Maryland lawmakers yesterday approved
legislation that would effectively require Wal-Mart to boost spending
on health care, a direct legislative thrust against a corporate giant
that is already on the defensive on many fronts nationwide. "We're
looking for responsible businesses to ante up . . . and provide
adequate health care," said Sen. Thomas M. Middleton (D-Charles), the
Finance Committee chairman, as the Senate approved the measure with a
majority wide enough to survive an anticipated veto. A similar bill has
cleared the House of Delegates, and legislators expect to reconcile
their differences easily. Lawmakers said they did not set out to single
out Wal-Mart when they drafted a bill requiring organizations with more
than 10,000 employees to spend at least 8 percent of their payroll on
health benefits -- or put the money directly into the state's health
program for the poor. But as debate raged in the Senate yesterday, it
was clear that the giant retailer, which has 15,000 workers in
Maryland, was the only company that would be affected. "This is
crossing a bridge," said Sen. E.J. Pipkin (Queen Anne's), who joined
the Senate's other Republicans in voting against the bill. "Annapolis
is telling private business in the private marketplace what to do." Maryland,
Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) is expected to lend his support to the
retailer and veto the measure, should the House and Senate reconcile
small differences in the bill. [more]