An Act To Require the Development of Plans To Achieve the Payment of Livable Wages by State and Local Government Employers . Reference to the. Committee on Labor suggested and ordered printed.
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 0869
Committee: Labor
Sponsors: BUTTERFIELD, BERRY, CAIN
Amends: 26 MRSA §1, 26 MRSA §10

MAINE STATE LEGISLATURE 
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124th MAINE LEGISLAT·URE 
Legislative Document 
No. 869 
H.P.600 
House of Representatives, March 5,2009 
An Act To Require the Development of Plans To Achieve the 
Payment of Livable Wages by State and Local Government 
Employers 
. 
Reference to the. Committee on Labor suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative BUTTERFIELD of Bangor. 
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MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Cosponsored by Representatives: BERRY of Bowdoinham, CAIN of Orono. 
Primed o.n recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §1·:A, as enacted by PL 2007; c: 363, §1, is amended to read: 
§l-A. Livable wage defined 
As used in this Title, Unless the context otherwise indicates, "livable wage" means the 
statewide average livable wage for a 2 parent single-parent, one-child household witfr-.2. 
earners and 2 ohildren as reported by the Department of Labor in the most recent annual 
report required pursuant to section 1405 except that, when applied to municipalities, 
school administrative units and any other local political subdivision, "livable wage" 
means the livable wage for a single-parent, one-child household as reported in the most 
recent annual report required pursuant to section 1405 for the county or metropolitan " 
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statistical' area in which the municipality, school administrative unit or other local 
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political subdivision is located and, when applied to counties, "livable wage" means the 
livable wage for a single-parent, one-child household as reported for that county. 
Sec. 2. 26 MRSA §10 is enacted to read: 
§10. Measurement of costs to workers paid less than a livable wage; measurement 
of bureaucratic costs to subsidize workers paid less than a livable wage; 
development of livable wage plans, 
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1. Measurement of costs to workers paid less than a livable wage. By December 
.31, 2009 and annually thereafter, the State, the University of Maine System, the Maine 
Community College System and' all municipalities,' counties and school administrative 
units shall each submit a report to the Department of Labor for the preceding calendar 
year for the purpose cf determining the extent to which the State, political subdivisions o:f 
the State and independent public' agencies pay workers livable wage rates. The report 
from each entity must identify all workers who were not paid at least a livable wage nite 
during the preceding year, the total wages paid to each worker, the total wages that would 
have been paid to these workers for the same number of hours of work if the wbrkers had 
been paid at least a livable wage as cah.:ulated pursuant to section 1405 and the difference 
between actual wages and livable wages. 
By January 30th of each year, the Department of Labor shall compile and summarize the 
reports that are required pursuant to this' subsection and report to the Legislature on the 
total difference between the iivable wage standard and any actual wages paid to workers 
by state and local public employers that are below the livable wage. 
2. Measurement of bureaucratic costs to subsidize workers paid less than a 
livable wage. By December 31, 2009 and annually thereafter, the Department of Labor 
shall produce a report that quantifies and summarizes data gathered and analyzed from all 
federal, state and local public social service agencies and offices to determine the costs of 
providing direct services to all workers employed by state and local public employers 
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who are paid less than a livable wage, as calculated pursuant to section 1405. 
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3. Development and implementation of plans to achieve livable wages. Plans to 
achieve livable wages must be developed and. implemented in accordance with this 
subsection. " 
A. 
By June 30, 2010, the State, the University of Maine System, the Maine 
Community College System and all" municipalities, 
counties 
and 
school 
"administrative units shall develop and submit to the Department of Labor plans to 
achieve the payment of at least a livable wage, as calculated pursuant to section 1405, 
to all employees by no later than July 1, 2012. 
B." In the development of plans to achieve the payment of at least a livable wage to 
all public state and local employees, the State, the University of Maine System, the 
Maine Community College System and all municipalities, counties and school " 
acL.uinistrative units shall bargain"collectively about the provisions of such. plans with 
the appropriate bargaining agents of their employees pursuant to sections 965, 979-D 
and 1026 as applicable. 
. 
C. 
Starting July 1, 2012, the State, the University of Maine System, the Maine 
Community College System and all 
municipalities, 
counties 
and school 
administrative units may not employ any employee at a wage that is less than the 
livable wage as calculated pursuant to section 1405. 
SUMMA.RY 
This bill requires the State, public univerSItIes and community colleges and 
municipalities, counties and school administrative units to submit reports to be used to 
determine the extent to which they pay livable wages and the Department of Labor to 
calculate and report to the Legislature the costs for providing direct services to public 
workers who are paid less than a livable wage. It requires that all public state and" local 
government employers develop plans to pay all employees at least a livable wage by July 
1,2012.