The latest edition of our Impact newsletter is now available!
Weekly edition of IMPACT, a publication of the Maine State Chamber | Thurs., March 25, 2021
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LD 553 seeks to end employment-at-will status in Maine  Proposal would dramatically restructure Maine’s current law On Wednesday, March 24, Peter Gore, executive vice president for the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, delivered the following testimony before the Joint Standing Committee on Labor and Housing in opposition to LD 553, An Act to End At-Will Employment. LD 553 seeks to dramatically restructure Maine’s current workplace law with regard to employee discharges.  It eliminates the existing limited or regulated employment-at-will status under which Maine businesses currently operate and replaces it with a requirement of ‘just cause’ when terminating an employer-employee relationship.  We are strongly opposed to this change. Read more...
Passage of LD 607 would be catastrophic for businesses of all sizes throughout Maine On Monday, March 22, Peter Gore, executive vice president for the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, delivered the following testimony before the Joint Standing Committee on Labor and Housing in opposition to LD 607, An Act to Restore Overtime Protections to Maine Workers. LD 607 proposes to the increase the overtime threshold by adjusting the multiplier that is currently part of Maine’s wage and hour law by more than $20,000 during a three-year period, finally landing somewhere above $55,000 by 2024. Passage of this bill would be catastrophic for thousands of for-profit and non-profit businesses of all sizes across the state of Maine. Read more...
LD 640 would have a direct, negative impact on jobs in key Maine industry On Monday, March 22, Ben Gilman, general counsel for the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, delivered the following testimony before the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources in opposition to LD 640, An Act To Ban Single-serving, Disposable Plastic Water Bottles. The bottled water industry directly employs hundreds of Mainers every single day in our state and supports thousands of jobs across Maine. LD 640 would directly impact those jobs and have a negative impact on our state.  As a state, water is one of our brands – what we are known for. In fact, water from Maine is the number one item sold in New York City. Read more...
Commentary: Clear Choice doesn’t always mean better choice for Maine’s small businesses By David Clough and Peter M. Gore in a Special to the Press Herald published on Thursday, March 25 “If you like your current health plan, you can keep it.” Maybe. Maybe not – likely not – for thousands of Maine small businesses and their employees. Rulemaking is underway that will have a major impact on small businesses and individuals in Maine. The change results from legislation passed last year that directs the Bureau of Insurance to develop “Clear Choice” plan design and options in these distinctly different health insurance markets. Read more...
Chamber testifies in support of bill to extend Pine Tree Zone benefits On Tuesday, March 23, Linda Caprara testified on behalf of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce in strong support of LD 730, An Act to Protect Economic Competitiveness in Maine by Extending the End Date for Pine Tree Development Zone Benefits, at a public hearing before the Joint Standing Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business.  During her testimony, Caprara thanked the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Mattie Daughtry (D-Cumberland), for bringing this proposal to the committee. Caprara testified that the Pine Tree Development Zone (PTDZ) program is one of Maine’s primary economic development tools – one that has helped to grow Maine’s economy and has made a significant contribution to the level of investment in Maine. Read more...
Chamber testifies in support of apprenticeship tax credit bill On Thursday, March 18, the Maine State Chamber testified in support of LD 241, An Act to Support the Trades Through a Tax Credit for Apprenticeships Program, before the Joint Standing Committee on Taxation. The bill encourages the use of apprenticeships in business by providing an income tax credit of up to $2,500 to employers with apprenticeship programs approved by Maine Department of Labor.  Read more...
LD 149 helps people with advanced degrees or licenses from other states or nations secure the ability to work in Maine On Wednesday, March 23, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce offered testimony before the Joint Standing Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement, and Business (IDEA) in support of LD 149, An Act To Facilitate Licensure for Credentialed Individuals from Other Jurisdictions. This proposal would help people with advanced degrees and professional licenses from other states or nations secure the ability to work in Maine. Read more...
Upcoming Public Hearings Legislation of Interest Public hearings are open to everyone, despite the Statehouse’s restricted access status during the pandemic. Typically, the committee’s meeting room is listed below, but during the pandemic, Maine State Chamber members should plan to watch and listen to legislative committees by using one of the Legislature’s YouTube channels. The Legislature also released these guides for participation in public hearings and work sessions, and you will need to register to submit testimony if you plan to testify on a particular bill. Also, this public hearing schedule is subject to changes and updates; we advise that you check the committee’s calendar or contact the committee clerk. Each committee name listed below is linked to the corresponding committee page. Each week, Maine Chamber staff studies each of the recently printed bills to assess potential impact on business trends. We are sharing those bills of concern with you here. If you have concerns regarding any bill, please communicate those concerns to a member of our advocacy team by calling (207) 623-4568.   A total of 171 business-related bills have been tracked to date since the session began on January 6, 2021! View the list of Public Hearings for March 29 through April 2... View the complete list of legislation we're watching for you...
Remote Work Survey: We need your input! Research is showing Maine businesses will at least double the number of remote workers from 67,500 pre-pandemic to 134,000 post-pandemic. Administered by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and the Maine Community College System, this Remote Work survey will gather information about the needs of businesses that are currently utilizing remote workers and/or plan to do so in the future. We intend to gather information that will identify collaborative opportunities to meet businesses’ needs. Please complete the four-minute survey no later than Friday, April 30, 2021. Your organization’s data is an important component of their research. All information collected from this survey is for internal use only and will not be distributed. We'd really appreciate your participation and are hoping to have as much input as possible. Thank you!
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To learn more or to register, please click on the links below. Broadband Expansion in Maine: Bring ME Up To Speed Series   Webinar 3 in the Series: New England’s Regional Perspective Sponsored by Mission Broadband Tuesday, April 6, 2021 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Held Virtually on Zoom Details | Registration Succession Planning as an Entrepreneurial Exit Thursday, April 8, 2021 11:00 a.m. to Noon Held Virtually on Zoom Details | Registration Don’t miss Monday’s The Maine Take with Dana Connors Monday, March 29 at 3:00 p.m. Watch it on our website or our YouTube On Monday, March 29 at 3:00 p.m., join host Dana Connors for a discussion with Southern Maine Community College President Joe Cassidy on workforce development, as well as a presentation by Bobby Reynolds about Americans for Carbon Dividends.  Listen live, or catch up later using your favorite podcast app! On Thursday, March 25 at 10:00 a.m., The Bottom Line co-hosts Dana Connors of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and John Williams of Williams Broadcasting were joined by Stephen W. Gove, executive director of the Maine Municipal Association, to discuss the impact of the pandemic on Maine’s municipalities. To listen to the archived recordings any time, please visit The Bottom Line page on the Maine State Chamber’s website at www.mainechamber.org/the-bottom-line.html. In addition, The Bottom Line podcast can be heard on iTunes, iHeart Radio, Soundcloud, Stitcher Radio, Spotify and radio.com.
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