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 No ✗ Opposes Labor & Employment

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signed · Maine · House Apr 15, 2026

LD 2200: An Act To Prohibit Noncompete Clauses For Health Care Professionals As Recommended By The Commission To Evaluate The Scope Of Regulatory Review And Oversight Over Health Care Transactions That Impact The Delivery Of Health Care Services In The State

This Maine bill amends state labor law to prohibit employers from requiring or enforcing noncompete agreements with licensed health care practitioners. The legislation defines a "health care practitioner" as any individual qualified under state law to provide medical services, thereby extending existing protections for low-wage workers and certain veterinarians to this broader group. Additionally, the bill removes a specific exemption that previously allowed noncompete agreements between employers and allopathic or osteopathic physicians to take effect immediately, subjecting them instead to standard waiting periods based on tenure or signing date.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareProhibits noncompete clauses for health care practitioners to improve workforce mobility and access to medical services.85% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentThe bill prohibits noncompete clauses for health care professionals, explicitly extending existing worker protections and removing exemptions that allowed restrictive employment agreements.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Labor & Employment

failed · Maine · House Apr 7, 2026

LD 2089: An Act To Amend The Law Governing Agricultural Labor Housing Standards

This bill amends Maine law to remove a requirement that state rules for agricultural labor housing standards must match federal regulations. It directly affects agricultural employers in Maine who provide housing to more than five employees and whose housing standards are not already covered by federal rules. The change allows the state Department of Labor to establish its own housing standards instead of being required to copy federal ones. This applies only to housing facilities owned or controlled by employers, not to all agricultural workers. The bill simplifies the regulatory framework by giving the state more flexibility in setting housing requirements for farm workers.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill allows state to establish its own housing standards rather than being bound to federal regulations, potentially enabling more protective state-specific rules for agricultural workers.75% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Labor & Employment

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failed · Maine · Senate Apr 7, 2026

LD 1865: Resolve, To Create A Tax Incentive Pilot Project To Encourage Businesses To Adopt A 4-Day Workweek

LD 1865 establishes a Maine state pilot project to incentivize businesses with at least 15 employees to adopt a 4-day workweek. The program, administered by the Department of Labor, offers a tax credit to qualifying employers who maintain employee pay, benefits, and employment status while reducing weekly work hours. Participating businesses must submit detailed transition plans, and the pilot will run for 2-4 years starting January 2027. The Department will select diverse participants (including minority- and women-owned businesses) and study the impacts on both workers and employers through data collection and surveys. Public sector employers may join the pilot but are ineligible for the tax credit.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesOffers tax credits to businesses adopting 4-day workweek, directly using fiscal policy to incentivize behavioral change, aligning with tax relief indicators for business adoption.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentTax credit incentivizes 4-day workweek with maintained pay/benefits, advancing worker benefits and employment standards per bill's pilot program.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Labor & Employment

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signed · Maine · Senate Jun 24, 2025

LD 598: An Act To Require Minimum Pay For Reporting To Work

This bill requires private employers with at least 10 employees (not in seasonal industries or public employers) to pay workers for a minimum of two hours at their regular hourly rate if they report to work but the employer cancels or shortens their scheduled shift. Employers must pay the lesser of two hours’ pay or the full shift’s scheduled pay, unless they made a documented good-faith effort to notify the employee not to come. Exceptions include adverse weather, natural disasters, illness, or workplace injuries. The law does not apply to public employers or seasonal businesses as defined in Maine law.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRequires employers to pay for reported shifts, protecting workers' compensation rights and strengthening wage standards for reported hours.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Labor & Employment

failed · Maine · Senate Jun 18, 2025

LD 1963: An Act To Protect And Compensate Public Utility Whistleblowers

LD 1963 creates Maine's first public utility whistleblower protection law. It directly affects employees and contractors of public utilities who report potentially imprudent or illegal activity that could raise rates, reduce service quality, or harm the public. The law guarantees their right to testify or provide information to legislative committees, the Public Utilities Commission, or the Public Advocate on their own time without retaliation. It also establishes a compensation mechanism where whistleblowers could receive 10-30% of savings resulting from their disclosures, mirroring federal SEC protections. The bill aims to encourage reporting by shielding whistleblowers from discharge, threats, or discrimination related to their disclosures.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentProtects public utility workers from retaliation for reporting safety/legal issues, advancing workers' rights as explicitly stated in the bill's purpose and protections.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Labor & Employment

