Bill > LD206

This bill aims to protect Maine businesses by eliminating the automatic annual cost-of-living adjustment to the minimum wage. Specifically, the bill sets the minimum hourly wage at a fixed rate of $14.65 per hour and removes the previous mechanism that allowed for annual increases based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The legislation makes several technical changes across different sections of Maine state law, including modifying references to minimum wage in education, tax, and labor statutes. Previously, the minimum wage was set to increase automatically each January 1st based on the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers in the Northeast Region, with increases rounded to the nearest 5 cents. By removing this automatic adjustment, the bill effectively freezes the minimum wage at $14.65 and prevents future inflation-based increases without further legislative action. The bill affects various state regulations that reference minimum wage, ensuring consistency with the new fixed wage rate and removing cross-references to the former cost-of-living adjustment mechanism.

Labor and Employment

https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/display_ps.asp?LD=206&snum=132