This Week in Augusta – 05.08.2017 edition

Date: May 08, 2017

SESSION

Tuesday – Senate & House, 10 a.m.

Thursday – Senate & House, 10 a.m.

 

http://legislature.maine.gov/

 

LEGISLATION

LD 1567 – LD 1590 printed

New titles of interest include:

  • Implement recommendations to improve legislative reviews of tax expenditures (LD 1572)
  • Update statutes governing Bureau of Labor Standards (LD 1575)
  • Enable introduction of career and technical education in grades 6-8 (LD 1576 – Governor’s Bill)
  • Add consistency to weights and measures law (LD 1579)
  • Create a paid family medical leave system (LD 1587)

 

NOTABLE HEARINGS SCHEDULED

Here is a schedule of hearings on selected issues that may interest small business owners:

May 8, 9 a.m. – Labor, Commerce, Research & Economic Development

  • Ensure the Right to Work without payment of dues or fees to a labor union as a condition of employment (LD 65)

 

May 9, 1 p.m. – Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry

  • Amend and add consistency to the Maine weights and measures law (LD 1579) – work session May 11 at 1 p.m.

 

May 9, 1 p.m. – Judiciary

  • Increase efficiency in enforcement of the Maine Human Rights Act (LD 1239)

 

May 10, 9 a.m. – Labor, Commerce, Research & Economic Development

  • Attract, educate and retain new Mainers to strengthen the workforce (LD 1492)

 

May 10, 10 a.m. – Insurance & Financial Services

  • Protect consumers’ freedom of choice in auto collision repairs (LD 1540)

 

May 10, 10:30 a.m. – Energy, Utilities & Technology

  • Establish primary energy goals for the State (LD 1547 – Governor’s Bill)

 

May 10, 1:15 p.m. – Labor, Commerce, Research & Economic Development

  • Update statutes governing the Bureau of Labor Standards (LD 1575)

 

May 11, 1:00 p.m. – Education

  • Enable earlier introduction of career & technical education in Maine schools (Governor’s Bill – LD 1576)

 

May 11, 1:00 p.m. – Energy, Utilities & Technology

  • Establish energy policy in Maine (LD 1313)
  • Reduce electric rates for Maine businesses by amending the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) Fund (LD 1515)

 

NOTABLE WORK SESSIONS SCHEDULED

Here is a schedule of work sessions on selected issues that may interest small business owners:

May 9, 1 p.m. – Insurance & Financial Services

  • Encourage Maine consumers to comparison shop for certain health care procedures (LD 445)
  • Promote a single-payer, universal healthcare system (LD 1274)
  • Ensure patient protections in Maine health insurance laws similar to certain Obamacare protections (LD 127)
  • Ensure continued coverage for essential health care (LD 1476)

 

May 10, 10:00 a.m. – Labor, Commerce, Research & Economic Development

  • Develop a long-range strategic plan for economic improvement in the Maine economy (LD 367)
  • Improve effectiveness of evaluations of the State’s economic development investments (LD 1217)

 

May 10, 10:00 a.m. – Labor, Commerce, Research & Economic Development

  • Create a training wage (LD 774)
  • Prohibit Maine minimum wage from exceeding the New England average (LD 775)
  • Eliminate indexing the minimum wage to inflation (LD 778)
  • Base the minimum wage on a New England average and restore tip credit (LD 831)
  • Exempt certain employees from the minimum wage laws (LD 971)
  • Establish a minimum wage for minors (LD 991)
  • Keep the minimum wage at $9 and restore the tip credit (LD 1005)

 

May 10, 10 a.m. – Taxation

  • Decrease tax rate on income above $200,000 to 4.15% so that addition of 3% surtax will equal the 2016 top rate of 7.15% (LD 291)
  • Repeal the 3% surtax imposed on income above $200,000 (LD 337)
  • Eliminate the 3% surtax and replace lost revenue with revenue from tax on recreational marijuana and surplus revenues in the General Fund (LD 571)
  • Use taxes on nonmedical marijuana and increase the tax on cigarettes to partially offset the 3% income tax surcharge (LD 708)
  • Increase 3% surtax income thresholds to $300,000 for heads of households and $400,000 for married taxpayers filing joint returns (LD 829)
  • Repeal the 3% surtax and revote the issue in a November 2018 referendum question (LD 851)

 

May 10, 1 p.m. – Taxation

  • Require remote sellers to collect and remit the sales and use tax (LD 1405)
  • Allow a local option tax on meals and lodging (LD 1230)
  • Allow a local option sales tax (LD 1265)
  • Require the State to return to a municipality 5% of the sales tax collected during the previous year from the municipality (LD 915)

 

May 11, 1:00 p.m. – Labor, Commerce, Research & Economic Development

  • Increase success and promote growth among small businesses (LD 1501)
  • Prohibit a prospective employer from asking about an applicant’s compensation history until after a job offer has been made (LD 942)
  • Expand the Maine Human Rights Act to include prohibition on inquiring about an applications’ compensation history before a job offer is made and prohibit employers from restricting employees from discussing or disclosing other employees’ wages (LD 1259)
  • Coordinate enforcement of existing workplace training requirements (LD 1477)
  • Expand the Competitive Skills Scholarship Program (CSSP) and strengthen Maine’s workforce development programs (LD 1467)
  • Increase fines for certain wage and benefits violations (LD 1004)
  • Address unmet workforce needs of employers (LD 669)

 

May 11, 1:00 p.m. – Transportation

  • Concerning Maine’s transportation infrastructure (LD 437)
  • Provide revenue to fix and rebuild Maine’s infrastructure (LD 1149)
  • Establish a road usage task force (LD 1150)
  • Keep Maine’s transportation infrastructure safe by providing more sources of revenue (LD 1226)

 

May 11, 3:00 p.m. – Energy, Utilities & Technology

  • Modernize the renewable portfolio standard (LD 1147)
  • Regarding the renewable portfolio standards (LD 1185)
  • Provide affordable long-term energy prices in Maine (LD 1513)

 

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