An Act To Amend the Unemployment Laws
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 1015
Committee: Labor
Sponsors: MARTIN, BARTLETT, DIAMOND, STRIMLING
Amends: Title 26, Section 3306, 26 MRSA §1043

Legislative Document 
No. 1015 
S.P.332 
March 6, 2007 
An Act To Amend the Unemployment Laws 
Reference to the Committee on Labor suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Senator MARTIN of Aroostook. 
JOY J. O'BRIEN 
Secretary of the Senate 
Cosponsored by Senators: BARTLETT of Cumberland, DIAMOND of Cumberland, 
STRIMLING of Cumberland. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the Peoplit ttf the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §1043,. sub-§ll, W, as amended by PL 2005, c. 35, § 1 and c. 
119, §2, is further amended to read: 
F. 
The term "employment" sfta.Il does not include: 
(1) Service performed in the employ of this State, or of any political subdivision 
thereof, or of any instrumentality of this State or its political subdivisions, except 
as provided by this subsection; 
(2) Service performed in the employ of the United States Government or an 
instrumentality of the United States immune under the Constitution of the United 
States from the contributions imposed by this chapter, except that on and after 
January 1, 1940 to the extent that the Congress of the United States has permitted 
states to require any instrumentalities of the United States to make payments into 
an unemployment compensation fund under a state unemployment compensation 
or employment security law, all of the provisions of this chapter shall be are 
applicable to such instrumentalities and to services performed for such 
instrumentalities, in the same manner, to the same extent and on the same terms 
as to all other employers, employing units, individuals and services. If this State 
sfta.Il ~ not be certified for any year by the Secretary of Labor under section 3304 
of the Federal Internal Revenue Code, the payments required of such 
instrumentalities with respect to sueh that year sfta.Il must be refunded by the 
commissioner from the fund in the same manner and within the same period as is 
provided in section 1225, subsection 5, with respect to contributions erroneously 
collected; 
(3) Service with respect to which unemployment compensation is payable under 
an unemployment compensation system or employment security system 
established by an Act of Congress. The commissioner is authorized and directed 
to enter into agreements with the proper agencies under such an Act of Congress, 
which agreements sfta.Il become effective 10 days after publication thereof in the 
manner provided in section 1082, subsection 2, for regulations, to provide 
reciprocal treatment to individuals who have, after acquiring potential rights to 
benefits under this chapter, acquired rights to unemployment compensation under 
such an Act of Congress, or who have, after acquiring potential rights to 
unemployment compensation under such an Act of Congress, acquired rights to 
benefits under this chapter; 
(4) Agricultural labor as defined in subsection 1, except as provided in paragraph 
A-2; 
(4-1) Agricultural labor, if performed by an individual who is an alien, other than 
a citizen of a contiguous country with which the United States has an agreement 
with respect to unemployment compensation, admitted to the United States to 
perform agricultural labor pursuant to the United States Immigration and 
Nationality Act, Sections 214(c) and 101(a) (15) (H); 
(5) Domestic service in a private home, except as provided in paragraph A-3; 
Page I - 123LR0183(Ol)-1 
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(6) Service performed by an individual in the employ of fl-i.s that individual's son, 
daughter or spouse, and service performed by a child under the age of 18 in the 
employ of fl-i.s that child's father or mother, except for periods of such service for 
which unemployment insurance is paid; 
(6-1) Services performed by a student attending an elementary, secondary or 
postsecondary school while participating in a coope~ative program of education 
and occupational training or on-the-job training that is part of the school 
curriculum; 
(9) Service performed with respect to which unemployment compensation is 
payable under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (52 Stat. 1094); 
(10) 
Services performed in the employ of any other state, or any political 
subdivision thereof, or any instrumentality of anyone or more of the foregoing 
wfl.t€fl that is wholly owned by one or more states or political subdivisions~ and 
any services performed in the employ of any instrumentality of one or more other 
states or their political subdivisions to the extent that the instrumentality is, with 
respect to such ~ service, immune under the Constitution of the United States 
from the tax imposed by section 3301 of the Federal Internal Revenue Code~, 
except as provided in paragraph A-I, subparagraph (1); 
(I I) 
Service performed in any calendar quarter in the employ of any 
organization exempt from income tax under section 501(a) of the Federal Internal 
Revenue Code, other than an organization described in section 40 I (a) or under 
section 521, of soofi the Code, if the remuneration for such service is less than 
$150; 
(16) Service performed in the employ of a foreign government, including service 
