Thursday, October 11, 2012

Q: How many times has the Montgomery County Domestic Worker Law been enforced?

A:  Once

Since 2008, Montgomery County, Maryland, has a Domestic Worker Law.  The Law requires that a family who employs a domestic worker have a written employment contract with that worker.  The Law is enforced by the Office of Consumer Protection.  The Office may seek a civil penalty of not more than $1,000.00 for each violation, and additional damages, restitution, or any other available legal or equitable relief.

A recent Washington Post article noted that the Office has only sought to enforce the law once.  According to the article:

Take the law passed in 2008 requiring residents to offer domestic workers a written contract. At the time, Council member Roger Berliner (D-Potomac-Bethesda) said he was worried about “whether we would be deemed to be the nanny government of all time.” 
Still, the bill passed unanimously. 
Since then, it’s been enforced once.

No comments: