Latest news with #LD894
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
After much discussion, Maine Legislature keeps paid family and medical leave mostly intact
Sen. Mattie Daughtry (D-Cumberland) and Rep. Kristen Cloutier (D-Lewiston) cheer supporters of paid family and medical leave who rallied at the Maine State House in May 2023. The bill was signed into law a month later. (Courtesy of Maine Paid Family Leave campaign) Following the Senate earlier this week, the House on Wednesday passed LD 894, which proposes a series of amendments to the state's paid family and medical leave program to create certain enforcement mechanisms and penalties, as well as clarify intermittent leave. But the vote was not without significant debate. Senate President Mattie Daughtry (D-Cumberland) introduced the bill on behalf of the Labor Department to make specific refinements to the policy that were noticed during the rulemaking process. However, during the House floor debate, Rep. Michael Soboleski (R-Phillips) called it 'legislation that threatens the very foundation of Maine's economic landscape.' But underscoring the human rather than economic impacts, Rep. Valli Geiger (D-Rockland) said, 'We are not just a series of businesses. We are not just a series of workers.' She went on to say that 'we thrive when there is a blend of work and life, and all of us age, all of us fall into illness, many of us have children, and when we do, it is part of our culture and a decent society to give us time to recover, to allow us to take care of our elderly, our frail, our beloved ones.' Though it isn't expected to be available until May 2026, the paid family and medical leave program will allow eligible public and private sector workers to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave for reasons such as illness, to care for a loved one or the birth of a new child. Others supportive of the overall program argued that LD 894 does not do enough to ensure it will be effective. 'While LD 894 focuses on infrastructure, it leaves behind the operational reforms that matter most to the people on the ground,' said Rep. Tiffany Roberts (D-South Berwick). Rep. Nathan Carlow (R-Buxton) attempted two floor amendments to the bill, which both failed. One amendment sought to require an employee to be employed with an employer for a minimum of 120 days before being eligible for paid leave. Rep. Amy Roeder (D-Bangor) said the Department of Labor is opposed to any change that would delay the implementation of the program. Rep. Charles Skold (D-Portland) argued the amendment would prevent people from taking leave when they need it. A motion to indefinitely postpone the amendment narrowly prevailed, 72-70. Carlow then presented another floor amendment that would allow workers and businesses who have contributed to the state fund but choose to adopt a qualifying private plan before the start of 2026 to be eligible for a refund from the Department of Labor. A motion to indefinitely postpone also narrowly prevailed 71-70. The Senate had its own, albeit smaller, debate on paid family and medical leave Wednesday. Despite urging from Sen. Dick Bradstreet (R-Kennebec) to back LD 1712, which hopes to strike a better balance between employee and employer interests by modifying how much an employer is required to contribute, when an employee needs to apply for the benefit and how much is paid out. He described it as 'a reasonable compromise and a responsible compromise,' the upper chamber voted against it 20-14. The House rejected the bill earlier this week, so it is now effectively killed. That bill joined a series of other proposals to modify or repeal the program that were also rejected earlier this week, including LD 406, LD 1273, LD 1333, LD 952 and LD 1307. Reporter AnnMarie Hilton contributed to this story. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Proposed constitutional amendment to protect paid leave fund one step closer to ballot
Supporters of paid family and medical leave policy rallied on the steps of the Maine State House in June 2023. One month later the policy became law. (Courtesy of Maine Women's Lobby) The entire Maine Legislature is so far taking the recommendations of the Labor Committee to reject significant changes to the state's paid family and medical leave program. On Monday, the Senate voted 20-14 to back a proposal (LD 894) to tweak the program, but rejected other bills by the same margin, including one to exempt agricultural employees from the program and another to suspend remittance for companies that plan to use private plans. That bill now advances to the House of Representatives. Both chambers also followed the lead of the committee by backing a proposal for a constitutional amendment prohibiting the Legislature from using the program funds for any other purpose. Though LD 1221 was passed under the hammer by the House and Senate, it will require a two-thirds vote from each chamber for the next round of enactment votes. If secured, it would then be sent to the voters to ultimately decide on the November 2025 ballot. LD 894, which was also endorsed by the committee, proposes a series of amendments to the current law to create certain enforcement mechanisms and penalties, as well as clarify intermittent leave. Senate President Mattie Daughtry (D-Cumberland) introduced the bill on behalf of the Labor Department to make specific refinements to the policy that were noticed during the rulemaking process. 