(a) In this section, “Board” means the Board of Public Works.
(b) (1) Subject to subsection (d) of this section and except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, on or before October 1, 2020, and October 1 each year thereafter until October 1, 2024, the Board shall determine whether the seasonally adjusted total employment from the Current Employment Statistics series as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for the most recent 6–month period is negative as compared with the immediately preceding 6–month period.
(2) The Board is not required to make a determination under paragraph (1) of this subsection if the Board has previously temporarily suspended an increase to the minimum wage rate specified under § 3–413(c) of this subtitle.
(c) (1) Subject to subsection (d) of this section, the Board may temporarily suspend an increase to the minimum wage rate specified under § 3–413(c) of this subtitle if the Board determined under subsection (b)(1) of this section that the seasonally adjusted total employment is negative.
(2) If the seasonally adjusted total employment is negative, the Board may consider the performance of State revenues in the previous 6 months, as reported by the Office of the Comptroller, in determining whether to temporarily suspend an increase to the minimum wage rate specified under § 3–413(c) of this subtitle.
(d) The Board may temporarily suspend an increase to the minimum wage rate under subsection (c)(1) of this section only one time.
(e) If the Board temporarily suspends an increase to the minimum wage rate specified under § 3–413(c) of this subtitle:
(1) the minimum wage rate in effect for the period beginning the following January 1 shall remain the same as the rate that was in effect for the immediately preceding 12–month period;
(2) the remaining minimum wage rates specified in § 3–413 of this subtitle shall take effect 1 year later than the date specified;
(3) the Board shall notify the Commissioner that the minimum wage rate increase for the period beginning the following January 1 is suspended for 1 year; and
(4) a rate increase under §§ 7–307, 16–201.3, and 16–201.4 of the Health – General Article for the immediately following fiscal year may not go into effect.