Spring is here according to the calendar but with frozen
rivers, snowbanks, and cold temperatures any sense of springtime seems far in
the distance. Meantime, new bills are
still piling up on the desks of legislators and the volume of public hearings
and work sessions is on the rise.
SESSION
Senate & House Sessions – 10 a.m. Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday
LEGISLATION
As of today 1,079 bills have been printed.
www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/bills_127th/billtexts/
Ideas for new legislation include:
- Raise the minimum wage by steps to $12 an hour
on October 1, 2019; index future increases starting October 2020; phase-out the
tipping wage credit to $0 starting October 1, 2019 (LD 843) - Strengthen right of victim of sexual assault or
domestic abuse to take necessary leave from employment (LD 921) - Address drug testing in the workplace and the
effect of approved substances on current drug policy (LD 1011) - Require employers of over 100 workers to report
annually the compensation of the CEO and the full-time employee with the lowest
rate of pay (LD 1015)
MINIMUM WAGE MONDAY
Seven bills aimed at increasing the minimum wage above the
$7.50 an hour current level and one to study the issue are up for public
hearing Monday (3/23). NFIB will testify
in opposition to the wage hikes and indexing – and take no position on the
study. Some business groups, but not
NFIB, are talking to legislators about a compromise that includes raising the
wage to perhaps $9 and including some provisions such as a sub-minimum for
teenagers and protection from local ordinances that mandate a wage higher than
the state rate.
Indexing for automatic increases
- Increase wage to $9 in October 2015, $10 in
October 2016, index starting October 2017 (LD 36) - Increase wage to $8 in October 2015, $9 in
October 2017, $10 in October 2018, index starting January 2019 (LD 487) - Increase wage to $10.10 in October 2015, index
starting October 2016 (LD 72) - Increase wage to $8.45 in October 2015, $9.40 in
October 2016, $10.35 in October 2017, $11.30 in October 2018, $12 in October
2019, index starting October 2020; also, phase out the tip credit to $0 by
October 2019 (LD 843)
No indexing
- Increase wage to $8 in October 2015 (LD 92)
- Increase wage to $9.75 in October 2015 (LD 77)
- Increase wage to $9.50 in October 2015 (LD 52)
Study
- Establish a working group to evaluate increasing
the minimum wage (LD 739)
LOOKING AHEAD
Plastic Shopping Bags – Legislation to put a fee on
single-use plastic shopping bags will be heard Monday morning, March 23, by the
Committee on Environment & Natural Resources. NFIB will submit a statement in opposition to
this new burden on consumers and businesses.
- LD 325 requires a 5-cent deposit fee on these
bags; lets the retailer keep 2 cents; and, requires the retailer to offer
reusable bags for purchase - LD 396 requires a 5-cent deposit and lets the
retailer keep 1 cent - LD 680 requires a 5-cent deposit; lets the
retailer keep 1 cent; and, requires retailer to provide reusable bags for
purchase
Single-payer Healthcare – NFIB will submit a statement in
opposition to legislation that calls for Maine to pursue a single-payer,
universal health plan (LD 384 & LD 815).
A hearing will be held this Wednesday at 1 p.m. by the Insurance &
Financial Services committee. The
governor of Vermont announced a few months ago that attempts to implement
single-payer in that state were being abandoned due to high costs and other factors.
Holiday Store Opening – Members of the Labor, Commerce,
Research & Economic Development committee (LDCRED) will hear testimony
Wednesday at 1 p.m. on legislation (LD 613)
Bad Check Penalties – A hearing will be held next Monday
(3/30) at 1 p.m. by the Criminal Justice & Public Safety committee on LD
577, which increases the penalties for writing bad checks. NFIB supports the legislation.
Prevent Job Applicant Age Discrimination – The LCRED
committee will hold a hearing at 1 p.m. Wednesday (3/25) on legislation that
prohibits asking job applicants for the year of their high school graduation
(LD 673).
LOOKING BACK
Accrued Sick Leave – A majority of the Committee on Labor,
Commerce, Research & Economic Development (LCRED) voted to require payment
of accrued sick leave (LD 445) if a worker is terminated while out on sick
leave. No other state in the nation
requires payment of accrued sick leave, not even states with mandatory sick
leave laws. NFIB opposes this bill.
Rest Breaks – Members LCRED committee were unanimous in
their support of keeping Maine’s 1985 rest break law untouched (LD 486). This will maintain the existing exemption for
1 and 2-person workplaces from having to grant 30-minute breaks to employees
who work continuously 6 ½ hours without any chance for breaks during that
time. NFIB opposed the bill and
appreciates the vote of committee members.
KEY WEBSITES
Governor – www.maine.gov/governor
Legislature – http://legislature.maine.gov
Bill Status Search – http://legislature.maine.gov/LawMakerWeb/search.asp
Regulations – www.maine.gov/sos/cec/rules/index.html
