An Act to Protect Maine Businesses by Eliminating the Automatic
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 0206
Committee: Labor
Sponsors: TIMBERLAKE, MORRIS
Amends: 20-A MRSA §4016, 20-A MRSA §15677, 26 MRSA §664, 36 MRSA §5217-E

Legislative Document
No. 206
S.P. 93
In Senate, January 14, 2025
An Act to Protect Maine Businesses by Eliminating the Automatic 
Cost-of-living Adjustment to the Minimum Hourly Wage
Reference to the Committee on Labor suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator TIMBERLAKE of Androscoggin.
Cosponsored by Representative MORRIS of Turner and
Senators: LIBBY of Cumberland, STEWART of Aroostook, Representatives: 
FAULKINGHAM of Winter Harbor, LYMAN of Livermore Falls.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §4016, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2023, c. 643, Pt. G, §1, is 
amended to read:
2.  Minimum hourly wage.  Except as provided in subsection 3, for For the school 
year starting after June 30, 2025 and for each subsequent school year, the minimum hourly 
wage for educational technicians is equal to 125% of the minimum hourly wage established 
in Title 26, section 664, subsection 1 and the minimum hourly wage for other school 
support staff is equal to 115% of the minimum hourly wage established in Title 26, section 
664, subsection 1.
Sec. 2.  20-A MRSA §4016, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2023, c. 643, Pt. G, §1, is 
repealed.
Sec. 3.  20-A MRSA §15677, sub-§2, ¶C, as enacted by PL 2023, c. 643, Pt. G, 
§3, is amended to read:
C.  For fiscal year 2025-26 and for each subsequent fiscal year, the commissioner shall 
update the previous year's salary matrix to reflect appropriate trends in the Consumer 
Price Index or other comparable index and to reflect any increase in the minimum 
hourly wage of educational technicians and other school support staff in accordance 
with section 4016, subsection 3.
Sec. 4.  26 MRSA §664, sub-§1, as amended by IB 2015, c. 2, §1, is further 
amended to read:
1.  Minimum wage.  The minimum hourly wage is $7.50 $14.65 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. 5.  36 MRSA §5217-E, sub-§1, ¶E, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 635, Pt. H, §15, 
is amended by amending subparagraph (3) to read:
(3)  During the taxable year had earned income of at least the state minimum wage, 
as set out in Title 26, section 664, subsection 1, as adjusted for cost-of-living 
increases, as determined on January 1st of the taxable year, multiplied by 936 
hours.  The assessor may adopt rules reducing this amount if a portion of the 
taxable year falls within a disaster period. Rules adopted pursuant to this 
subparagraph are routine technical rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, 
subchapter 2‑A.
SUMMARY
This bill sets the minimum hourly wage at $14.65 and removes the annual cost-of-
living adjustment. The minimum hourly wage as of January 1, 2025 pursuant to Initiated 
Bill 2015, chapter 2 is $14.65 per hour due to inflation adjustments.  The bill also removes 
cross-references to the annual cost-of-living adjustment.