An Act To Address Unemployment Issues Facing School Employees
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 0839
Committee: Labor and Housing
Sponsors: DODGE, RAFFERTY, COLLINGS, SALISBURY
Amends: 26 MRSA §1043

Legislative Document
No. 839
H.P. 607
House of Representatives, March 8, 2021
An Act To Address Unemployment Issues Facing School Employees
Reference to the Committee on Labor and Housing suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative DODGE of Belfast.
Cosponsored by Senator RAFFERTY of York and
Representatives: COLLINGS of Portland, McCREA of Fort Fairfield, SALISBURY of 
Westbrook.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  26 MRSA §1043, sub-§17, as amended by PL 1991, c. 193, §2 and c. 548, 
Pt. D, §2, is further amended to read:
17.  Unemployment, total and partial.  "Unemployment, total and partial," means:
A.  An individual, including corporate officers, is considered "totally unemployed" in 
any week with respect to which wages are not payable to the individual and during 
which the individual does not perform services, except that remuneration payable or 
received as holiday pay is not considered wages for the purpose of this subsection and 
except that any amounts received from the Federal Government by members of the 
National Guard and organized reserve, including base pay and allowances, or any 
amounts received as a volunteer firefighter or a volunteer emergency medical services 
person or any amounts received by an employee of an educational institution for work 
performed during an academic year or term during a period between 2 successive 
academic years or terms during which the employee is not providing services for the 
educational institution, are not considered wages for the purpose of this subsection.
B.  An individual, including corporate officers, is considered "partially unemployed" 
in any week of less than full-time work if the individual's wages payable from any 
source for such week are not $5 or more in excess of the weekly benefit amount the 
individual would be entitled to receive if totally unemployed and eligible, except that 
remuneration payable or received as holiday pay is not considered wages for the 
purpose of this subsection and except that any amounts received from the Federal 
Government by members of the National Guard and organized reserve, including base 
pay and allowances, or any amounts received as a volunteer firefighter, a volunteer 
emergency medical services person or as an elected member of the Legislature or any 
amounts received by an employee of an educational institution for work performed 
during an academic year or term during a period between 2 successive academic years 
or terms during which the employee is not providing services for the educational 
institution, are not considered wages for the purpose of this subsection.
C.  An individual's week of unemployment shall be is deemed to commence only after 
his the individual's registration at an employment office, except as the commission may 
by regulation otherwise prescribe.
SUMMARY
This bill provides that wages received by an employee of an educational institution for 
work performed during an academic year or term during a period between 2 successive 
school years or terms during which the employee is not providing services for the 
educational institution are not considered wages for the purpose of eligibility for 
unemployment benefits.