On May 18, Ben Gilman, general counsel for the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, submitted the following testimony in support of LD 1710, An Act To Require Prompt and Effective Use of the Renewable Energy Resources of Northern Maine, to the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology. We are reprinting it here for your review and consideration. If you have any questions, please contact Ben Gilman by calling (207) 623-4568, ext. 108, or by emailing [email protected].

On May 13, Ben Gilman, general counsel for the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, submitted the following testimony of in support of LD 1684, An Act To Strengthen Maine's Workforce by Expanding English Language Acquisition and Workforce Training Programs, to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs. We are reprinting it here for your review and consideration. If you have any questions, please contact Ben Gilman by calling (207) 623-4568, ext. 108, or by emailing [email protected].

On May 11, the Maine State Chamber submitted testimony in support of LD 1652, An Act To Build a Child Care System by Recruiting and Retaining Maine's Early Childhood Educators Workforce. This bill offers a solution to Maine’s understaffed early childcare programs. The bill increases wages in the field to help with demand and retention. The bill also creates more pathways to early childcare careers and boosts the quality of early childcare providers by expanding early childhood education programs at career and technical education centers, increasing apprenticeships at childcare programs, and providing scholarships toward associate and bachelor’s degrees in early childhood education. 

On Friday, May 26, members of the Joint Standing Committee on Labor and Housing reconsidered their votes on LD 553, An Act to End At-Will Employment, a bill sponsored by Rep. Michael Sylvester (D-Portland). There now are TWO “ought to pass” recommendations coming out of the Labor committee:

• One is essentially the original “ought to pass” version of the bill, with some clarification around an exemption to the law concerning seasonal layoffs. In addition, it will require every employer with more than five employees to implement and adopt a written employee personnel policy / handbook. This will cost each business thousands of extra dollars in the form of legal assistance. Our coalition remains strongly opposed to this proposal.
• The second “ought to pass” recommendation requires a study of the impact of employment-at-will on employers and employees and charges the stakeholder group with making recommendations on the impact of eliminating employment-at-will in Maine. Our coalition remains strongly opposed to this proposal as well.
• All five Republicans on the committee voted “ought not to pass.” Our coalition supports ONLY the ought not to pass motion on LD 553.
  

In a stunning move, Democrats and the one independent on the Joint Standing Committee on Labor and Housing approved a bill that would end decades of employment law in Maine and require “for cause” discipline or discharge in most Maine workplaces. Such a sweeping change will make Maine one of only two states in the nation to require such action.

In the past, the Maine State Chamber has been able to distribute the legislative posters at its statewide events, but due to the pandemic, that is not currently possible. This year, the Maine State Chamber is making them available for pickup at its office on 128 State Street in Augusta.