Gov. Larry Hogan has signed a measure to enable federal employees in Maryland who must work during a government shutdown without pay to get unemployment benefits.
Hogan signed the bill Tuesday in Annapolis.
State lawmakers approved the legislation in response to the 35-day federal government shutdown that ended in January. It would apply to civilian federal employees who work at a site in Maryland.
To take effect, the law would need confirmation from federal labor officials that the state is complying with the unemployment insurance program. Otherwise, the Maryland law creates a no-interest loan program as a backup plan.
Maryland has more than 170,000 federal workers. About 40,000 of them were directly affected by the partial shutdown. About half of them had to work during the shutdown with no pay.
