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Bill

SB 60

Fraud Prevention, Prevailing Wage, and Living Wage - Prohibitions, Penalties, and Enforcement

2026 Regular Session

SB 60 strengthens Maryland's wage fraud enforcement with stricter penalties and compliance mechanisms for prevailing and living wage violations.

Hearing 1/28 at 2:00 p.m.
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SB 60

Legislative bill overview

SB 60 establishes new fraud prevention measures, enforcement mechanisms, and penalties related to prevailing wage and living wage compliance in Maryland. The bill creates definitions, reporting requirements, and enforcement procedures for wage-related violations, with provisions for penalties and potential criminal sanctions for fraudulent wage practices.

Why is this important

Prevailing wage and living wage laws aim to protect workers from exploitation and ensure fair compensation standards on public projects and certain private employment. This bill's enforcement mechanisms and penalty structures directly affect labor market compliance costs for employers and financial protections for workers in Maryland.

Potential points of contention

  • Employer compliance burden: Enhanced reporting and documentation requirements may increase administrative costs, particularly for small businesses, raising questions about proportionality of penalties
  • Definition and scope ambiguity: Without seeing specific language, the breadth of what constitutes "fraud" versus unintentional non-compliance could create legal uncertainty and disparate enforcement outcomes
  • Criminal vs. civil penalties: Debate over whether wage violations warrant criminal penalties or should remain primarily civil matters, affecting prosecution resources and proportionality concerns
  • Prevailing wage applicability: Disagreement over which projects and employers should be subject to prevailing wage requirements, with construction/union interests versus non-union/open-shop advocates holding opposing views

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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