Bill > LD952

This bill exempts agricultural workers and their employers from the Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Program, effectively removing them from the program's contribution and coverage requirements. Specifically, the bill modifies the definition of "employee" and "employer" to exclude individuals and businesses in agriculture as defined by the Employment Security Law and the Federal Unemployment Tax Act. The Department of Labor is required to refund all contributions made by agricultural employers to the program, and if an employer has already deducted a portion of the premium from an employee's wages, they must return that portion directly to the employee as part of their wages. The changes apply retroactively to October 25, 2023, and the bill is classified as emergency legislation, meaning it takes effect immediately upon approval. The bill's rationale, as stated in the preamble, is to prevent economic harm to agricultural workers and employers by stopping their mandatory contributions to the paid family and medical leave program as quickly as possible.

Labor and Employment

https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/display_ps.asp?LD=952&snum=132