MD SB652

Counties and municipalities may provide up to 15 days of paid disaster service leave per 12-month period to employees who are certified American Red Cross disaster volunteers or members of organizations including Civil Air Patrol, Coast Guard Auxiliary, volunteer fire departments, volunteer EMS, and Community Emergency Response Teams.

Governmental units may waive the request/approval requirements and increase the 15-day limit during prolonged or recurrent disasters if doing so benefits citizens.

Local governments may also provide paid leave for jury service, uniformed services training (up to 30 days), subpoena compliance, approved employee organization events, and administrative leave to remove employees who pose threats or cannot perform duties.

Effective date is October 1, 2025.