The Second Regular Session of the 131st Maine State Legislature adjourned at 6:00 a.m. on April 18th. With no super majority vote to extend the session beyond the statutory adjournment of the “3rd Wednesday in April”, as required by Title 3 Section 2 of the Maine statutes, the Legislature reconvened on Friday, May 10th for a Veto Day. Despite the Senate Democrats’ attempt to run the Appropriations table, no bills were taken up in the House, other than those vetoed by the Governor.
As a result, the Second Regular Session of the 131st Legislature adjourned, sine die, on May 10th.
Pursuant to the Constitution of Maine, Article IV, Part Third, Section 16, the general effective date for nonemergency laws passed in the Second Regular Session of the 131st Legislature is Friday, August 9, 2024.
Vetoed Bills of Interest:
First, LD 1231: An Act to Bring Fairness in Income Taxes to Maine Families by Adjusting the Tax Brackets was intended to reduce the tax burden for lower-income individuals by offsetting that reduction by raising taxes on higher-income individuals. This bill was vetoed by the Governor, due to legislative language being unavailable at the time of the public hearing, depriving the public of a “meaningful opportunity to be heard”, and failing to “deliver meaningful tax relief”.
Second, LD 2246: An Act to Establish a Minimum Value Threshold for the Class C Crime of Theft by a Repeat Offender would have allowed for a repeat offender’s third, or subsequent theft, to be charged as a felony, only if the value of the theft is $500 or more. The Governor argued that LD 2246 would make Maine an outlier among New England States and “do nothing to help”.
Lastly, LD 1496: An Act to Prohibit Noncompete Clauses would have limited the use of contract clauses that prohibit a former employee from competing with a previous employer. The Governor argued that there was no evidence showing that LD 733: An Act to Promote Keeping Workers in Maine, a bill enacted in 2019 that works to limit the use of non-compete agreements in Maine, is inadequate. By rendering most noncompete agreements unenforceable, LD 1496 goes well beyond LD 733: “It would be both unfair and contrary to public policy to prohibit employers from requiring a commitment from their employees not to take what they have learned and immediately put that sensitive information to work for a competitor”.
Other Vetoed Bills:
- LD 2086: An Act to Amend the Law Governing Disposition of Forfeited Firearms
- LD 373: An Act to Ensure Employer and Employee Harmony in Clean Energy Development Projects
- LD 2273: An Act to Establish a State Minimum Hourly Wage for Agricultural Workers
- LD 525: An Act to Enact the Agricultural Employees Concerted Activity Protection Act
- LD 2135: Resolve, Regarding the Operation and Future Capacity of State-owned Landfills