September 28th, 2026

Maryland’s New Worker Freedom Act: What Employers Need to Know

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Maryland has joined a growing group of states restricting what are commonly called “captive audience” meetings. The Maryland Worker Freedom Act, signed by Governor Moore in April 2026, limits an employer’s ability to require employees to attend meetings where the employer shares its views on political or religious matters. Maryland is now roughly the fourteenth state with a law of this kind.

This article explains what the Act prohibits, who it covers, what it requires you to post and distribute, and the steps you should take now to bring your meeting and communication practices into compliance.

I. What the Act Prohibits

Effective Date: October 1, 2026

An employer, or an employer’s agent, representative, or designee, may not discharge, discipline, or otherwise penalize—or threaten to discharge, discipline, or otherwise penalize—an employee who declines to attend, participate in, or listen to an employer-sponsored meeting in which the employer communicates its opinion on religious or political matters. The same protection extends to applicants. An employer may not refuse to hire someone because that person declined to attend or participate in such a meeting.

The prohibition is aimed at compulsion. It does not restrict what an employer may believe or say.

II. “Political Matters” and “Religious Matters” Are Defined Broadly

Under the Act, political matters include elections for political office, political parties, proposals to change legislation, regulations, or public policy, and decisions to join or support a political party or a civic, community, fraternal, or labor organization.

Religious matters include religious beliefs, affiliation, and practice, and the decision to join and support a religious organization or association.

Employers should pay particular attention to the phrase “proposals to change legislation, regulations, or public policy.” While much of the commentary on captive audience laws focuses on union organizing campaigns, this definition reaches a good deal of ordinary business advocacy. A meeting about a pending zoning decision, a proposed tax change, a permitting reform, or a ballot question could be deemed a meeting about political matters within the meaning of the Act, even if labor relations never come up.

III. Voluntary Meetings Remain Permitted

The Act expressly preserves an employer’s ability to hold meetings on political or religious matters where attendance and participation are voluntary. Employers may also continue to communicate information they are required by law to provide, and information an employee needs to perform the job.

The practical consequence is that the compliance question has shifted. It is no longer only a question of what was said in the meeting. It is a question of whether an employee could have declined to be there without consequence, and whether the employee would have understood that.

IV. Exceptions

The Act’s exceptions turn on the type of organization and the purpose of the communication, not on the size of the employer. Smaller employers should not assume the Act does not reach them.

The following are outside the Act’s prohibitions:

Institutions of higher education may also meet with employees as part of coursework, symposia, or academic programs, and governmental units may conduct new-employee orientation and communicate about laws or policies they administer.

V. New Notice and Posting Obligations

Effective Date: Commissioner’s model notice due on or before November 1, 2026

Covered employers must notify employees of the Act’s requirements, protections, and remedies. The notice must be posted in a conspicuous place accessible to all employees and must also be provided to each new employee at the time of hire.

The Commissioner of Labor and Industry is required to develop the model poster and notice and make it available on or before November 1, 2026. Employers should watch for its release and add it to the existing posting rotation as soon as it is published.

Failure to comply with the notice requirement is an aggravating factor when the Commissioner awards relief for a violation.

VI. Penalties and Remedies

An employee who believes the Act has been violated may file a written complaint with the Commissioner of Labor within 180 days of the alleged violation. The Commissioner will investigate and attempt to resolve the matter informally through mediation.

If a violation is established and mediation does not resolve it, civil penalties may reach $10,000 for an initial violation and $25,000 for a subsequent violation. The Commissioner may also issue a cease-and-desist order prohibiting further violations. Other available relief includes injunctive relief, compensatory damages, reinstatement, back pay with interest, restoration of benefits including pension or retirement accrual, and reasonable attorney’s fees and costs. The Commissioner may file a petition in circuit court to enforce any order issued under the Act.

Looking Ahead

The Worker Freedom Act does not require employers to stop discussing matters that affect their businesses. It requires them to separate the meetings employees must attend from the meetings where the employer shares a view on political or religious questions.

Before your next company-wide meeting, review three things. Confirm whether attendance is optional and whether employees would know that from how the meeting was announced. Review the agenda for any subject touching legislation, regulation, public policy, a ballot question, or a civic, religious, or labor organization. And confirm who records attendance and what is done with that record.

From there, the work is straightforward: update your meeting and communication policies, brief the managers who run all-hands and departmental meetings, add the Commissioner’s notice to your postings and your onboarding packet, and document the voluntary nature of any meeting that touches covered subjects.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Employers should consult with qualified legal counsel regarding the application of this law to their specific circumstances.

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