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New Budget Passes, Plus Bills to Improve Disability for Public Employees & Attack on Unemployment Benefits

Andy O’Brien
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The Maine Legislature passed into law the first phase of its  two-year budget last week. The continuing services budget provides funding for baseline services, including

  • Maintaining municipal revenue sharing at 5 percent.
  • Keeping the state’s commitment to Maine schools, municipalities and teachers by funding 55 percent of K-12 public education costs.
  • Keeping free breakfast and lunch available to all students.
  • Bolstering the state's child care workforce by maintaining salary supplements for early childhood educators.
  • Providing tuition assistance to Maine veterans.
  • Continuing medical and substance use disorder treatment for corrections facilities.

“For me, this responsible baseline budget is about keeping our promise to Maine people — a promise to fund rural hospitals, a promise to fully fund our schools, a promise to make sure no child has to learn on an empty stomach and a promise to provide meaningful property tax relief,” said Senate President Troy Jackson. “These are initiatives are foundational to the health, well-being, and success of Maine’s people and economy.”

The measure represents Part One of the biennial budget. Proposals for Part Two will be heard by the Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee in the upcoming weeks.

Long-term Disability Insurance Coverage for Public Employees

On Tuesday, the Maine AFL-CIO testified in support of LD 1152, which would require the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MEPERs) to offer long-term disability insurance coverage.

In 2020, firefighters, teachers and state employees delivered heart wrenching testimonies about being denied disability benefits despite having serious injuries and conditions such as stage-four cancer and severe mental illness. In emotional appeals, many described the immeasurable emotional and financial hardships they have suffered as they are unable to earn a living or receive benefits. As a result of their efforts, the Legislature passed legislation that created a working group that developed the idea for a long-term disability insurance program.

Maine AFL-CIO Legislative & Political Director Adam Goode told a legislative committee that the bill attempts to "provide these workers a level playing field by providing a long-term disability insurance program to participants in MainePERs."

The measure, sponsored Sen. Henry Ingwersen (U-York Cty.), would also require employers to provide the coverage at employer expense to members of the system and certain employees who participate in the system's defined contribution plan or provide substantially equivalent coverage obtained from another source.

Maine AFL-CIO Opposes Proposal to Make Deep Cuts to Unemployment

On Thursday, the Maine AFL-CIO is planning to testify against LD 1272, which would slash the number of weeks a laid-off worker can receive unemployment by more than half. The proposal, sponsored by Senate Republic Leader Trey Stewart, would cut the maximum number of weeks of unemployment insurance from 26 to just 12 weeks unless the average unemployment rate rises above 5.5 percent.

Workers would only be able to receive 20 weeks if the state’s unemployment rate is over over 9 percent. This would result in a 6 to 14-week cut in the number of weeks that an unemployed worker can receive unemployment benefits.

"Working people who have suffered job loss will not magically find work just because they lose benefits at 12 weeks, regardless of the unemployment rate,” said Goode. “An unemployed person already must meet requirements regarding their availability and ability to work and be actively seeking work. Should the committee go forward with this bill, they will effectively ignore all of the other factors impacting someone’s ability to find work outside of the unemployment rate.”

If you or someone you know is filing for unemployment benefits or looking for work, please contact Leslie, our peer workforce navigator!