An Act To Include within the Definition of "Public Employee Those Who Have Been Employed Less than 6 Months
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1959
Committee: Labor and Housing
Sponsors: SYLVESTER, CARNEY, DODGE, DOORE, EVANGELOS, FECTEAU, TALBOT ROSS, TEPLER
Amends: 26 MRSA §962, 26 MRSA §979-A, 26 MRSA §979-D

Legislative Document
No. 1959
H.P. 1403
House of Representatives, January 8, 2020
An Act To Include within the Definition of "Public Employee" 
Those Who Have Been Employed Less than 6 Months
(EMERGENCY)
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
203.
Reference to the Committee on Labor and Housing suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative SYLVESTER of Portland.
Cosponsored by Representatives: CARNEY of Cape Elizabeth, DODGE of Belfast, DOORE 
of Augusta, EVANGELOS of Friendship, FECTEAU of Biddeford, McDONALD of 
Stonington, TALBOT ROSS of Portland, TEPLER of Topsham.
Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not 
become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and
Whereas, this legislation must take effect before the expiration of the 90-day period 
in order to provide as soon as possible protections under the law to employees of public 
employers who have been employed less than 6 months; and
Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within 
the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as 
immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, 
therefore,
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  26 MRSA §962, sub-§6, ¶F, as repealed and replaced by PL 1969, c. 578, 
§1, is repealed.
Sec. 2.  26 MRSA §979-A, sub-§6, ¶E, as enacted by PL 1973, c. 774, is 
repealed.
Sec. 3.  26 MRSA §979-D, sub-§1, ¶E, as amended by PL 1997, c. 741, §6 and 
affected by §12, is further amended by amending subparagraph (3) to read:
(3)  Cost items shall must be submitted for inclusion in the Governor's next 
operating budget within 10 days after the date on which the agreement is ratified 
by the parties. If the Legislature rejects any of the cost items submitted to it, all 
cost items submitted shall must be returned to the parties for further bargaining.  
Cost items related to a collective bargaining agreement reached under this 
chapter and submitted to the Legislature for its approval under this subparagraph 
shall may not be submitted in the same legislation that contains cost items for 
employees exempted from the definition of "state employee" under section 
979-A, subsection 6, and employees of the legislative branch, except that cost 
items for those employees exempted under section 979-A, subsection 6, 
paragraphs E and paragraph F, need not be excluded.
Emergency clause.  In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this 
legislation takes effect when approved.
SUMMARY
This bill allows a person who has been an employee of the State or another public 
employer for less than 6 months to be considered a public employee for the purposes of 
the public employees labor relations laws.