On Monday, May 17th, Senate President Jackson’s bill, LD 1711, An Act to Enhance Enforcement of Employment Laws, was introduced in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Labor and Housing. LD 1711 provides the right of a whistleblower alleging a violation of certain labor laws to bring a private enforcement action on behalf of, and in the name of, the State after providing notice to the Attorney General, the Department of Labor or the Maine Human Rights Commission, depending on the nature of the alleged violations.
On Friday, May 21st, the committee held a public hearing for the bill. Attorney General Frey spoke in opposition to the bill and the Department of Labor also was opposed.
At the bill’s work session on May 26th, the committee vote was split along partisan lines. Democrats supported the passage of the bill while the Republicans voted “ought not to pass.” It was then enacted in both chambers on Wednesday, June 30th.
RLDAM has been working in collaboration with the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and a group of trade associations opposed to this legislation.
If the governor does veto LD 1711, as is expected, the legislature will have the opportunity to override the veto when they meet on July 19th. However, an override is unlikely since two thirds of lawmakers in both bodies of the legislature must vote to do so. The bill did not gain the support of two thirds of either chamber during the bill’s passage.