An Act To Retain Call Centers in Maine
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 0009
Committee: Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development
Sponsors: SHORT, PATRICK, CAMPBELL, GILBERT, HARLOW, MARTIN, NADEAU, NOON, PETERSON, SHAW

Legislative Document 
No. 9 
H.P. 12 
House of Representatives, January 8, 2015 
An Act To Retain Call Centers in Maine 
Reference to the Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development 
suggested and ordered printed. 
ROBERT B. HUNT 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative SHORT of Pittsfield. 
Cosponsored by Senator PATRICK of Oxford and Representatives: CAMPBELL of Newfield, 
GILBERT of Jay, HARLOW of Portland, MARTIN of Eagle Lake, NADEAU of Winslow, 
NOON of Sanford, PETERSON of Rumford, SHAW of Standish. 
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 60 days before the relocation. 
2.  List.  The commissioner shall semiannually compile a list of all employers that 
have relocated a call center, or one or more facilities or operating units within a call 
center as described in subsection 1, since the compilation of any previous list.  The 
commissioner shall distribute the list to all agencies under the jurisdiction of the 
commissioner. 
3.  Penalty.  An employer that fails to notify the commissioner of the relocation of a 
call center at least 60 days before the relocation may be assessed a fine of $350 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 a list described in section 3502, subsection 
is ineligible for any direct or indirect state grant, state guaranteed loan or state tax 
benefit for 2 years after the date the list that the employer appears on is compiled. 
2.  Remit remaining amount.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an 
employer that appears on a list described in section 3502, subsection 2 shall remit the 
unamortized value of any state grant, state guaranteed loan or state 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 state 
grant, state guaranteed loan or state tax benefit demonstrates that the lack of the grant, 
loan or 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 and worker retraining and readjustment funds, from or 
to employees employed by employers that relocate to a foreign country. 
Sec. 2.  Contract with State.  An employer that 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 the 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 2 years.  The bill also 
requires the employer to pay back the unamortized value of a state grant, loan or tax 
benefit previously issued to the 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 60 days before 
the relocation, a daily fine of $350 may be assessed.