The Legislature may have adjourned last week, however, because they passed a joint order allowing the committees to continue to hold public hearings and work sessions, Committee work is being done fast and furious.
Bills of Interest
MEMA reviews and monitors each bill and flags the ones that impact our membership each week. Released as of the last Legislative Update are the following bills. Please be sure to reach out with feedback on any bills that catch your attention. Bills 1 through 1470 have been printed to date.
LD 1350 An Act To Expand Maine’s Clean Energy Economy
This bill amends the State’s renewable portfolio standard procurement law to authorize 2 additional competitive solicitations by the Public Utilities Commission for contracts with Class IA resources to procure, in total, an amount of energy or renewable energy credits equal to 15% of retail electricity sales in the State during the calendar year 2019. It requires 100% of the energy or renewable energy credits contracted following those additional competitive solicitations to come from Class IA resources that begin commercial operations after June 30, 2021.
This bill establishes the Maine Municipal Carbon Reduction Initiatives Program for the purpose of providing competitive grants for towns and cities to help fund technology and innovation projects that will reduce carbon emissions and that are in line with Maine’s climate action plan.
LD 1369 An Act To Provide Stimulus for Economic Recovery by Enacting a 5 Percent Flat Income Tax
This bill, for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2021, replaces the current income tax structure for individual income taxes with a flat 5% tax imposed on all individual Maine residents.
This bill establishes the weekend of Indigenous Peoples Day as an annual sales-tax-free weekend for sales of tangible personal property and prepared food and the rental of living quarters. The exemption does not apply to tobacco products, boats, vehicles, or any single item with a cost of more than $2,500.
LD 1423 An Act To Prevent and Reduce Tobacco Use by Ensuring Adequate Funding for Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Programs and by Raising the Tax on Tobacco Products and To Provide Funding To Reduce Disparities in Health Outcomes Based on Certain Factors
This bill increases the cigarette tax from $2.00 per pack of 20 cigarettes to $4.00 per pack of 20 cigarettes, beginning November 1, 2021.
LD 1429 An Act To Implement the Most Time-sensitive Recommendations of the Maine Climate Council
This bill implements recommendations from the Maine Climate Council.
LD 1443 An Act Regarding Higher Income Tax Levels
This bill establishes 5 new tax brackets for income exceeding $100,000 for persons filing as single individuals or married individuals filing separately $150,000 for individuals filing as head of household, and $200,000 for individuals filing married joint returns or surviving spouses.
This bill provides that, beginning January 1, 2026, a manufacturer of beverages in plastic beverage containers may not sell, offer for sale or distribute for sale in the State a plastic beverage container unless the total number of plastic beverage containers sold, offered for sale or distributed for sale in the State by that manufacturer contains, on average and in the aggregate, at least 25% post-consumer recycled plastic. That post-consumer recycled plastic requirement increases to 30% post-consumer recycled plastic beginning January 1, 2031.
ACTION ALERTS
OPPOSE LD 1279 ‘An Act To Increase the Minimum Wage’ which seeks to increase the minimum wage to $13 starting in January 2022, increasing by $1 to $16/hour by 2025, and by 2016 it would increase based on cost of living adjustments.
TESTIMONY
- Address your testimony to the Committee of jurisdiction as well as the Senate and House Chairs of that Committee.
- I am writing in opposition/support to LD XXXX.
- Introduce yourself, your business.
