a portion of the supplement benefit to assist in covering the employee’s share of health or other benefits, excluding paid leave; and</text>
          </level>
        </level>
        <level label="B">
          <text>paying the balance in cash; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>paying the entire supplement benefit in cash.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>An employer shall pay an overtime wage of at least 1.5 times the usual hourly wage required under subsection (a) of this section on the basis of each hour over 40 hours that a covered employee works during 1 workweek.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>An agreement between an employer and a covered employee to work for less than the wage required under this section is void.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <level label="1">
      <text>An employer may not include a tip credit amount under § 3–419 of this title as part of the wage of a covered employee whose duties include providing passengers with wheelchair assistance, including a wheelchair agent or a passenger service agent.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>An employer of a covered employee described in paragraph (1) of this subsection shall allow the covered employee to receive tips and retain all tips received.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
