An Act to Reauthorize Funding of Collective Bargaining
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 2245
Committee: Appropriations and Financial Affairs
Sponsors: GATTINE

Legislative Document
No. 2245
H.P. 1523
House of Representatives, April 13, 2026
An Act to Reauthorize Funding of Collective Bargaining 
Agreements with Executive Branch Employees
Reference to the Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative GATTINE of Westbrook.  (GOVERNOR'S BILL)
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  PL 2025, c. 492, §1 is amended to read:
Sec. 1.  Adjustment of salary schedules for fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27.  
The salary schedules for the executive branch employees in bargaining units represented 
by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Maine State 
Troopers Association, the Maine State Law Enforcement Association, the Maine Service 
Employees Association, the Fraternal Order of Police and, except for the Maine Service 
Employees Association, any other certified bargaining representative for an executive 
branch bargaining unit must be adjusted consistent with the terms of any collective 
bargaining agreements ratified by December 31, 2025.
Sec. 2.  PL 2025, c. 492, §7 is amended to read:
Sec. 7.  Costs to General Fund and Highway Fund.  Costs to the General Fund 
and Highway Fund must be provided wholly or in part through a transfer of Personal 
Services appropriations within and between departments and agencies from the Salary Plan 
program, General Fund account in the Department of Administrative and Financial 
Services in an amount up to the full amount the Salary Plan program, General Fund account 
has accrued as of the date an agreement is reached with the respective bargaining agents to 
implement the economic terms of the most recent collective bargaining agreements, as 
specified in sections 1, 2 and 3 of this Act, entered into by the State and the American 
Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Maine State Troopers 
Association, the Maine State Law Enforcement Association, the Maine Service Employees 
Association, the Fraternal Order of Police and, except for the Maine Service Employees 
Association, any other certified bargaining representative for an executive branch 
bargaining unit to provide equitable treatment of employees excluded from collective 
bargaining pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 26, section 979-A, subsection 6, 
paragraph F and, notwithstanding Title 26, section 979-D, subsection 1, paragraph E, 
subparagraph (3), to implement equitable adjustments for confidential employees.
Sec. 3.  Adjustment of salary schedules for fiscal year 2026-27; Maine 
Service Employees Association.  The salary schedules for the executive branch 
employees in bargaining units represented by the Maine Service Employees Association 
must be adjusted consistent with the terms of any collective bargaining agreements ratified 
by August 31, 2026.
Sec. 4.  New, temporary and seasonal employees; similar and equitable 
treatment.  The Governor is authorized to grant similar and equitable treatment consistent 
with this Act for employees in classifications included in bargaining units subject to 
collective bargaining agreements described in section 6 of this Act who are excluded from 
collective bargaining pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 26, section 979-A, 
subsection 6, paragraph F.
Sec. 5.  Confidential employees; similar and equitable treatment.  The 
Governor is authorized to grant similar and equitable treatment consistent with this Act for 
confidential employees.  For the purposes of this section, "confidential employees" means 
those employees within the executive branch, including probationary employees, who are 
in positions excluded from collective bargaining units pursuant to the Maine Revised 
Statutes, Title 26, section 979-A, subsection 6, paragraphs B, C, D, I and J.
Sec. 6.  Employee salaries subject to Governor's adjustment or approval.  
The Governor is authorized to grant similar and equitable treatment consistent with this 
Act for those unclassified employees whose salaries are subject to the Governor's 
adjustment or approval.
Sec. 7.  Costs to General Fund and Highway Fund.  Costs to the General Fund 
and Highway Fund related to the collective bargaining agreements reached with the Maine 
Service Employees Association must be provided wholly or in part through a transfer of 
Personal Services appropriations within and between departments and agencies from the 
balance in the Salary Plan program, General Fund account in the Department of 
Administrative and Financial Services after consideration of the economic terms of the 
most recent collective bargaining agreements as specified in section 3 of this Act and Public 
Law 2025, chapter 492, sections 1 and 2, entered into by the State and the American 
Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Maine State Troopers 
Association, the Maine State Law Enforcement Association, the Fraternal Order of Police 
and any other certified bargaining representative for an executive branch bargaining unit to 
provide equitable treatment of employees excluded from collective bargaining pursuant to 
the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 26, section 979-A, subsection 6, paragraph F and, 
notwithstanding Title 26, section 979-D, subsection 1, paragraph E, subparagraph (3), to 
implement equitable adjustments for confidential employees as well as consideration of 
any other legislatively authorized uses of the Salary Plan program, General Fund account 
in the Department of Administrative and Financial Services during this same timeframe.
Sec. 8.  Transfer of Personal Services appropriations between programs 
and departments; General Fund.  Notwithstanding the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 
5, section 1585 or any other provision of law to the contrary, available balances in the 
General Fund for Personal Services in fiscal year 2025-26 and fiscal year 2026-27 may be 
transferred by financial order between programs and departments within the General Fund 
upon recommendation of the State Budget Officer and approval of the Governor to be used 
for costs associated with collective bargaining agreements for state employees, as specified 
in section 3 of this Act.
Sec. 9.  Transfer from Salary Plan program and special account funding.  
The Salary Plan program, General Fund account in the Department of Administrative and 
Financial Services may be made available as needed in allotment by financial order upon 
the recommendation of the State Budget Officer and approval of the Governor to be used 
for the implementation of the collective bargaining agreements for state employees, as 
specified in section 3 of this Act, and for other economic items contained in this Act in 
fiscal year 2026-27.  Positions supported from sources of funding other than the General 
Fund and the Highway Fund must be funded from those other sources.
Sec. 10.  Transfer of Personal Services allocations between programs and 
departments; Highway Fund.  Notwithstanding the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, 
section 1585 or any other provision of law to the contrary, available balances in the 
Highway Fund for Personal Services in fiscal year 2026-27 may be transferred by financial 
order between programs and departments within the Highway Fund upon recommendation 
of the State Budget Officer and approval of the Governor to be used for costs associated 
with collective bargaining agreements for state employees, as specified in section 3 of this 
Act.
Sec. 11.  Authorization for reimbursement of costs associated with contract 
resolution.  The Department of Administrative and Financial Services may be reimbursed 
from the Salary Plan program, General Fund account in the Department of Administrative 
and Financial Services for the costs of contract resolution, administration and 
implementation and other costs required by the process of collective bargaining and 
negotiation procedures.
Sec. 12.  Retroactivity. Those sections of this Act that amend Public Law 2025, 
chapter 492 apply retroactively to September 24, 2025.
SUMMARY
This bill implements the cost items in collective bargaining agreements reached 
between the State and the Maine Service Employees Association and provides for equitable 
treatment for confidential employees and certain other employees excluded from collective 
bargaining. 
The bill specifies the costs from the General Fund and Highway Fund to fund salary 
increases and authorizes the transfer by financial order of available General Fund and 
Highway Fund balances as necessary. 
The bill provides for the adjustment of certain salary schedules in fiscal year 2026-27 
consistent with agreements ratified by the Maine Service Employees Association by 
August 31, 2026.  The bill provides for similar and equitable treatment of confidential 
employees, probationary employees and other employees excluded from collective 
bargaining.
The bill amends Public Law 2025, chapter 492 to remove the Maine Service Employees 
Association from the provision in that chapter regarding the requirement that salary 
schedules must be adjusted consistent with agreements ratified by December 31, 2025 and 
the provision in that chapter regarding costs to the General Fund and Highway Fund.  The 
bill makes those changes retroactive to the effective date of chapter 492.