HB244 increases certain civil penalties for violations of the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Act. Beginning in 2025, the Commissioner of Labor and Industry is required to annually adjust these penalties based on the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, ensuring that fines keep pace with inflation.
The Maryland State House of Representatives passed HB244 on February 20, 2024 by a vote of 102 to 36. We have assigned pluses to the nays because the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is unconstitutional, and states should not cooperate with it or enforce its regulations. Furthermore, by mandating annual adjustments to fines based on inflation, HB244 further entrenches bureaucratic control, bypassing the checks and balances designed to limit government power. Such regulatory expansion not only burdens businesses with unpredictable costs but, undermines free-market principles by subjecting employers to ever-increasing government-imposed financial penalties.
