Labor & Employment

died · Maine · House Apr 29, 2026

LD 799: An Act To Report Gender Wage Gaps

LD 799 requires employers with at least 250 employees nationwide (and at least one in Maine) to annually report gender wage gap data. These employers must collect data during a designated one-week period (October 1-December 31) on the number of male, female, and nonbinary employees, their median hourly pay rates (only if at least 100 employees per group), and calculate the gender wage gap as the ratio of male median pay to female median pay. Reports must be submitted to the Maine Department of Labor by June 1 each year starting in 2026, and the Department will publish the data on its website by September 1, including a summary for legislative committees.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates gender wage gap reporting to promote pay equity and transparency, strengthening worker protections under compensation policies.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Labor & Employment

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died · Maine · House Apr 29, 2026

LD 1626: An Act To Improve Professional Development For Educational Technicians And School Support Staff

LD 1626 requires Maine school districts to provide annual professional development for educational technicians and hourly-paid school support staff. Districts must offer at least 6 hours of paid, in-person training yearly, with 4 hours completed before the school year starts or within 30 days of hiring. New school support staff must receive initial training within 60 days on topics like emergency procedures and school policies, while educational technicians must also get training on student disabilities and behavioral needs, plus time to review student individualized education programs within 5 days of starting to work with a student.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates annual professional development for school support staff, directly enhancing their training and effectiveness in educational settings per bill requirements.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates paid professional development for school staff, improving workplace safety training (emergency procedures) and providing a benefit through compensated training time.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Labor & Employment

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died · Maine · House Apr 29, 2026

LD 1611: An Act To Decrease The Retirement Contributions Required For Teachers And State Employees

LD 1611 reduces the required retirement contribution rate for Maine teachers and state employees. Starting July 1, 2026, participants in the State Employee and Teacher Retirement Program will contribute 6.2% of their earnable compensation instead of the current 7.65%. The bill amends Maine law to implement this change, which applies to all members of the program without exceptions. The reduction directly lowers the financial obligation for these workers beginning the effective date.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesReduces employee retirement contributions (tax-like payroll deduction), providing direct tax relief for state workers and teachers per bill's explicit language.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationReduces teacher retirement contributions, easing financial burden on educators, aligning with supporting teacher benefits under education topic.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentReduces required retirement contributions for workers, lowering their financial obligation. Direct benefit aligns with expanded worker benefits under Labor & Employment.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Labor & Employment

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died · Maine · Senate Apr 29, 2026

LD 1420: Resolve, To Establish The Commission To Ensure A Just And Equitable Energy Transition For Maine'S Workforce

This resolve establishes a 13-member commission to examine Maine's energy workforce transition. The commission will review current energy job compensation, workforce needs, and impacts on low-income ratepayers, while assessing strategies to ensure workers experience a "just and equitable transition" to new energy jobs. It must report findings and recommendations by February 1, 2026, to legislative committees. The commission directly affects Maine's energy industry workers and low-income utility customers through its review of transition policies.

Topics ✓ EnergySupports EnergyEstablishes commission for just renewable energy transition, protects low-income ratepayers, directly aligns with renewable resources focus and workforce transition to clean energy jobs.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentEstablishes commission to ensure equitable energy workforce transition, reviewing compensation and impacts on workers - directly advances labor protections during industry shift90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Labor & Employment

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died · Maine · Senate Apr 29, 2026

LD 1021: An Act To Remove Certain Cost-Of-Living Adjustment Restrictions For Retired Members Of The Law Enforcement Bargaining Unit Who Are 65 Years Of Age Or Older

This bill removes a cap on cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for retired law enforcement officers aged 65 or older. It applies to specific roles like game wardens, marine patrol officers, correctional detectives, state fire marshals, and other listed positions within Maine state agencies. Currently, COLA only applies to retirement benefits up to $24,186.25; this bill expands it to cover the retiree’s entire benefit amount. The change affects retirees in the 13 designated law enforcement and public safety roles who qualify for service retirement.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentExpands COLA benefits for retired law enforcement retirees, increasing their retirement income without restrictions, directly strengthening worker benefits in retirement context.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Labor & Employment

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died · Maine · Senate Apr 29, 2026

