December
There were no employment and/or labor bills that were enacted that were identified.
November
There were no employment and/or labor bills that were enacted that were identified.
October
There were no employment and/or labor bills that were enacted that were identified.
September
There were no employment and/or labor bills that were enacted that were identified.
August
There were no employment and/or labor bills that were enacted that were identified.
July
Public Sector Labor Unions
Bill
House Bill 1033 (2023-2024: Special Session)
Summary
Provides public sector labor unions reasonable access to information regarding employees.
Enacted
07/2/2023
Effective Date
10/25/2023
Topics
Industry: Public_employer
Temporary Nurse Agencies
Bill
Senate Bill 205 (2023-2024)
Summary
Provides that a temporary nurse agency shall ensure that each employee the agency assigns or refers to a health care facility for a position meets the State and federal qualification requirements for that position and has the appropriate work experience for that position; provides that a person or business entity that operates a temporary nurse agency and fails to meet specified requirements violates the Maine Unfair Trade Practices Act; appropriates funds to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Enacted
07/26/2023
Effective Date
10/25/2023
Topics
Employer_Obligations: Recordkeeping, Reporting_required; Employment_relations: Hiring, Nurse, Permanent_employees, Temporary_employees; Industry: Hiring_agency
Fund Collective Bargaining Agreements
Bill
House Bill 1299 (2023-2024: Special Session)
Summary
Funds collective bargaining agreements with executive branch employees; provides that salary schedules for the executive branch employees in bargaining units represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Maine State Troopers Association, the Maine State Law Enforcement Association, the Maine Service Employees Association, the Fraternal Order of Police and any other certified bargaining representative must be adjusted consistent with agreements ratified by certain date.
Enacted
07/10/2023
Effective Date
07/10/2023
Topics
Industry: Public_employer
Maine Forest Workers’ Right to Work
Bill
Senate Bill 758 (2023-2024: Special Session)
Summary
Supports Maine Forest Workers’ Right to Work in Maine by Improving Labor Standards; relates to Forest certification programs.
Enacted
07/04/2023
Effective Date
To be determined.
Topics
Industry: Forestry, Govt_contractor, Logging
June
Federal Davis Bacon Act
Bill
House Bill 915 (2023-2024)
Summary
Requires that, in addition to other determinations, the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Standards investigate and determine the prevailing hourly wage and benefits rate paid in the construction industry in the state by collecting a third set of data for the job classification under the Federal Davis Bacon Act.
Enacted
06/27/2023
Effective Date
To be determined.
Topics
Industry: Construction_service; Wage_and_Hour: Prevailing_wage
Operation of Construction Cranes and Elevators
Bill
House Bill 1098 (2023-2024: Special Session)
Summary
Defines construction hoist and requires the Director of the Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation within the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation to adopt rules regarding the proper operation of construction hoists and training requirements for construction hoist operators; provides that, after the rules are adopted, a person may not operate a construction hoist except as in accordance with the rules.
Enacted
06/26/2023
Effective Date
To be determined.
Topics
Claims_and_Penalties: Civil_penalty, Fines; Employment_relations: Crane_operator, Elevator_operator, Hiring; Industry: Contractor, Subcontractor
Maine Equal Pay Law
Bill
House Bill 1092 (2023-2024: Special Session)
Summary
Provides that an employer may not discriminate between employees in the same establishment on the basis of sex by paying wages to any employee in any occupation at a rate less than the rate at which the employer pays any employee of the opposite sex for comparable work on jobs that have comparable requirements relating to skill, effort and responsibility; adds to that law a provision that an employer may not discriminate between employees in the same establishment on the basis.
Enacted
06/22/2023
Effective Date
To be determined.
Topics
Prohibited_Practices: Equal_pay, Race, Sex
Tribal Governments for Basic Training
Bill
House Bill 150 (2023-2024)
Summary
Compensates tribal governments for basic training for a law enforcement officer hired by another government agency.
Enacted
06/21/2023
Effective Date
To be determined.
