An Act to Strengthen Work Equity Regarding Employment of Minors and Unemployment Benefits
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1332
Committee: Labor and Housing
Sponsors: SAMPSON, BRAKEY, GUERRETTE, HYMES, LYMAN
Amends: 26 MRSA §664, 26 MRSA §774, 26 MRSA §1192

Legislative Document
No. 1332
H.P. 846
House of Representatives, March 28, 2023
An Act to Strengthen Work Equity Regarding Employment of 
Minors and Unemployment Benefits
Reference to the Committee on Labor and Housing suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative SAMPSON of Alfred.
Cosponsored by Senator BRAKEY of Androscoggin and
Representatives: GUERRETTE of Caribou, HYMES of Waldo, LYMAN of Livermore Falls.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  26 MRSA §664, sub-§1, as amended by IB 2015, c. 2, §1, is further 
amended to read:
1.  Minimum wage.  Except as provided in subsection 1-A, this subsection establishes 
minimum hourly wages.  The minimum hourly wage is $7.50 per hour.  Starting January 
1, 2017, the minimum hourly wage is $9.00 per hour; starting January 1, 2018, the 
minimum hourly wage is $10.00 per hour; starting January 1, 2019, the minimum hourly 
wage is $11.00 per hour; and starting January 1, 2020, the minimum hourly wage is $12.00 
per hour.  On January 1, 2021 and each January 1st thereafter, the minimum hourly wage 
then in effect must be increased by the increase, if any, in the cost of living. The increase 
in the cost of living must be measured by the percentage increase, if any, as of August of 
the previous year over the level as of August of the year preceding that year in the 
Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, CPI-W, for the 
Northeast Region, or its successor index, as published by the United States Department of 
Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics or its successor agency, with the amount of the minimum 
wage increase rounded to the nearest multiple of 5¢.   If the highest federal minimum wage 
is increased in excess of the minimum wage in effect under this section, the minimum wage 
under this section is increased to the same amount, effective on the same date as the 
increase in the federal minimum wage, and must be increased in accordance with this 
section thereafter.
Sec. 2.  26 MRSA §664, sub-§1-A is enacted to read:
1-A.  Minimum wages for minors.  Notwithstanding subsection 1, the hourly 
minimum wages for the following persons are the following amounts:
A. For persons 14 or 15 years of age, $7.75; and 
B. For persons 16 or 17 years of age, $8.50.
On January 1, 2024 and each January 1st thereafter, the minimum hourly wage under this 
subsection then in effect must be increased by the increase, if any, in the cost of living,  
determined and applied in the same manner as prescribed under subsection 1.
Sec. 3.  26 MRSA §774, sub-§3, ¶A, as amended by PL 1991, c. 713, §2, is further 
amended to read:
A.  This subsection does not apply to:
(1)  A minor who has been excused from attendance by school officials in 
accordance with Title 20‑A, section 5001‑A, subsection 2 or subsection 3, except 
that a minor who has been excused in accordance with subsection 3, other than for 
an approved home instruction program, may not be employed during the hours that 
the minor's school or approved home instruction program is in session;
(2)  A student in an alternative education plan that includes a work experience 
component;
(3)  A student in an approved vocational cooperative education program; or
(4)  A student who is granted permission for an early school release to work during  
the hours the school is in session by the school principal. under an agreement with 
the minor’s parent or guardian; or
(5)  A student in an approved home instruction program.
Sec. 4.  26 MRSA §1192, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2021, c. 456, §18, is further 
amended to read:
2.  Has registered for work.  The individual has registered for work at, and continued 
to report at, an employment office in accordance with rules the commissioner adopts, 
except that the commissioner may, by rule, waive or alter either or both of the requirements 
of this subsection as to individuals attached to regular jobs and as to such other types of 
cases or situations with respect to which the commissioner finds that compliance with the 
requirements would be oppressive, or would be inconsistent with the purposes of this 
chapter.  A rule under this subsection may not conflict with section 1191, subsection 1.
The individual must actively seek work each week in which a claim for benefits is filed 
unless the individual is participating in approved training under subsection 6 or work search 
has been waived in accordance with rules adopted by the commissioner and provide 
evidence of work search efforts in a manner and form as prescribed by the Department of 
Labor and in accordance with paragraph A.  Failure to provide required work search 
documentation results in a denial of benefits in accordance with section 1194, subsection 2 
for the week or weeks for which no documentation was provided unless the department 
determines there is good cause for the individual's failure to comply with this requirement;.
A.  In order for an individual to meet the work search requirements under this section, 
the individual must provide evidence that the individual has applied in person or 
through an online application portal for available work openings as described in 
subsection 3;
SUMMARY
This bill:
1.  Establishes new minimum wages, separate from current minimum wages, for 
persons 14 to 17 years of age.  For persons who are 14 or 15 years of age, the minimum 
wage is $7.75.  For persons 16 or 17 years of age, the minimum wage is $8.50;
2.  Provides that a person who is homeschooled may work during school hours.  It also 
provides that a school may authorize a student to work during school hours under an 
agreement with the student’s parent or guardian; and
3.  Requires an individual seeking unemployment benefits to provide evidence that the 
individual has applied in person or through an online application portal for available work 
openings.