LD 599: An Act To Codify The Federal Salary Threshold For Overtime Pay

LD 599 codifies Maine's overtime pay threshold by updating the salary level required for salaried employees in executive, administrative, or professional roles to be exempt from overtime rules. It adds three specific criteria to Maine law: $58,656 annually, the 35th percentile of weekly earnings for full-time workers in Maine's lowest-wage region (updated every 3 years), and the federal Department of Labor's current threshold. This directly affects salaried workers earning below these levels, ensuring they qualify for overtime pay under Maine law. The bill aligns Maine's exemption standard with federal requirements without changing existing overtime protections.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentSets higher overtime threshold ($58,656+), requiring more salaried workers to receive overtime pay, strengthening worker protections under employment standards.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Labor & Employment

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died · Maine · Senate Apr 29, 2026

LD 1539: An Act To Create A State Employee Compensation Stabilization Fund

LD 1539 creates a State Employee Compensation Stabilization Fund within Maine's Department of Administrative and Financial Services. The fund, financed by 1% of excess General Fund revenues (previously allocated to highway funding), must be used to augment state employee salaries to achieve parity with comparable public and private sector roles, as determined by market pay studies. Unexpended funds at year-end carry forward to the next fiscal year without lapsing. The bill directly affects executive branch state employees, as defined in Maine law, by establishing a dedicated funding mechanism for salary adjustments.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesRedirects 1% of excess General Fund (previously for highways) to fund state employee salary parity, strengthening fiscal management of personnel costs within budget allocation.92% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentCreates fund to raise state employee salaries to market parity, directly increasing compensation for public sector workers.95% confidence ✗ TransportationOpposes TransportationRedirects 1% of previously highway-funded excess revenues to employee salaries, reducing transportation infrastructure funding95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Labor & Employment

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died · Maine · Senate Apr 29, 2026

LD 34: An Act To Increase The Minimum Salary For Teachers

LD 34 sets new minimum salary levels for certified teachers and career and technical education teachers in Maine public schools, starting in the 2026-2027 school year. It requires school districts to establish minimums of $45,000 for 2026-27, increasing to $52,500 by 2029-30, with automatic annual cost-of-living adjustments after 2030 based on the Chained Consumer Price Index. The state will provide supplemental funding to cover these increases for school districts that previously paid below the new minimums. This directly affects public school teachers and districts in Maine, with the first salary adjustments taking effect for the 2026-2027 school year.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill mandates state supplemental funding to cover increased teacher salaries, directly increasing public education spending within state budget allocations.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill mandates minimum teacher salary increases with state funding, directly supporting educator compensation and school funding stability per education topic description.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentDirectly increases minimum teacher salaries to $45k-$52.5k with COLA adjustments, advancing wage standards for public school workers under Labor & Employment protections.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Labor & Employment

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signed · Maine · House Apr 24, 2026

LD 54: An Act To Require Employers To Disclose Pay Ranges And Maintain Records Of Employees' Pay Histories

This bill requires Maine employers with 10 or more employees to include a pay range in all job postings (e.g., "salary range: $50,000-$70,000"). It also mandates that employers disclose the pay range for an employee’s current position upon request and maintain detailed pay history records for each employee during employment and for three years after termination. The law directly affects businesses meeting the 10-employee threshold and aims to increase transparency around compensation. Key provisions include standardized pay range disclosures in recruitment materials and mandatory internal record-keeping for wage history.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRequires pay range transparency in job postings and pay history disclosure, directly advancing workers' rights to fair compensation information and reducing wage disparities.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Labor & Employment

signed · Maine · Senate Apr 16, 2026

LD 579: An Act To Include Certain Mental Health Workers Under The 1998 Special Plan For Retirement

This bill expands Maine's 1998 Special Retirement Plan to include specific mental health workers. It adds two new categories of employees: (1) those providing direct care to people needing mental health services in community or residential settings, and (2) those offering crisis outreach services to adults with developmental or intellectual disabilities. The change applies to Department of Health and Human Services employees hired on or after October 1, 2025, who meet these role definitions. These workers will now qualify for the same retirement benefits as existing categories under the 1998 plan, including options for service-based retirement at age 55 with 10 years of service or 25 years total service.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands retirement benefits for mental health workers, strengthening workforce stability in public mental health services per bill's explicit focus on care providers.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentExpands retirement benefits for mental health workers, strengthening employment benefits under state retirement system by adding new eligible categories.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Labor & Employment