as a consular or other officer or employee or a nondiplomatic representative; 
(17) Service performed in the employ of an instrumentality wholly owned by a 
foreign government: 
(a) 
If the service is of a character similar to that performed in foreign 
countries 
by 
employees of the 
United 
States Government or an 
instrumentality thereof; and 
(b) If the commissioner finds that the United States Secretary of State has 
certified to the United States Secretary of the Treasury that the foreign 
government, with respect to whose instrumentality exemption is claimed, 
grants an equivalent exemption with respect to similar service performed in 
the foreign country by employees of the United States Government and of 
instrumentalities thereof; 
(18) Service performed as a student nurse in the employ of a hospital or a nurses' 
training school by an individual who is enrolled and is regularly attending classes 
in a nurses' training school chartered or approved pursuant to state law~ and 
service performed as an intern in the employ of a hospital by an individual who 
has completed a 4 years' course in a medical school chartered or approved 
pursuant to state law; 
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(19) Service perfonned by an individual for a person as a real estate broker, ~ 
real estate salesman sales representative, an insurance agent or as an insurance 
soiicitor, if all such service perfonned by S\tGl:l that individual for S\tGl:l that person 
isperfonned for remuneration solely by way of commission; 
(20) Service perfonned by an individual under the age of 18 in the delivery or 
distribution of newspapers or shopping news, not inelt:lding except delivery or 
distribution to any point for subsequent delivery or distribution; 
(21) Service perfonned in the employ of any organization wJ:Hefl that is excluded 
from the tenn "employment" as defined in the Federal Unemployment Tax Act 
solely by reason of section 3306(c)(7) or (8) if: 
(a) 
Service ~ perfonned in the employ of a church or convention or 
association of churches, or an organization wJ:Hefl that is operated primarily 
for religious purposes and wJ:Hefl that is operated, supervised, controlled or 
principally supported by a church or convention or association of churches; 
(b) 
Service ~ perfonned by a duly ordained, commissioned or licensed 
minister of a church in the exercise of J:Hs that minister's ministry or by a 
member of a religious order in the exercise of duties required by 5i:!€-fl that 
order; 
(c) Prior to January 1, 1978, service ~ performed in the employ of a school 
primarily operated as an elementary, secondary or preparatory school for 
higher education, ,.""RieR that is not an institution of higher education; 
(d) Service ~ perfonned in a facility conducted for the purpose of carrying 
out a program of rehabilitation for individuals whose earning capacity is 
impaired by age or physical or mental deficiency or injury or providing 
remunerative work for individuals who, because of their impaired physical or 
mental capacity, cannot be readily absorbed in the competitive labor market 
by an individual receiving such rehabilitation or remunerative work; 
(e) Service ~ perfonned as part of an unemployment work 
relief work-
relief or work training work-training program assisted or financed in whole 
or in part by any federal agency or an agency of a state or political 
subdivision thereof by an individual receiving 5i:!€-fl that work-relief or work-
training; 
(f) Service ~ perfonned in the employ of a hospital as defined in subsection 
by a patient of 500ft that hospital; 
(g) Services are perfonned prior to January 1, 1978, for a hospital in a state 
prison or other state correctional institution by an inmate of 500ft that prison 
or correctional institution and after December 31, 1977, by an inmate of a 
custodial or penal institution; 
(h) Service ~ perfonned in the employ of a school, college or university, if 
S\tGl:l that service is perfonned by a student who is enrolled and is regularly 
attending classes at such ~ school, college or university; or 
(i) Prior to January 1, 1978, service li performed in the employ of a school 
that is not an institution of higher educationt and after December 31, 1977, 
service li performed in the employ of a governmental entity referred to in 
paragraph A-I, subparagraph (1) if that service is performed by an individual 
in the exercise of duties: 
(i) As an elected official; 
(ii) As a member of a legislative body, or a member of the judiciary, of a 
state or political subdivision of a state; 
(iii) As a member of the State National Guard or Air National Guard; 
(iv) As an employee serving on a temporary basis in case of fire, storm, 
snow, earthquake, flood or similar emergency; 
(v) In a position that, under or pursuant to the laws of this State, is 
designated as a major nontenured policymaking or advisory position, or a 
policymaking or advisory position the performance of the duties of which 
ordinarily does not require more than 8 hours per week; or 
(vi) 
As an election official or election worker if the amount of 
remuneration received by the individual during the calendar year for 
services as an election official or election worker is less than $1,000; 
(29) Services performed by a hairdresser who holds a booth license and operates 
within another hairdressing establishment if operated under a booth rental 
agreement or other rental agreement; 
