An Act To Make Maine Laws Consistent with Recent Amendments to the United States Trade Act of 1974 (~
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 1543
Committee: Labor
Sponsors: TUTTLE, BLODGETT, BUTTERFIELD, CUSHING, THIBODEAU, DAVIS, JACKSON
Amends: 26 MRSA §1191, 26 MRSA §1192

Legislative Document 
No. 1543 
H.P. 1087 
House of Representatives, December 21, 2009 
An Act To Make Maine Laws Consistent with Recent Amendments 
to the United States Trade Act of 1974 
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Submitted by the Department of Labor pursuant to Joint Rule 204. 
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Received by the Clerk of the House on December 17, 2009. Referred to the Committee on 
Labor pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint Rule 401. 
Presented by Representative TUTTLE of Sanford. 
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1I1.11l1LC~{ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Cosponsored by Representatives: BLODGETT of Augusta, BUTTERFIELD of Bangor, 
CUSHING of Hampden, GILBERT ofJay, THIBODEAU of Winterport, Senators: DAVIS of 
Cumberland, JACKSON of Aroostook. 
Pril1l~d 1111 rct:ydcd pilper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §1191, sub-§3, as amended by PL 1991, c. 193, §3, is fllliher 
amended to read: 
3. Weekly benefit for partial unemployment. Each eligible individual who is 
partially unemployed in any week must be paid a partial benefit for that week. The 
partial benefit is equal to the weekly benefit amount less the individual's weekly earnings 
in excess of $25. Any amount received from the federal Government by members ofthe 
National Guard and organined reserve, including base pay and allowances or any amounts 
received as a volunteer firefighter, as a volunteer emergency medical services person or 
as elected members of the Legislature, is not considered ','lages for the purpose of this 
subsection. The following amounts are not considered wages for purposes of this 
subsection: 
A. Amounts received from the Federal Government by a member of the National 
Guard and organized reserve, in luding base pay and allowances; 
B. Amounts received as a Volu.lteer firefighter or as a volunteer emergency medical 
services person; 
C. Amounts received as an elected member of the Legislature; and 
D. Earnings for the week received as a result of paJiicipation in full-time training 
under the United States Trade Act of 1974 as amended by the United States Trade 
and Globalization Adjustment Assistance Act of 2009 up to an amount equal to the 
individual's most recent weekly benefit amount. 
Sec. 2. 26 MRSA §1192, sub-§6-A, as enacted by PL 1981, c. 548, §2, IS 
amended to read: 
6-A. Prohibition against disqualification of individuals in approved training 
under the United States Trade Act of 1974. Notwithstanding any other provisions of 
this chapter, no otherwise eligible individual may be denied benefits for any week 
because fie the individual is in training approved under 19 United States Code, Section 
2296(a) or under any amendment or addition to the United States Trade Act of 1974, 
Section 236 (a) (1), nor may that individual be denied benefits by reason of leaving work 
to enter that training, provided the work left is not suitable employment, or because of the 
application to any such week in training of provisions in this chapter, or any applicable 
federal unemployment compensation law, relating to availability for work, active search 
for work or refusal to accept work. Benefits paid to any eligible claimant while in such 
training for which, except for this subsection, the claimant could be disqualified under 
section 1193, subsection I or 3, ffiaU may not be charged against the experience rating 
record of any employer but ffiaU must be charged to the General Fund. 
For purposes of this subsection, the term "suitable employment" means with respect to an 
individual, work of a substantially equal or higher skill level than the individual's past 
adversely affected employment, as defined for purposes of the United States Trade Act of 
1974, and wages for such work at not less than 80% of the individual's average weekly 
wage as determined for the purposes of the United States Trade Act of 1974. 
Page I - 124LR231S(Ol)-1 
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SUMMARY 
This bill makes statutOlY changes to reflect amendments to the United States Trade 
Act of 1974 made by the United States Trade and Globalization Adjustment Assistance 
Act of 2009 and corrects a cross-reference. 
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