During the Second Regular Session of the 132nd Legislature, we considered hundreds of bills. Unfortunately, many of these measures that ultimately became law will have serious negative consequences for employers across Maine, from small family-owned businesses to some of our state’s largest job creators.
Hello, I’m Senator Dick Bradstreet of Kennebec County and I have served for eight years on the Legislature’s Labor Committee. Thank you for tuning in to this week’s edition of the Republican Vision Series.
One of the most controversial issues that came before the Legislature this year was data privacy. With increasing use of consumer data for targeted advertisements, we can all certainly agree that data privacy measures should be addressed in state law.
Unfortunately, the legislative majority went too far and pushed for adoption of privacy legislation that would have severely limited business’ ability to advertise in Maine.
Additionally, Senate Democrats adopted an extreme amendment to the bill that would have actually exempted politicians and political organizations from the very restrictions they wanted to put on businesses. Non-profit organizations would also have been exempted from the Democrat’s version of the bill.
Fortunately, we were able to stop this legislation, which would have been the most extreme in the country and would have been crushing for Maine’s business community. Hundreds of businesses from across the state reached out to explain how this proposal would have put them at a distinct disadvantage. In my nearly ten years in the Legislature, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a strong coalition of employers advocate for or against a bill. So, thanks to all of you out there who made your voices heard!
While we had success with data privacy, there were some bad-for-business bills that passed and became law. One such bill amended Maine’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program, making it harder for business to comply with the new law. In an effort to comply in a cost-effective way, many businesses chose to self-insure, as allowed by law. Many small and medium sized businesses also chose to pool risk financial resources and administration costs of their self-insured programs, just to keep costs down without jeopardizing their ability to pay benefits.
Their efforts were designed to keep the program affordable for both employers and employees. Now, simply because the Maine Department of Labor was opposed to this option, the Legislature voted to ban it. This comes after many of the businesses had already invested considerable resources into setting up their self-insured plans and even after their plans had already been approved!
Like with data privacy, numerous businesses and trade associations came to the State House to advocate against the bill and explain how this change would be detrimental and create unnecessary cost. Despite all their work and bi-partisan opposition in the House, this bill was passed and signed into law by the Governor.
Small businesses are the backbone of our state’s economy. According to the Small Business Administration, 99.2% of Maine’s businesses are classified as small businesses, and 54.5% of employees in Maine work for a small business. And with recent graduates facing the toughest job market in years, the last thing Maine should do is make it harder for our employers to compete.
It doesn’t need to be this way. We can have a Legislature that supports job creation, job growth and economic opportunity. That is the Republican vision: a state where employers have the confidence to invest, grow and hire and where employees have access to good jobs, better wages and real opportunity.
Supporting Maine workers and supporting Maine employers are not competing goals – we can do both! When job creators are allowed and encouraged to plan for the future, they can provide stability for their employees, expand benefits and create new and better opportunities for the next generation.
Republicans will continue to stand up for common-sense policies that protect workers without punishing the businesses that employ them. We believe Maine should be a place where families can build a life, where graduates can chart a successful future and where employers of every size can thrive.
This has been Senator Dick Bradstreet with this week’s Republican Vision Series. Thank you for tuning in and have a great weekend!
Senator Dick Bradstreet is serving his first term representing District 15, which includes the communities of Augusta, Belgrade, China, Mount Vernon, Sidney and Vassalboro. He is the Senate Republican Lead on the Legislature’s Labor Committee.
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