(30) Services performed by a barber who holds a booth license and operates 
within another barbering establishment if operated under a booth rental 
agreement or other rental agreement; 
(3 I) Services performed by a contract interviewer engaged in marketing research 
or public opinion interviewing, when such interviewing is conducted in the field 
or over the telephone on premises not used or controlled by the person for whom 
such contract services are being provided; 
(32) After December 31, 1981, services performed by an individual on a boat 
engaged in catching fish or other forms of aquatic animal life, unless those 
services would be included in the definition of "employment" for federal 
unemployment tax purposes under the Federal Unemployment Act, United States 
Code, Title 26, Section 3306(c), as it may be amended. Also included in this 
exemption are services performed in harvesting shellfish for depuration from 
designated areas as authorized by Title 12, section 6856; 
(33) Services performed by a member or leader of a musical group, band or 
orchestra or an entertainer when the services are performed under terms of a 
contract entered into by the leader or an agent of the musical group, band, 
orchestra or entertainer with an employing unit for whom the services are being 
performed, provided the leader or agent is not an employer by reason of 
subsection 9 or of section 1222, subsection 3; 
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(34) 
Services performed in the delivery or distribution of newspapers or 
magazines to the ultimate consumer by an individual who is compensated by 
receiving or retaining a commission or profit on the sale of the newspaper or 
magazine; 
(35) Services performed by a homeworker in the knitted outerwear industry as 
those terms are defined, on the effective date of this subparagraph, in tfle 29 Code 
of Federal Regulations, Part 530, Section 530. I; 
(36) Service performed by a full-time student, as defined in subsection 30, in the 
employ of an organized camp if the full-time student performed services in the 
employ of the camp for less than 13 calendar weeks in the calendar year and the 
camp: 
(a) Did not operate for more than 7 months in the calendar year and did not 
operate for more than 7 months in the preceding calendar year; or 
(b) Had average gross receipts for any 6 months in the preceding calendar 
year that were not more than 33 1/3% of its average gross receipts for the 
other 6 months in the preceding calendar year; 
(37) Services performed by an individual as a home stitcher as long as that 
employment is not subject to federal unemployment tax; 
(38) Services performed by a person licensed as a guide as required by Title 12, 
section 12853, as long as that employment is not subject to federal 
unemployment tax; 
(39) Services performed by a direct seller as defined in 26 United States Code, 
Section 3508, Subsection (b), Paragraph (2). This subparagraph does not include 
a person selling major improvements or renovations to the structure of a home, 
business or property; 
(40) Services performed by lessees of taxicabs, as long as that employment is 
not subject to federal unemployment tax. 
This subparagraph may not be 
construed to affect a determination regarding a lessee's status as an independent 
contractor for workers' compensation purposes; 
(4 I) Services provided by a dance instructor to students of a dance studio when 
there is a contract between the instructor and the studio under which the 
instructor's services are not offered exclusively to the studio, the studio does not 
control the scheduling of the days and times of classes other than beginning and 
end dates, the instructor is paid by the class and not on an hourly or salary basis, 
the compensation rate is the result of negotiation between the instructor and the 
studio and the instructor is given the freedom to develop the curriculum; 
(42) Services performed by participants enrolled in programs or projects under 
the national service laws including the federal National and Community Service 
Act of 1990, as amended, 42 United States Code, Section 12501 et seq., and the 
federal Domestic Volunteer Service Act, as amended, 42 United States Code, 
Section 4950 et seq.; 
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(43) Services of an author in furnishing text or other material to a publisher 
who: 
(a) Does not control the author's work except to propose topics or to edit 
material submitted; 
(b) Does not restrict the author from publishing elsewhere; 
(c) Furnishes neither a place of employment nor equipment for the author's 
use; 
(d) Does not direct or control the time devoted to the work; and 
(e) Pays only for material that is accepted for publication. 
This exception does not apply if the employment is subject to federal 
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unemployment tax; and 
(44) Services provided by an owner-operator of a truck or truck tractor while i! 
~ leased to a motor carrier, as defined in 49 Code of Federal Regulations, 390.5 
(2000), as long as that employment is not subject to federal unemployment tax. 
SUMMARY 
This bill allows an individual in the employ of a son, daughter or spouse or an 
individual under the age of 18 in the employ of a parent to receive unemployment 
compensation for periods of service for which unemployment insurance is paid.