SUBMIT YOUR TESTIMONY VIA THE LEGISLATURE’S ONLINE PORTAL (click here)
- Choose public hearing
- Committee – Labor & Housing
- Select the Date (Monday, April 12)
- Select the LD #
- Check the box ‘I would like to present my testimony live’ to present it over Zoom
Upcoming Public Hearings and Work Sessions
Monday, April 12, 2021
Labor and Housing at 9 a.m. (Public Hearing)
LD 455, An Act To Give the State the Sole Authority To Establish a Minimum Wage and Hazard Pay with Certain Exceptions. This bill prohibits a municipality from enacting an ordinance governing the minimum hourly wage. (Rep. Newman of Belgrade)
LD 543, An Act To Provide That the Minimum Wage Increases by the Cost of Living Every 3 Years. This bill changes the annual cost-of-living increase in the minimum hourly wage from annual to triennial. Current law provides that the minimum hourly wage is adjusted for the cost of living annually. (Rep. Bradstreet of Vassalboro)
LD 1279, An Act To Increase the Minimum Wage. This bill increases the minimum hourly wage from its present $12.00 per hour to $13.00 per hour and by an additional $1.00 per hour each year until the minimum wage on January 1, 2025 is $16.00 per hour. (Rep. Collings of Portland)
Tuesday, April 13, 2021:
Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business at 1 p.m. (Public Hearing)
LD 1087, An Act To Save Maine Businesses. This bill is a concept draft. (Rep. Prescott of Waterboro)
Wednesday, April 14, 2021
Labor and Housing at 10 a.m. (Work Session)
LD 319, An Act To Promote Socially Responsible Investing by the Maine Public Employees Retirement System by Prohibiting Investment in the Fossil Fuel Industry or For-profit Prisons. This bill prohibits the Board of Trustees of the Maine Public Employees Retirement System from investing the assets of the retirement system in any stocks or other securities of any corporation or company within the fossil fuel industry or any corporation or company that owns or operates prisons for profit. (Rep. Brennan of Portland)
LD 553, An Act To End At-will Employment. This bill prohibits an employer from terminating the employment of an employee without cause. (Rep. Sylvester of Portland)
LD 607, An Act To Restore Overtime Protections for Maine Workers. This bill annually raises the minimum salary that an employee who works in an executive, administrative or professional capacity must earn in order for that employee to be exempt from the laws governing the minimum wage and overtime pay until it is $55,224 on January 1, 2024. (Rep. Talbot Ross of Portland)
LD 616, An Act To Increase Accountability for Wage Violations. This bill amends the law regarding employment practices by increasing the fine for a violation of certain state wage and benefits laws. (Rep. Collings of Portland)
Environment and Natural Resources at 10 AM (Work Session)
LD 809, An Act To Prohibit the Purging of Volatile Organic Compound Gases from Oil Tankers in the Waters of Maine. This bill prohibits the purging of volatile organic compound gases from cargo holds or tanks into or upon state waters. (Sen. Miramant of Knox)
Thursday, April 15, 2021
Energy, Utilities and Technology at 9 a.m. (Public Hearing)
LD 1202, An Act To Establish a Wood-fired Combined Heat and Power Program. This bill establishes the combined heat and power program, administered by the Public Utilities Commission, to encourage the sustainable development of combined heat and power projects that use wood fuel in the State. (Rep. Wadsworth of Hiram)
Labor and Housing at 10 a.m. (Work Session)
LD 99, An Act To Require the State To Divest Itself of Assets Invested in the Fossil Fuel Industry. This bill requires the State to divest itself of assets invested in the fossil fuel industry. (Rep. O’Neil of Saco)
Health and Human Services at 10 a.m. (Public Hearing)
LD 1282, An Act To Prevent Underage Tobacco and Nicotine Access and Use. This bill amends the law governing the age verification requirement for sales of tobacco products. It specifically requires examining and scanning a government-issued photographic identification using a scanning technology or other automated, software-based system (Rep. Harrington of Sanford)
We will be seeking membership testimony and involvement later this week in a Legislative Alert.
Friday, April 16, 2021
Education and Cultural Affairs at 10 a.m. (Work Session)
LD 313, An Act To Advance Career and Technical Education Opportunities in Maine. This bill is a concept draft. (Sen. Woodsome of York)
Federal Update
Biden Releases $2 Trillion Infrastructure Proposal
Last week, President Biden announced his “American Jobs Plan” to spend over $2 trillion in an eight-year period on infrastructure, climate change, and other issues. The White House released an outline of the plan last Wednesday but did not release detailed legislative language – that task will be left to Congress. The process of drafting a bill will take several months and could last well into the summer or even the fall.
You can also view the full 25-page version of the proposal provided by the White House here.
The plan proposes $621 billion for transportation infrastructure and resilience, including $115 billion to modernize or replace bridges, highways, roads, and streets; and policies to improve highway safety and reduce congestion. The plan also calls for $85 billion to modernize transit facilities and vehicles, plus $80 billion for Amtrak, and to enhance passenger and freight rail service.
As expected, the plan also focuses heavily on electrification. The White House is proposing a national clean electricity standard that would require all power generation to be net-zero by 2035. It requests $174 billion in tax incentives and rebates to encourage investment in electric vehicles (EVs), establishes grant and incentive programs for state and local governments, and pushes the private sector to build a national network of 500,000 EV charging stations by 2030. The plan would also replace 50,000 publicly owned diesel transit vehicles and electrify the federal fleet, including the United States Postal Service.
The plan proposes more than $300 billion in new tax credits, grants, and other incentives to modernize and improve safety and efficiency in homes, commercial and government buildings, schools, childcare facilities, and hospitals. It also requests $31 billion to give small businesses access to credit, venture capital, and research and development funding through “community-based small business incubators and innovation hubs.”
Further, the plan calls for Congress to pass a controversial labor bill known as the PRO Act. If enacted, it would adopt as national law California’s strict rule defining workers’ status as an employee versus an independent contractor. It would also impose new restrictions on managerial opposition to union organizing.
You can also view the full 25-page version of the proposal provided by the White House here.
