An Act To Require a State Agency To Reference the Livable Wage in Information Published by That Agency
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 1312
Committee Amendment CA_A_H381 (House)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "PI " to H.P. 915, L.D. 1312, Bill, "An Act To 
Require a State Agency To Reference the Livable Wage in Information Published by 
That Agency" 
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following: 
'Resolve, Directing the Maine Council on Poverty and Economic Security To Ass,!ss 
Alternative Measurements to the Federal Poverty Level' 
Amend the bill in the emergency preamble in the last whereas paragraph in the last 
line (page 1, line 26 in L.D.) by inserting after "therefore," the 'following: 'be it' 
Amend the bill by striking out all of the enacting clause. 
Amend the bill by striking out all of sections 1 and 2 and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. The Maine Council on Poverty and Economic Security directed to 
conduct assessment. Resolved: That the Maine Council on Poverty and Economic 
Security, as· established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 12004-1, 
subsection· 6-H, 
shall, 
within 
existing budgeted 
resources, 
assess 
alternative 
measurements to the federal poverty level that may be used to define poverty in this State. 
In conducting this assessment, the council shall: 
1. Examine alternative poverty measurements to the federal poverty level, including 
the Department of Labor's livable wage scale, the National Academy of Sciences 
measurement, the measurement developed by New York City and other relevant 
measurements; 
2. Assess the relevance of existing poverty measurements to the economic and 
demographic composition of the popUlation of this State and the efficacy of using one or 
more of the measurements or developing a separate state-specific measurement to 
identify individuals and families living in poverty; and 
3. Analyze the feasibility of state and local agencies using an alternative 
measurement to the federal poverty level to develop poverty threshold eligibility criteria 
or identify poor individuals and families in need of services. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
~~~ 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A "to H.P. 915, L.D. 1312 
The council shall include its findings and recommendations from its assessment in its 
annual report to the Governor and the Legislature by February 15, 2010" pursuant to Title 
5, section 13171, subsection 6. A copy of that report milst be sent to each member of the 
Joint Standing Committee on Labor.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment is the minority report of the committee. It removes from the bill the 
section directing state agencies that publish information that refers to the federal poverty 
level to also refer to the Department of Labor livable wage scale in that pUblication. It 
also changes the bill to a resolve. 
FISCAL 1\OT£ 1{r;(,!URED 
. (See attached) 
. Page 2 -124LRI699(02)-1 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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Approved: OS/24/09 hac:.. 
LD 1312 
LR 1699(02) 
An Act To Require a State Agency To Reference the Livable Wage in Information Published by That 
Agency 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment ,~" 
Committee: State and Local Government 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Minor cost increase - General Fund 
Additional costs to affected agencies to assess alternative measurements to the federal poverty level can be absorbed 
within existing budgeted resources. 
LR1699(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1