An Act To Retain Call Centers in Maine
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 1710
Committee: Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development
Sponsors: JACKSON, HERBIG, ALFOND, HASKELL, PATRICK, EVES, PLANTE

Legislative Document 
No. 1710 
S.P. 676 
In Senate, January 8, 2014 
An Act To Retain Call Centers in Maine 
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
203. 
Reference to the Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development 
suggested and ordered printed. 
DAREK M. GRANT 
Secretary of the Senate 
Presented by Senator JACKSON of Aroostook. 
Cosponsored by Representative HERBIG of Belfast and 
Senators: President ALFOND of Cumberland, HASKELL of Cumberland, PATRICK of 
Oxford, Representatives: Speaker EVES of North Berwick, McCABE of Skowhegan, 
PLANTE of Berwick. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  26 MRSA c. 43 is enacted to read: 
CHAPTER 43 
CALL CENTER RETENTION 
§3501.  Definitions 
As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms 
have the following meanings. 
1.  Agency.  "Agency" means an executive branch agency of the State. 
2.  Call center.  "Call center" means a business enterprise that employs, for the 
purpose of customer service or back office operations: 
A.  Fifty or more employees, excluding part-time employees; or 
B.  Fifty or more employees who in the aggregate work at least 1,500 hours per week, 
excluding overtime hours. 
3.  Commissioner.  "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Labor. 
4.  Employer.  "Employer" means a person, partnership, firm, association or 
corporation, public or private, that operates a call center. 
5.  Part-time employee.  "Part-time employee" means an employee who works an 
average of less than 20 hours per week or who has been employed for less than 6 months 
during the 12 months preceding the date on which notice is required pursuant to section 
3502, subsection 1. 
§3502.  Notice requirement; list of employers 
1.  Notice requirement.  An employer that intends to relocate a call center, or one or 
more facilities or operating units within a call center handling at least 30% of the call 
center's total call volume for the previous 12 months, from the State to a foreign country 
shall notify the commissioner at least 120 days before the relocation. 
2.  List.  The commissioner shall compile a semiannual list of all employers that 
relocate a call center or one or more facilities or operating units within a call center as 
described in subsection 1.  The commissioner shall distribute the list to all agencies under 
the jurisdiction of the commissioner. 
3.  Penalty.  An employer who fails to notify the commissioner of the relocation of a 
call center at least 120 days before the relocation may be assessed a fine of $10,000 for 
each day the employer fails to notify the commissioner, except that the commissioner 
may reduce the amount for just cause shown. 
§3503.  Grants; guaranteed loans; tax benefits 
1.  Ineligibility.  Except as provided in subsection 3, and notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, an employer that appears on the list described in section 3502, 
subsection 2 is ineligible for any direct or indirect state grant, state guaranteed loan or tax 
benefit for 5 years after the date the list is compiled. 
2.  Remit remaining amount.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an 
employer that appears on the list described in section 3502, subsection 2 shall remit the 
unamortized value of any state grant, state guaranteed loan or tax benefit the employer 
previously received to the commissioner. 
3.  Exceptions.  The commissioner, in consultation with the appropriate agency, may 
waive the eligibility restriction under subsection 1 if the employer applying for a loan or 
grant demonstrates that a lack of a state grant, state guaranteed loan or tax benefit would 
result in substantial job loss in the State or harm the environment. 
§3504.  In-state procurement 
An agency head shall ensure that all call center work contracted for by the agency is 
performed by contractors or their agents or subcontractors located entirely within the 
State. 
§3505.  State benefits for workers 
This chapter may not be construed to permit withholding or denial of payments, 
compensation or benefits under any other state law, including state unemployment 
compensation, disability payments or worker retraining or readjustment funds, from or to 
employees employed by employers that relocate to a foreign country. 
Sec. 2.  Contract with State.  An employer who on the effective date of this Act 
is under contract with the State to perform call center work and performs that work 
outside the State has 2 years to comply with the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 26, chapter 
43, except that if the employer adds employees to perform call center work under the 
contract, the new employees must immediately be employed within the State. 
Sec. 3.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect 180 days after adjournment of the 
SUMMARY 
This bill requires the Commissioner of Labor to create a list of employers that have 
relocated a call center, or a facility or operating unit handling at least 30% of call volume 
within a call center, from the State to a foreign country.  An employer appearing on the 
list is ineligible for a state grant, loan or tax benefit for 5 years.  The bill also requires the 
employer to pay back the unamortized value of a state grant, loan or tax benefit 
previously issued to such an employer.  The bill requires that call center work for 
executive branch agencies of the State be performed in the State.  If the employer fails to 
notify the Commissioner of Labor of the relocation of a call center at least 120 days 
before the relocation, a daily fine of $10,000 may be assessed.