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failed · Maine · House Jun 13, 2025

LD 1432: An Act To Remove Consideration Of Gender Identity From The Maine Human Rights Act

LD 1432 would amend Maine's Human Rights Act by removing "gender identity" from the list of protected characteristics. This change means the law would no longer prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, credit, or education based on gender identity. Other protections, such as those for race, sex, sexual orientation, and disability, would remain intact. The bill does not alter existing exemptions for religious organizations that do not receive public funds.

Topics ✗ HousingOpposes HousingRemoves gender identity from housing anti-discrimination protections, weakening tenant protections per bill summary.90% confidence ✗ Labor & EmploymentOpposes Labor & EmploymentRemoves gender identity as protected characteristic in employment, weakening anti-discrimination protections under Maine Human Rights Act95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Labor & Employment

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failed · Maine · House Jun 4, 2025

LD 1712: An Act To Amend The Paid Family And Medical Leave Benefits Program To Balance Support Of Businesses And Employees

LD 1712 amends Maine's Paid Family and Medical Leave program to adjust requirements for employees and employers. It requires employees to give reasonable notice before taking leave and allows employers to deny leave based on specific, defined hardships (such as having fewer than 15 employees, a summer labor shortage, or more than 25% of staff already on leave), without review of such decisions. The bill also revises benefit calculations to replace 65% of average weekly wage (with 90% replacement for wages up to 50% of the state average and 66% for higher wages), shortens application deadlines for benefits (with waivers for good cause), and modifies premium payments so employers deduct 50% of the cost from employee wages while covering the remaining 50%.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareBill allows employers to deny medical leave for business hardships, restricting employee access to healthcare-related leave and reducing benefit replacement rates.85% confidence ✗ Labor & EmploymentOpposes Labor & EmploymentAllows employers to deny leave based on business hardships (e.g., staff shortages), restricting employee access to benefits without review.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Labor & Employment

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failed · Maine · House Jun 3, 2025

LD 1273: An Act To Make Paid Family And Medical Leave Voluntary

This bill repeals Maine's mandatory paid family and medical leave program, making participation voluntary instead. It limits the program to employers with 50 or more employees and requires the Department of Labor to refund all contributions made under the previous mandatory system to both employers and employees by June 2026. Unappropriated funds from the leave program must be transferred to the state's general fund by June 30, 2026. The changes take effect retroactively to October 25, 2023.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesBill defunds mandatory leave program by refunding contributions and transferring unappropriated funds to general fund, eliminating dedicated revenue stream for the program.95% confidence ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareRepeals mandatory paid family/medical leave, limits coverage to large employers, and refunds contributions - reducing access to healthcare-related leave benefits and defunding the program.95% confidence ✗ Labor & EmploymentOpposes Labor & EmploymentRepeals mandatory paid leave program, making it voluntary and limiting coverage to employers with 50+ employees, weakening worker protections and reducing benefits.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Labor & Employment

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failed · Maine · Senate Jun 3, 2025

LD 952: An Act To Exempt Agricultural Employers And Employees From The Maine Paid Family And Medical Leave Benefits Program

This bill exempts agricultural employers and employees from Maine's Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Program, directly affecting those working in agriculture as defined by state and federal law. It requires the Department of Labor to refund all contributions paid by agricultural employers and self-employed individuals to the program, including any premiums deducted from employee wages that must be returned to workers. The refunds apply retroactively to October 25, 2023, when contributions began. The legislation aims to halt economic harm to the agricultural sector by eliminating these financial obligations.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareExempts agricultural workers from medical leave program, restricting access to benefits under healthcare access policies.95% confidence ✗ Labor & EmploymentOpposes Labor & EmploymentExempts agricultural workers from paid leave benefits, removing a key worker protection and requiring refunds of prior contributions, weakening coverage for this workforce.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Labor & Employment

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