'This is a bill that does the quiet, but essential work of ensuring that Maine's paid family and medical leave program is implemented successfully,' said Sen. Mike Tipping (D-Penobscot) on the Senate floor. Though it isn't expected to be available until May 2026, the paid family and medical leave program will allow eligible public and private sector workers to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave for reasons such as illness, to care for a loved one or the birth of a new child. Tipping said LD 894 is the only bill that 'strengthens the program without destabilizing it.' Sen. Dick Bradstreet (R-Kennebec) urged his colleagues to support a different version of the bill that he argued would help small businesses. While Sen. Cameron Reny (D-Lincoln) said while some of those suggestions are reasonable, they seem too substantial to make for a program that hasn't been fully implemented yet. 'Making major structural changes at this stage before a single benefit has been paid and without knowing what's working or not working, it's like you're trying to redesign a plane while we're on the runway,' Reny said. Across the State House, lawmakers rejected bills to repeal the program (LD 406), make it voluntary (LD 1273) and make a series of other structural changes (LD 1333 and LD 1712). SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Maine lawmakers will weigh more than a dozen proposals to modify paid family and medical leave
Supporters of paid family and medical leave policy rallied on the steps of the Maine State House in June 2023. One month later the policy became law. (Courtesy of Maine Women's Lobby) The state's paid family and medical leave program will be center stage later this week as both Republicans and Democrats look to modify the new employee benefit. The Legislature's Labor Committee will hold a public hearing Wednesday afternoon for 13 bills to change the program that has yet to take effect for workers but has prompted some pushback among the business community, which has started making payments into the benefit system. The majority of the proposals seek to repeal or scale back the program, but others are looking to clarify the existing law or make it more accessible for employees. A bill from Rep. Tiffany Roberts (D-South Berwick) is the only one with bipartisan support. LD 1712 hopes to strike a better balance between employee and employer interests by modifying how much an employer is required to contribute, when an employee needs to apply for the benefit and how much is paid out. Though it isn't expected to be available until May 2026, the paid family and medical leave program will allow eligible public and private sector workers to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave for reasons such as illness, to care for a loved one or the birth of a new child. Proponents have described it as a panacea and a way to make certain jobs more accessible, while opponents argued that certain requirements are too burdensome on employers. The Maine Department of Labor finalized the program's rules in December after an outpouring of input from employees and the business community. At the start of the year, Maine employers began withholding a portion of wages to pay into the new paid family and medical leave fund. Senate President Mattie Daughtry (D-Cumberland) and Rep. Kristen Cloutier (D-Lewiston), co-sponsors of the original legislation establishing the program, are introducing LD 894 on behalf of the department that would make a series of amendments to the current law to create certain enforcement mechanisms and penalties, as well as clarify intermittent leave. Daughtry said she plans to testify in 'strong and unequivocal' opposition to the bills that want to delay, weaken, exempt or dismantle the program. Rather than waiting to see how Maine's paid family and medical leave system operates and then making adjustments based on experience, Daughtry said the bills represent a 'reversal of course before the program has had a chance to begin.' 'Maine workers deserve a strong benefits program and I'll be fighting to protect it,' she said. There are two nearly identical proposals to repeal the program entirely. In addition, House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) has two bills to make the benefit voluntary for employers and employees (LD 1273) and delay its start until 2027 (LD 1249). All four pieces of legislation have emergency preambles, which means they would take effect immediately if passed by two-thirds of the Legislature. Another emergency proposal from Sen. Russell Black (R-Franklin)would exempt agricultural workers (LD 952). And though not an emergency measure, LD 1400 seeks to exempt certain public school districts and their employees from the benefit program. Rep. Mike Soboleski (R-Philips) has a bill (LD 1169) that would allow employers to get a refund for any premiums paid into the state's plan if they are approved to use a private substitute plan. Sen. Dick Bradstreet (R-Kennebec) is similarly looking to better accommodate employers wishing to use a substitute private plan with LD 1307. Rep. Gary Drinkwater (R-Milford) is proposing an amendment to the state constitution with LD 1221 to prohibit the Legislature from using paid family and medical leave program funds for any other purpose. Labor Committee co-chairs Sen. Mike Tipping (D-Penobscot) and Rep. Amy Roeder (D-Bangor) are introducing LD 575 to remove a provision in the current law that requires leave to be scheduled. While that is meant to prevent undue hardship on an employer, the bill title says its removal would create more equitable access to the program. Rep. Jennifer Poirier (R-Skowhegan) is proposing a series of changes with LD 1333 that would seek to clarify the definition of 'self-employed individual' and prevent employers from having to bargain with unions over the employee's share of the program, among other tweaks. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