Topics
Industry: Public_employer
Hazardous Occupations for Minors
Bill
Senate Bill 137 (2023-2024)
Summary
Examines hazardous occupations for minors; proposes to examine hazardous occupations for minors.
Enacted
06/20/2023
Effective Date
To be determined.
Topics
Wage_and_Hour: Child_labor
Bargaining Agents for Public Sector Unions
Bill
Bill 784 (2023-2024: Special Session)
Summary
Allows a specified number of bargaining agents who are certified by the executive director of the State Labor Relations Board and who are members or affiliates of the same public employee organization to merge; requires bargaining agents seeking to merge shall file with the executive director of the board, or a designee, a petition describing the proposed merger.
Enacted
06/20/2023
Effective Date
To be determined.
Topics
Industry: Public_employer
Parity in Tipping Laws for Restaurant Workers
Bill
House Bill 559 (2023-2024)
Summary
Establishes Parity in Tipping Laws for Restaurant Workers; relates to Tip pooling; provides that the tip pooling arrangement is only among service employees when the employer uses the tip credit; provides that the tip pooling arrangement is among a group of employees when the employer pays all employees in the group the minimum hourly wage and does not use the tip credit.
Enacted
06/15/2023
Effective Date
06/29/2023
Topics
Federal_Laws: FLSA; Wage_and_Hour: Minimum_wage, Tip_pools, Tips
Right to Know Advisory Committee
Bill
House Bill 892 (2023-2024)
Summary
Implements the recommendations of the Right to Know Advisory Committee related to records of disciplinary actions against public employees; provides that disciplinary action is taken, the final written decision relating to that action is no longer confidential after the decision is completed if it imposes or upholds discipline and the decision must state the conduct or other facts on the basis of which disciplinary action is being imposed and the conclusions of the acting authority as to the reasons.
Enacted
06/12/2023
Effective Date
To be determined.
Topics
Industry: Public employer
May
Regular Wages
Bill
Senate Bill 515 (2023-2024)
Summary
Exempts members of the employers family and salaried employees from the requirement that an employer pay in full at regular intervals all wages earned by an employee; removes the exemption for salaried employees from the requirements relating to the rate of pay and records regarding time worked; adds s corporations and limited liability partnerships to the exemptions from the requirements.
Enacted
06/01/2023
Effective Date
06/29/2023
Topics
Employer_Obligations: Notice, Recordkeeping; Wage_Payment: Pay_frequency; Wage_and_Hour: Exemptions, Wage_change
Licensed Veterinarian
Bill
House Bill 457 (2023-2024)
Summary
This bill prohibits an employer from requiring or permitting an employee who is a licensed veterinarian to enter into a noncompete agreement unless the employee has an ownership interest in the business and provides that a court may not enforce such a noncompete agreement entered into prior to the effective date of this legislation.
Enacted
06/01/2023
Effective Date
06/29/2023
Topics
Agreements: Covenant_not_compete, Non-compete; Employment_relations: Veterinarian
April
Employee Severance Pay Due
Bill
House Bill 16 (2023-2024)
Summary
Concerns current law regarding employee severance pay due to the closing, substantial shutdown or relocation of a covered establishment applies only to industrial and commercial facilities; this bill removes that limitation, making the law applicable to sectors that are not within the industrial or commercial category.
Enacted
05/08/2023
Effective Date
06/29/2023
Topics
Employment_relations: Mass_layoff, Relocation; Industry: Closed_employer, Large_employers; Wage_Payment: Severance
Background Checks
Bill
House Bill 139 (2023-2024)
Summary
Clarifies state law regarding background checks for the Office of Child and Family Services; provides for criminal history record checks for employees of children’s residential care facilities, emergency children’s shelters, shelters for homeless children and transitional living programs.
Enacted
04/24/2023
Effective Date
06/29/2023
Topics
Industry: Public_employer
March
There were no employment and/or labor bills that were enacted that were identified.
February
There were no employment and/or labor bills that were enacted that were identified.
January
There were no employment and/or labor bills that were enacted that were identified.
