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Maine AFL-CIO

Legislative Scorecard

LD 1964 - Paid Family Medical Leave

(2023)

An Act to Establish a Paid Family and Medical Leave System

LD 1964 bill text Maine AFL-CIO Supported

Sponsored by Senator Matthea Daughtry

What is the bill?

It is essential that working people can access paid leave to be with their family during life’s most important moments. Whether it is caring for a newborn child, dealing with a serious health condition, military caregiving needs or other family demands, working people deserve time away from their job in order to care for themselves or a loved one. It is not possible to expect people to be able to do this without being paid. Under this new law, workers will receive up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave. Paid family and medical leave reduces economic inequality, promotes gender equity in the workplace and makes it easier to return to work after childbirth. The new law ensures workers who earn good wages have sufficient wage replacement when taking leave, splits the cost of the program between employees and employers and protects workers who work under collective bargaining agreements that offer better plans than the state law.

What happened?

Enacted into law (Passed by the Legislature, Funded in LD 258)

Votes

Senate

22 Pro-labor 12 Anti-labor

House

79 Pro-labor 65 Anti-labor