June 2022: Maryland Governor Signs Reasonable Accommodations for Applicants with Disabilities Act into Law

Update Applicable to:
All employers in the state of Maryland

What happened?

On May 31, 2022, Governor Hogan signed House Bill 78 (HB 78) into law, which will prohibit employers from discriminating against applicants for disabilities, among other things.

What are the details?
Effective October 1, 2022, employers will be prohibited from failing or refusing to make certain accommodations for the known disabilities of an applicant for employment unless the accommodation would cause undue hardship to the employer.

The Bill would also broaden the scope of existing law by providing protection to not only “qualified” individuals with a disability but to all applicants.

According to the Bill’s language, “An employer may not fail or refuse to make a reasonable accommodation for the known disability of an otherwise qualified employee or an applicant for employment.”

For more information, please see the links below:

House Bill 78 (HB 78)

Article

What do employers need to do?
Employers should review the links provided above and inform their managers not to discriminate against an applicant if they have any disabilities.