The Maryland Department of Labor (MDOL) has issued final regulations for the Maryland Economic Stabilization Act, effective October 13, 2025. Commonly known as the “Maryland mini-WARN Act,” the law mandates employers to provide notice of mass layoffs or reductions in force (RIFs) under specific circumstances. Although the notice provisions became mandatory in 2020, the MDOL has deferred enforcement pending final regulations. With the release of these regulations, employers may want to prepare for full compliance with the mini-WARN Act requirements.

• Maryland’s mini-WARN Act requires employers with at least fifty employees to provide sixty days’ written notice of covered “reductions in operations,” involving the greater of at least 25 percent or fifteen employees.
• The MDOL declined to enforce the statute’s mandatory notice provisions until final regulations issued; those regulations are now effective.
• The final regulations track the most recent revised proposal and are accompanied by guidance explaining interpretations and processes.

Like the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, Maryland’s mini-WARN Act requires sixty days’ written notice to employees and specified government officials when a covered employer undertakes a mass layoff or significant reduction in operations. While observance of the statute and regulations was initially voluntary, the General Assembly made the notice provisions mandatory in 2020. In 2021, the act was amended to...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi1AFBVV95cUxOeThaME1vaUxWU0lmU2JHWE5t...